UFC Contender Series Odds: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. George Hardwick prediction

Contender Series Week 2: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. George Hardwick continues with the featured bout in the lightweight division between Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady and George Hardwick. Al-Sawady is coming off four straight wins meanwhile, Grigoriou is coming off eight consecutive wins. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Al-Sawady-Hardwick prediction and pick.

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (14-3) is the former Brave Combat Federation and Fury Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion and is riding a four-fight winning streak into this matchup. He brings a well-rounded skillset to this fight against his toughest opponent yet in George Hardwick as he attempts to impress Dana White and get that coveted UFC contract.

George Hardwick (12-1) is one of the top prospects on this season of the Contender Series. Hardwick is the former Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion who has finished eight of his 12 wins. He will be looking to get the biggest win of his career on the biggest stage when he takes on Abdul-Kareem Al-Sawady on this week's episode of the Contender Series.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Contender Series Week 2 Odds: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady-George Hardwick Odds

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady: +260

George Hardwick: -370

How to Watch Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. George Hardwick

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT

Why Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady Will Win

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady is a complete fighter that has fighting at the highest level since turning pro in 2012. He has shown the ability to out-grapple and out-strike his opponents throughout his time on the regional scene. Al-Selwady also has fought for reputable promotions in Brave CF and Fury FC showing that he has fought decent competition on his rise en route to his appearance on the Contender Series.

Al-Selwady gets one of the tougher matchups on the Contender Series when he takes on George Hardwick who is ranked as the No. 1 lightweight prospect outside of the UFC. This doesn't mean that Al-Selwady doesn't have to skills to score the upset in this matchup. He will need to mix things up on the feet as well as land takedowns with his vicious ground and pound in order to get the biggest win of his professional career and possibly that coveted UFC contract.

Why George Hardwick Will Win

George Hardwick is one of the top prospects heading into this season of the Contender Series. Many believe that Hardwick should already be signed and fighting in the UFC without having to go through the Contender Series. He is the former Cage Warriors lightweight champion and has yet to lose at 155 lbs in his career, his only loss on his record was at welterweight against an undefeated Madars Fleminas at the time.

Much like Al-Selwady, Hardwick is a well-rounded prospect that has finished eight of his 12 wins which is split between five wins and three submissions. With that said, Hardwick does his best work on the feet which would be his best path to victory in this matchup against Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady. While Al-Selwady is as tough as they come, all three of his losses have come by knockout, and with the power that Hardwick possesses another knockout loss could potentially be on the horizon for this Tuesday night.

Final Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady-George Hardwick Prediction & Pick

This is one of the better fights on the Contender Series this season between these two lightweight prospects. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady fights out of a great camp at Fortis MMA with high-level training partners which gives him a leg up in the preparation for this fight but George Hardwick has fought on some of the biggest stages to get him ready for the big show.

Al-Selwady will certainly need to throw strikes for a distance to where is either completely in boxing range or outside of the kicking range of Hardwick. He will be able to do that if he is mixing in the takedowns along with his striking, if he is able to make Hardwick work for it could potentially throw him off his game. With that said, Hardwick has shown the ability to beat his opponents no matter where the fight goes.

Al-Selwady will need to think twice just going for ill-advised takedowns as Hardwick has a knack for synching up guillotine chokes with three of them on his resume. Hardwick just seems to be more well-equipped to get a win on a show with nature like this. Ultimately, Al-Selwady will do what he can to keep Hardwick from just coming forward and pressing the action by firing calf kicks and counters along with takedown attempts but it will be Hardwick's aggression and power that will be the difference maker as he adds another knockout loss on the resume of Al-Selwady.

Final Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady-George Hardwick Prediction & Pick: George Hardwick (-370)