Contender Series 2024: Week 3
Date: Tuesday 8/27 at 8PM ET
Broadcast: ESPN+
Venue: You know..
MMA Bouts: 5
PREDICTIONS:
Anderson defeats Pulyaev (TKO)
Interesting fight. Pulyaev recently beat Well Oliveira who’s 38-21 (who’s fought nobodies) and below that really low level competition. Anderson gets this opp after winning four straight via round 1 finish against all guys with winning records. This one for me comes down to Anderson avoiding takedowns and showing his edge on the feet, eventually wearing down the Russian. Could see a shot at a mid to late finish but the line on Anderson straight up is long gone.
Grad defeats Aswell (U2.5)
This is going to be a scrap. I see the line has swung in Aswell’s favor which could prove out, but I dont hate Grad as a dog. He got starched by Tom Nolan in his first contender series opp and has since moved down to 145. He’s had two fights since that loss and has looked impressive with the weight class move, finishing both opponents under 1.5. Aswell is just 23 years old and has solid conditioning and typically has the strength to control the clinch, but I expect Grad to throw bombs from the outside looking to catch and hurt Aswell, where he can then pounce for a possible finish.
Tulio defeats Duclos (TKO)
Duclos has decent stand up, but I could see him getting amp’d, sucked into a brawl, and making a mistake, resulting in him getting caught while Tulio catches his chin. Tulio has the grappling edge as well, but I dont see it coming into play as his stand up pressure will probably force the majority of this fight into staying on the feet.
Wellmaker defeats Bramhald (ITD)
Line probably should be closer as Bramhald is the more well rounded guy in there with more experience to boot. He has more ways to win, but Wellmaker’s speed and overall athleticism we should see out the gates. I suspect Wellmaker catches him on his way to a finish.
Piccininni defeats Duffy (SUB)
Gameplan wise, it would be ideal if Piccininni gets in and out of this one against Duffy. Duffy is a finisher and current A1 Combat Champ. UFC is definitely wanting him to get a shot here as two opponents have pulled out, and now into the mix is Nick Piccininni. Piccininni is undefeated himself, and was a four time HS state champ in New York with a 226-3 record. After HS, he went on to be the four time Big 12 conference champ and 3 time D1 all american out of Oklahoma St. He went on to join DC’s coaching staff then moved on to go full time MMA. He won the Fury FC title and now gets this crack, one which will be a tough test in Duffy. Piccininni is still maturing on the feet, but his grappling edge should get this one to his wheel house on the mat, where I’d be surprised if we don’t see some choke attempts.
BET CONSIDERATIONS:
Anderson ITD -135
Grad/Aswell U2.5 -115
Piccininni SUB +200