Preview: UFC 286 Prelims

Flyweights

Jake Hadley (9-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Malcolm Gordon (14-6, 2-3 UFC)

ODDS: Hadley (-380), Gordon (+310)

It is still unclear exactly what to make of Hadley. He impressed in his win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, but it was still a bit of a surprise when the Englishman was given a contract. He missed weight, which is typically a disqualifier by itself, and some conduct issues with the UFC staff came to light after the fact, only for UFC President Dana White to overrule everyone else involved and bring Hadley into the fold. After all that, Hadley’s UFC debut was essentially a dud. Normally a bullying wrestler and aggressive grappler, Hadley essentially got beaten at his own game by Allan Nascimento and dropped a disappointing decision. Fortunately for Hadley, he managed to rebound and look much more like his old self in a clear win over Carlos Candelario in November. However, he needs to prove himself here against a strong grappler once again, this time opposite Gordon. A veteran of the Canadian scene signed on late notice in 2020, Gordon was an interesting flier at the time. He had some obvious offensive potency but also showed a surprising lack of durability for a flyweight, nearly getting finished even in his most notable wins. That last point figured to be Gordon’s undoing in the UFC after quick losses to Amir Albazi and Su Mudaerji—the latter a 44-second knockout—but it has surprisingly become a non-factor in Gordon’s last three fights. Gordon has not done much to tamp down his aggression, but managed to survive to a decision win over Francisco Figueiredo before quickly finishing Denys Bondar; and while he eventually suffered a submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev in October, he did an impressive job of making the top-tier prospect fight for his third-round finish. It will be interesting to see how much hay Gordon can make early with his typical immediate aggression, as causing some chaos is likely his best path to victory in this fight. If this eventually settles into a scrambling grappling match, Hadley does look to be both the stronger and more aggressive fighter, even if Gordon should continue to be a tough out. The pick is Hadley via decision.

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