Contender Series Week 4: Mitch Ramirez vs. Carlos Prates continues with a fight in the heavyweight division between Thomas Petersen and Chandler Col. Petersen has won two in a row into his Contender Series debut meanwhile, Cole is coming off his stint on The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 with two consecutive wins. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Petersen-Cole prediction and pick.

Thomas Petersen (7-1) is coming into this big opportunity off back-to-back ground and pound finishes. He has fought for the majority of his professional MMA career under the LFA banner and has fought for their heavyweight championship only to lose to current UFC heavyweight prospect Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Petersen will be looking to get the big win that he’s been longing for so that he can get his chance to fight for the UFC.

Chandler Cole (10-3) has fought for a ton of different organizations from CFFC to the PFL and even had his shine fighting on The Ultimate Fighter where had a highlight reel spinning heel kick that almost finished now PFL fighter Jordan Heiderman. Cole will be looking to bring his fun and exciting fighting style into this matchup in hopes of derailing the Thomas Peterson hype train to get his long-awaited UFC contract.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Contender Series Week 4 Odds: Thomas Petersen-Chandler Cole Odds

Thomas Petersen: -600

Chandler Cole: +360

How to Watch Thomas Petersen vs. Chandler Cole

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT

Why Thomas Petersen Will Win

Thomas Petersen is one of the top heavyweight prospects on the regional scene. He has fought for LFA for the majority of his time as a professional and even was their heavyweight champion at one point in time. Petersen did however lose his first title defense fight against current UFC heavyweight prospect Waldo Cortes-Acosta which is no fault there.

He now gets to take on Chandler Cole who is seemingly a wild card in terms of fighting style. He is very hard to game plan against as you just don’t know what he will do in there and what he is capable of. While that may be true, Petersen just looks the part of a UFC heavyweight prospect. He’s got great takedowns, top pressure, and vicious ground and pound while having sufficient striking backed with power on the feet. His technical striking may not be his strong suit but it’s more than enough to get the victory in his shot on the Contender Series.

Why Chandler Cole Will Win

Chandler Cole has been around the block fighting for numerous organizations like Showcase MMA, LFA, CFFC, and the PFL. He is most known for the spinning back kick that he landed on Jordan Heiderman in his lone fight on The Ultimate Fighter he ultimately wound up losing in the third round. He is quite short for the heavyweight division only standing in at 5’10” but his tenacity and will to win have overcome his size in the 10 professional wins that he possesses.

He gets to take on LFA’s top heavyweight prospect Thomas Petersen who most certainly will be looking to take Cole down and beat him up on the mat as he’s done in the majority of his professional wins. Cole does have a wrestling background and has shown good takedown defense in the past. If he is able to keep this fight standing and out of the grasp of Peterson, the chances of him getting the knockout and the potential UFC contract increase tremendously.

Final Thomas Petersen-Chandler Cole Prediction & Pick

Chandler Cole is going to come out there and really attempt to put it on Thomas Petersen early to get him out of there. He does have some sneaky power in those otherwise short limbs and he is quite agile and quick for someone his size and stature which should make it a bit difficult for Peterson to just walk him down.

Petersen will need to be methodical on the feet while not exposing himself to the big shots that Cole will be throwing his way. He then will need to back Cole against the fence and get this fight to the mat and if he is able to ground him it could be over shortly thereafter. We have seen in the past once Cole gets knocked down or gets taken down it’s hard for him to get back to his feet without eating shots. Ultimately, things will be even on the feet until Petersen is able to walk Cole down, get him against the cage to take him down, and pulverize him into the mat for the TKO finish and the UFC contract.

Final Thomas Petersen-Chandler Cole Prediction & Pick: Thomas Petersen (-600)