Middleweight
NR | Nick Maximov (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Cody Brundage (6-1, 0-0 UFC)ODDS: Maximov (-170), Brundage (+145)
Maximov won his 2020 bout on Dana White’s Contender Series, but it was a strange exercise. Thanks to some late reshuffling, Maximov wound up fighting heavyweight Oscar Cota, doing little but outwrestling a man who outweighed him by over 50 pounds. It was impressive in its own way but did not answer many questions about Maximov, who has otherwise been raw and relatively unproven throughout his brief professional career. Maximov was slated for “The Ultimate Fighter” and a sophomore effort on DWCS at different points, but the UFC instead opted to sign him outright for his debut; and in an interesting twist, he will face a late replacement in Brundage—the same man he was supposed to fight in that second Contender Series appearance. Brundage was a relatively straight-ahead wrestler heading into his own Dana White’s Contender Series assignment in 2020, which became a problem when he was matched with sentient ball of muscle William Knight. “The Knightmare” overpowered Brundage for a quick win, though he made some interesting progress in his lone fight since, showing off some improved striking before eventually taking his fight to the mat for a win. He still had trouble keeping an extended pace in that outing, so while Brundage seems to be developing the right ideas, Maximov looks much more equipped to last 15 minutes while also getting the type of fight he wants on the mat. The pick is Maximov via decision.