UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad continues on the prelims with a fight in the bantamweight division between Jake Hadley and Caolan Loughran. Loughran was able to secure his first UFC victory in his last fight with a unanimous decision meanwhile, Hadley steps in on short notice up a weight class while coming off back-to-back losses. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Hadley-Loughran prediction and pick.
Jake Hadley (10-3) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his professional career which now puts him at just 2-3 in his UFC career. After Ramon Taveras had to withdraw due to injury, Hadley has now stepped in looking to get himself back on track against Ireland’s Caolan Loughran this weekend at UFC 304.
Caolan Loughran (9-1) came into his UFC debut undefeated winning all eight of his fights only to drop a competitive decision to the very experienced Taylor Lapilus. He secured his first victory inside the Octagon with a barnburner of a fight against Angel Pacheco his next time out and will be looking to get on his first winning streak in his UFC career when he takes on Jake Hadley this weekend in Manchester, England.
Here are the UFC 304 Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC 304 Odds: Jake Hadley-Caolan Loughran Odds
Jake Hadley: +180
Caolan Loughran: -210
Over 2.5 rounds: -240
Under 2.5 rounds: +190
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Why Jake Hadley Will Win
Jake Hadley has now lost back-to-back fights for the first time not only in his career but also in the UFC when he lost to Charles Johnson and Cody Durden in his last two bouts. Hadley wasn’t originally scheduled to fight in his backyard but after the UFC announced that Ramon Taveras was out with an injury he put his name in the mix and got the call. Now, Hadley will be moving up to the bantamweight division to take on Ireland’s Caolan Loughran in hopes of getting back on track this weekend in front of his home crowd at UFC 304.
Hadley during his time in the UFC has shown a mixed bag of skills with his ability to land devastating strikes just like when he finished Malcolm Gordon with a beautiful body shot as well as his grappling when he submitted Carlos Candelario with a triangle choke. He is at his best when he’s able to dictate where the fight takes place and being the aggressor making his opponent fight off of their backfoot. In this matchup against Caolan Loughran, he’s going to need to take some chances and take the fight to Loughran and really push the pace.
He will be giving up some size but he will be the faster fighter and much more technically sound on the feet. It will be up to Hadley to catch Loughran with something either on the feet or in transition in the grappling to overcome the size discrepancy to get back into the win column and score the upset victory.
Why Caolan Loughran Will Win
Caolan Loughran had a tough UFC debut when he faced off against skilled veteran Taylor Lapilus who showed Loughran that there are levels to this. Loughran did come back and get his first UFC victory when he went to war with the ultra-tough Angel Pacheco. After Taveras withdrew from the bout, Loughran will be taking on England’s own Jake Hadley in hostile territory as he searches for his second UFC victory this weekend at UFC 304.
Loughran is an absolute tank for 135 lbs and he uses his strong build to his advantage with his heavy hooks and his dominant grappling game. He is a fighter who loves to come forward and throw caution to the wind looking to take his opponent’s heads off their shoulders and with this matchup against Hadley will be no different. Hadley has had trouble with pressure fighters in the past and with the pressure that Loughran has he could break Hadley as he’s been broken in the past to a potential late finish or a nod on the judge’s scorecards.
Final Jake Hadley-Caolan Loughran Prediction & Pick
These two fighters are coming to scrap this weekend at UFC 304 which should lead to an exciting fight in the bantamweight division. This is going to be a tall task for the England native Hadley to take on short notice but it’s not one that he won’t be competitive in. While Hadley isn’t nearly as dangerous on the feet as someone as Taveres he’s still a formidable opponent that Loughran can’t take lightly. Ultimately, these two will come out swinging from the early going but it will be Loughran who will be pressing the issue, landing the heavier shots, and being the busier fighter to get his hands raised in the end to keep his winning streak alive this weekend.
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Final Jake Hadley-Caolan Loughran Prediction & Pick: Caolan Loughran (-210), Over 2.5 Rounds (-240)
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