Contender Series Week 6: Aaron Tau vs. Elijah Smith kicks off Week 6 a fight between Dylan Mantello and Ahmad Hassanzada in the lightweight division. Mantello comes into his second stint on the Contender Series with a knockout in his most recent fight meanwhile, Hassanzada won two of his last three fights after suffering a loss in his first appearance on the Contender Series in 2022. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Mantello-Hassanzada prediction and pick.
Dylan Mantello (8-3) gets his shot for a second-straight year on the Contender Series after a brutal flying-knee knockout of Nate Williams in his February bout at CFFC 129. Mantello is hoping that a second time is a charm when he takes on fellow Contender Series alumni Ahmad Hassanzada on this week’s episode of the Contender Series.
Ahmad Hassanzada (11-3) also suffered a brutal defeat in his first opportunity on the Contender Series as current UFC lightweight Nazim Sadykhov finished him. Despite suffering another loss in his next fight he was able to rattle off back-to-back wins en route to his second appearance on the show. Now, he will look to finally secure his UFC contract when he takes on Dylan Mantello this Tuesday night.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Dylan Mantello-Ahmad Hassanzada Odds
Dylan Mantello: +124
Ahmad Hassanzada: -160
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Why Dylan Mantello Will Win
Dylan Mantello comes into his second appearance on the Contender Series after coming off a vicious flying knee knockout against Nate Williams in his most recent win back in February at CFFC. He, unfortunately, took a loss in his first shot on the show last season to now UFC lightweight prospect Kaynan Kruschewsky. Mantello is hoping the second time is the charm when he steps inside the Octagon against Ahmad Hassanzada on this week’s episode of the Contender Series.
Mantello had a rough go against the bigger and more powerful Kaynan Kruschewsky on last year’s Contender Series where he was ultimately finished via rear-naked choke. He gets a far different matchup in his second shot on the Contender Series against Hassanzada who’s also dangerous but in a different way. Mantello is a lot bigger than Hassanzada and he will look to use that size to his advantage by staying on the outside to land his calf kicks and then countering Hassanzada as he enters within boxing range. We’ve seen Hassanzada get clipped against Mantello’s training partner Nazim Sadykhov and if he lands flush we can see the exact same outcome as Mantello gets the win and the UFC contract.
Why Ahmad Hassanzada Will Win
Ahmad Hassanzada got his first shot on the Contender Series in 2021 but ultimately was finished by Nazim Sadykhov in round three. His next fight didn’t go his way when he dropped a unanimous decision against Josh Streacker at LFA 153. However, he was able to get back on track in each of his next two fights most recently finished Aleko Sagliani in round three. Hassanzada will be looking to make the most of his second opportunity when he takes on Dylan Mantello on Tuesday night.
Hassanzada had some glimpses of being a good prospect in his fight against Sadykhov but it was the pressure and the power of Sadykhov that made the difference. As Mantello is coming out of the same camp as Sadykhov, Hassanzada will need to do a better job at using his speed and movement to stay out of range of Mantello’s power. He also posseses the grappling that can make the difference in this fight with sneaky chokes from transitions on the mat making him a dangerous threat if this does hit the mat. It will be up to Hassanzada to mix things up on the feet and on the mat if he wants to come away with the victory and the UFC contract.
Final Dylan Mantello-Ahmad Hassanzada Prediction & Pick
This is a great fight to kick off Week 6 of the Contender Series between these two alumni. Mantello and Hassanzada will be looking to make a great second impression in front of Dana White and matchmakers when they head inside the Octagon on Tuesday night.
Ultimately, this fight could be reminiscent of Hassanzada’s fight with Sadykhov two years ago mainly because Mantello and Sadykhov are close training partners but also because Mantello possesses that fight ending power that has always given Hassanzada trouble and as Hassanzada can’t land the takedowns he starts to fade as the fight moves on and that’s when Mantello lands something flush putting him away and securing his UFC contract.
Final Dylan Mantello-Ahmad Hassanzada Prediction & Pick: Dylan Mantello (+124)
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