Dana White’s Contender Series Season 4 Week 10, Odds & Picks

Nick Maximov (second from right) will try to earn a spot in the UFC when he fights Oscar Cota in the main event of DWCS Week 10. Photo by @MMAFighting (Twitter)

• The final episode of Season 4 goes down on Tuesday, November 17, 2020
• Who will earn contracts this week?
• See the odds and betting preview for Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series, below

Dana White’s Contender Series has been must-watch TV for MMA fans. They’ve had the chance to see future UFC stars earn their way into the promotion. The show has produced the likes of Geoff Neal, Sean O’Malley, and Alex Perez, among others.

In the main event of Week 10, Nick Maximov takes on Oscar Cota at heavyweight. The card airs live on ESPN+ and TSN at 8:00 PM EST on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

Dana White’s Contender Series Week 10 Odds

Odds taken Nov. 16

Will The Diaz Brothers’ Protégé Earn a UFC Deal?

Nick Maximov (5-0) is moving up to heavyweight in order to fight in front of Dana White. The 22-year-old is close training partners with Nick and Nate Diaz and has even fought as low at middleweight. In his career, all five of his wins have come by stoppage.

Oscar Cota (11-2) returned to the win column last time out with a TKO win back in September of 2019. He has primarily been fighting in Mexican promotions, but he did compete on the Golden Boy MMA card that featured Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell 3 as the main event.

Maximov vs Cota Key Stats

There is no question this appears to be a setup fight for Maximov to get a win and do so by stoppage. However, a major concern will be the weight difference. Maximov is a light heavyweight, and weighed in at 209-pounds, while Cota weighed 263.5 pounds, leaving a 54.5-pound weight difference between the two.

Given the size difference, I do have some worry about whether or not Maximov will be able to get Cota down. However, on the feet, the American has shown his striking is getting much better and will be a lot faster than the Mexican.

Ultimately, I expect Maximov to use his speed to piece up Cota. Maximov will eventually get him down to the ground and submit him in the first or second round to earn a UFC deal.

Pick: Nick Maximov (-350)

Other DWCS Week 10 Picks:

1. JP Buys (-300): Buys should already be in the UFC at this point, but in this fight, I like him to outstrike Silva on the feet and either get a clear decision or late TKO. Regardless, I expect him to get a UFC deal.
2. Pauline Macias (+140): Macias has a very underrated striking game, but I like her to get this fight to the ground and control de Paulo for a decision win.
3. Sherrard Blackledge (-175): Both Blackledge and Lutz were on the Contender Series earlier this summer and won. This time around, Blackledge should be able to outpoint Lutz on the feet for a decision win and a UFC deal.
4. Chelsea Hackett (-245): Hackett is a phenom out in Australia and is a training partner of UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski. Hackett should be able to keep it standing and eventually get a TKO win and a UFC contract.

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