The UFC is back in its home of Las Vegas as we bring you the odds for the next fight on the UFC Fight Night Prelims coming in the Flyweight (125 lb) Division. American Top Team's Cody Durden will take on rising prospect Charles “InnerG” Johnson. Both guys are knocking on the door of the rankings; check out our UFC odds series for our Durden-Johnson prediction and pick.
Cody Durden is 14-4-1 as a professional and has gone 3-2-1 since joining the UFC. He's faced some good competition like Chris Gutierrez and Muhammad Mokaev thus far. He's coming into this one off back-to-back wins against JP Buys (TKO) and Carlos Mota (UD). Durden will have to face yet another up-and-coming prospect, to which he's welcomed with success in the past. Durden stands 5'7″ and has a 67-inch reach.
Charles Johnson is 13-4 overall and has gone 2-2 since joining the UFC. He was a champion in LFA at 6-1 and has seen his technical Muay Thai translate well to the UFC. He's had to face some of the stiffest tests in his first four fights. However, both of Johnson's losses were by decision, losing unanimously to Muhammad Mokaev and by split to Ode Osbourne in his last fight. He'll look to continue his evolution against another tough opponent in Durden. Johnson stands 5'9″ with a 70-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Cody Durden-Charles Johnson Odds
Cody Durden: +118
Charles Johnson: -144
Over (2.5) rounds: -225
Under (2.5) rounds: +172
How to Watch Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson
TV: ESPN 2, ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App, fuboTV
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Cody Durden Will Win
Cody Durden impressed a lot of people with his last two performances and showed that his game has taken a huge step in the right direction. He's become more patient in his recent outings and has seen success both with his striking and wrestling. He faced a very technical striker in Carlos Mota his last time out and was able to mix his takedowns and defensive striking en route to a victory. If he can cut off the footwork of Charles Johnson and land his straight punches, he should be able to hold his own in the striking.
Durden is extremely active on his feet and will look to cut all kinds of angles in the offense. He darts in and out with a lot of explosiveness and could be a problem for Johnson as he sets up his attacks. To win this fight, Durden should look to keep the same striking flow he had against Mota while shooting for aggressive takedowns intermittently. If he can use his strengths in the wrestling, he could see some success holding Johnson down as the underdog in this fight.
Why Charles Johnson Will Win
Charles Johnson will be the longer fighter in the cage, but will be giving up some strength and power to Durden. Johnson's biggest strength lies in his ability to hit opponents with precise volume striking. He's a seasoned Muay Thai practitioner and has a very good background in wrestling. Off his back, Johnson is always threatening with submission attempts and will have a good opportunity to do so against the style of Durden. If he can keep Durden at range and not let him land big shots from in-close, Johnson should have enough to edge Durden in the striking.
Johnson will win this fight if he is locked-in on the defensive end. He doesn't tend to take a lot of damage in his fights thanks to his persistent defense, so he'll have to be continually mindful of the power coming back his way. If Johnson finds himself on the ground, he should look to be offensive or get back to his feet as Durden can keep opponents down. Don't be surprised if Johnson has to dig deep in the later rounds to stave off his aggressive opponent.
Final Cody Durden-Charles Johnson Prediction & Pick
Both fighters proved their abilities against top competition and will now have the closest fight odds-wise of their careers. Durden has a real chance for an upset her if he can be faster with his striking and be the more aggressive wrestler. However, Johnson has too many tools in the striking and is extremely creative with his ground game. Even if Durden manages to get him down, we saw Johnson's awesome ability to get right back up in his last two fights. For the prediction, let's go with “InnerG” to get this win.
Final Cody Durden-Charles Johnson Prediction & Pick: Charles Johnson (-144)
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