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Contender Series Week 1: Cesar Almeida vs. Lucas Fernando continues with a fight in the men's bantamweight division between Payton Talbott and Junior Cortez. Talbott is undefeated riding five straight wins meanwhile, Cortez is coming off two consecutive wins into his second appearance on the Contender Series. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Talbott-Cortez prediction and pick.
Payton Talbott (5-0) is an undefeated prospect who is Urijah Faber's A1 Combat Bantamweight Champion. He is a finisher by nature finishing all five of his professional fights and all five of his amateur fights by knockout. Talbott is a crafty long-range striker and would be looking to put his striking skills on display when he takes on Contender Series alumni Junior Cortes this Tuesday night.
Junior Cortez (7-2) is hoping the second time's the charm when he makes his second appearance on the Contender Series. Since losing his first fight to Christian Rodriguez in his first stint on the show, he has gone 2-0 most recently finishing his last opponent by third-round knockout. Cortez will be looking to get the biggest win of his career when he takes on the dangerous Payton Talbott in week 1 of the Contender Series.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Contender Series Week 1 Odds: Payton Talbott-Junior Cortez Odds
Payton Talbott: -156
Junior Cortez: +132
How to Watch Payton Talbott vs. Junior Cortez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT
Why Payton Talbott Will Win
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Payton Talbott is an undefeated prospect fighting out of Nevada but has primarily fought for Urijah Faber's A1 Combat where he won the inaugural bantamweight championship and defended it twice before taking his talents to the Contender Series. He is very tall and long for the division and has a very unorthodox style striking very similar to Sean O'Malley.
That type of striking has helped Talbott amass eight knockouts combined in his professional and amateur career. While he does his best work on the feet, Talbott is no slouch on the mat where he was a standout wrestler in high school before making the transition to MMA. He takes on a familiar name in the Contender Series in Junior Cortez, who's competed but ultimately lost to current UFC bantamweight fighter Christian Rodriguez. Cortez is a game opponent that is willing to exchange in the pocket and the way that Talbott has been hit before. As long he is able to stay long and put the pace on Cortez he can make it six in a row.
Why Junior Cortez Will Win
Junior Cortez is the younger brother of UFC flyweight contender Tracy Cortez. He is riding a two-fight winning streak into his second opportunity on the Contender Series. Cortez is now training out of Fight Ready with his sister training alongside Henry Cejudo with striking coach Eddie Cha and Head Coach Santino Defranco. Coming from a great gym has certainly helped Cortez grow and become more comfortable inside the cage.
He is going to be the much shorter fighter in terms of height and reach but his newfound love with calf kicks and overhand rights will serve him well in this matchup. Beating up on that lead leg will hinder the movement of Talbott making him a stationary target and seeing as he is already hittable this seems to be the recipe for success against the taller and longer fighter. Cortez is the most battle-tested and experienced fighter that Talbott has faced in his career and if he can utilize that experience to his advantage he could score the upset and finally join his sister as a member of the UFC.
Final Payton Talbott-Junior Cortez Prediction & Pick
This going to be a fun scrap between these bantamweight prospects. Cortez has a better chance of mixing things up with the wrestling and striking and being successful with it than Talbott. With that said, it is unlikely he is able to secure the takedowns long enough for them to mean anything as Talbott has shown good takedown defense and ability to get back to his feet.
In Cortez's last two fights while he won he had trouble with the speed and movement with his most recent opponent Elijah Smith until he landed the knockout in round three and also the height and reach of James Settle two fights prior. Talbott has a combination of speed and movement to go along with height and reach which looks to be a stylistic nightmare for the shorter Cortez. In short, as long as Talbott is able to defend the takedowns and keep this fight on his feet, he should be able to stay at range and just outwork and outstrike Cortez to a unanimous decision.
Final Payton Talbott-Junior Cortez Prediction & Pick: Payton Talbott (-156)
