Dana White's Contender Series is back for an eighth season, and we're already onto the second week of action. White dished out four UFC contracts last week, all of which went to fighters who knocked out their opposition. Below I'll dive into two of Tuesday's fights from a betting perspective and let you know where I'm laying my money on the canvas.
Dana White's Contender Series Week 2 Picks: Pat Pytlik vs. Andreas Gustafsson
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Welterweight: Pat Pytlik vs. Andreas Gustafsson
All roads lead to a Welterweight fight at the top of Tuesday's card, as Pat Pytlik (9-1-0) squares off against Andreas Gustafsson (10-2-0). Gustafsson, a Swedish native, is a sizable -250 moneyline favorite over Canada’s Pytlik, who comes back at +190 to get his hand raised.
Both of these brawlers possess plenty of knockout power, which should be useful considering all four fighters who earned contracts last week knocked out their opponents. Pytlik's out to a 9-1-0 start in his professional career, and all nine wins are by KO. The lone blemish was a submission defeat (Guillotine Choke), which came in Unified MMA, Pytlik's most recent promotion. As for Gustafsson, he's 10-2-0 with seven knockout victories, two submissions, and a decision win. His two losses were both decisions.
I'm normally trying to avoid laying this type of juice, but this is the second-tightest fight on Tuesday's card from an odds perspective. However, I think a -250 price tag might be warranted for Gustafsson. This guy's a savage, ranking first overall amongst Nordic Middleweights (per Tapology). He'll make the cut down to Welterweight, which I think gives him an advantage since he's used to fighting bigger opponents. It also favors "Bane" that he has a couple of submission victories to his resume. Gustafsson's base is in Greco Roman Wrestling, so between having an edge on the canvas, as well as the knockout power, it's easy to see why he's such a big favorite. I'll be backing Gustafsson to take care of business on Tuesday.
Bet: Andreas Gustafsson Moneyline (-250)
DWCS Week 2 Schedule & Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Welterweight (170 Lbs.): Pat Pytlik (+190) vs. Andreas Gustafsson (-250)
- Heavyweight (265 Lbs.): Rizvan Kuniev (-560) vs. Hugo Cunha (+370)
- Bantamweight (135 Lbs.): Cortavious Romious (-298) vs. Michael Imperato (+220)
- Middleweight (185 Lbs.): Cam Rowston (+280) vs. Torrez Finney (-395)
- Bantamweight (135 Lbs.): Billy Brand (+154) vs. Cody Haddon (-200)
