MMA Preview – Cody Durden vs Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night 223
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CODY DURDEN VS CHARLES JOHNSON FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 223? April 29th March, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 223? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 223? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 223 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 223? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
CODY DURDEN VS CHARLES JOHNSON LOWDOWN
Cody Durden (14-4-1) had a shaky start to his UFC career although he was handed some very tough opponents. He took on Chris Gutierrez (2020) up at bantamweight and managed to get a draw out of it but then got submitted by Jimmy Flick (2020). He bounced back against Qileng Aori (2021) but went on to get submitted again by Muhammad Mokaev (2022). Now, he is building some momentum with a TKO over JP Buys (2022) and a unanimous decision over Carlos Mota (2022).
Charles Johnson (13-4) has been even more active in the last three years. He won all three of his fights in 2021 and fought five times last year going 3-2. He made his debut against Mokaev suffering a similar fate although managed to prevent get submitted. He responded with a split decision over Zhalgas Zhumagulov and a TKO over Jimmy Flick
CODY DURDEN VS CHARLES JOHNSON PREDICTION
The game plan is clear for Durden and that is to get his wrestling boots and suppress the Muay Thai of Johnson. Durden is a strong wrestler, but Johnson will have the confidence in fending off the attempts especially after swatting away Flick.
However, he needs to also respect the striking of Durden as he is a powerful puncher. If he is able to stuff the takedown attempts and Durden loses faith in his takedowns, then he will run riot on the feet.
If Durden had better cardio, we would back him to hold onto Johnson long enough to win the rounds. However, Johnson’s takedown defence is quality and he just needs to stuff a few attempts to sap the energy and confidence of Durden.
Durden is worth a punt considering the odds, but we are backing Johnson’s cardio and takedown defence to keep the fight on the feet long enough to cause all the damage he needs.
Prediction: Johnson via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value bet: Durden via Decision
