Contender Series Week 2: Andreas Gustafsson vs. Pat Pytlik kicks off the card in the bantamweight division between Billy Brand and Cody Haddon. Brand comes into this fight with four straight wins with three of those wins coming by knockout meanwhile, Haddon also comes into his Contender Series debut with four wins in a row with all four wins coming inside the distance. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Brand-Haddon prediction and pick.
Billy Brand (5-1) had extensive amateur experience where he went 5-0 before turning pro which turned into a 5-1 start to his professional career. His lone loss has come against the rising star in the bantamweight division Payton Talbott who battered him in the third round to a TKO defeat. Brand will be looking to bring his aggressive style of fighting to the Contender Series in hopes of getting another knockout on his resume and securing his UFC contract.
Cody Haddon (6-1) is one of the top bantamweight prospects out of Australia where he was the HEX Fight Series bantamweight champion. Much like his opposition, Haddon’s lone loss has come against one of the surging stars in the men’s flyweight division and former title challenger Steve Erceg. Now, Haddon is on a 4-fight winning streak since that loss and will be looking to continue his winning ways when he takes on Billy Brand in his attempt to secure his contract on this season of the Contender Series.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Billy Brand-Cody Haddon Odds
Billy Brand: +135
Cody Haddon: -175
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Why Billy Brand Will Win
Billy Brand will be making his Contender Series debut on the heels of four consecutive victories with three of them coming by knockout. He is a longtime Muay Thai fighter who has seamlessly made the transition to MMA over the years and it shows in his fighting style. He went toe to toe with one of the UFC’s top prospects in the bantamweight division Payton Talbott until the referee had to step in before more damage was done in that third round. That amounted to Brand’s only loss of his career and he will be now looking for the biggest win of his career when he takes on Australia’s Cody Haddon in hopes of securing his UFC contract.
Brand is an exceptional striker who loves to mix up his attacks from leg kicks to body shots to head strikes. His mixing up his attacks makes it difficult for his opponents to read what he will be throwing next. Brand also does a great job at keeping a high guard to avoid some of the big strikes but he is known to just get into wars with the opposition and just outduel them until they go down. While that is great in hindsight, he will need to do a better job at maintaining distance and not get into a firefight with Haddon who has the power in his strikes to make him pay for getting into a brawl. If Brand can use his Muay Thai to pick Haddon apart at range he can potentially land a big counter that floors Haddon putting him away and getting that UFC contract.
Why Cody Haddon Will Win
Cody Haddon comes into this fight as the No. 1 bantamweight prospect out of Australia and New Zealand where he captured the HEX Fight Series bantamweight championship which is the top regional promotion in Australia. Haddon has faced some stiff competition during his time on the regional scene facing very experienced competition with his opponent’s combined record of 51-36. He hopes that experience will help him when he steps inside the Octagon for the biggest fight of his career on Tuesday night when he takes on Billy Brand.
Haddon fought the former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg when he was just 2-0 and almost came away with the victory after dropping a close 29-28 decision. He was however able to get back on track with four straight finishes as he most recently got the second-round rear-naked choke in his last fight. Haddon does a great job at managing his distance and putting together combinations on the feet. He also is defensively sound and when his opponent throws he throws one back always giving his opponent something to do with. While he certainly can contend on the feet with Brand he can also mix in the takedowns and wear on the Muay Thai striker making it increasingly difficult for him to get in the flow of striking in this matchup. If Haddon can mix up his attacks as well as the takedowns he can potentially wear out Brand and get the late finish and get that coveted UFC contract.
Final Billy Brand-Cody Haddon Prediction & Pick
This is a fantastic fight to kick off episode 2 of the Contender Series with these two promising bantamweight prospects. Expect these two to come out firing on all cylinders but Haddon should be the one landing the more impactful shots and mixing in the grappling that will alleviate the forward pressure and reckless striking from Brand. In the end, it will be Haddon who’s going to be the aggressor taking the fight to Brand where he lands the more devastating shots and mixes in the takedowns overwhelming Brand eventually getting the finish and the illustrious UFC contract.
Final Billy Brand-Cody Haddon Prediction & Pick: Cody Haddon (-175)
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