New York, NY – It’s been more than a year since fight fans have seen Cody Haddon in action, but the Australian bantamweight finally returns this Saturday at UFC 322.
It’s a big card, and a fairly high-profile opponent in Malcolm Wellmaker, who welcomes Haddon back to the bright lights of the UFC. It’s also a matchup he was aiming for, as it turns out.
“I had some tough setbacks, injuries that pulled me back and took me out of a fight earlier this year. And then it was just bad luck. I’m just grateful to be back on this card, and I actually asked for this fight,” Haddon (8-1) explained during Wednesday’s UFC 322 media day, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “The UFC wanted to match me, and four weeks had passed [Serhiy Sidey] pulled out. I had a friend message me, contact my manager, and she got to work on it right away. And that’s what we actually asked for.”
Ultimately, Haddon was “very grateful that he accepted the fight as well, and that we were able to make it happen on possibly the biggest card of the year. So super excited.”
Haddon was booked for a February showdown with Aleksandre Topuria, brother of UFC lightweight champion Ilia, only for an injury to scupper those plans. Now he gets the undefeated Wellmaker. “Malcolm, he’s been impressive, I think. So this is a tougher fight I feel than Topuria, so I’m excited about that.”
Haddon described his opponent as a “very skilled, cunning fighter on his feet” and noted that Wellmaker’s wrestling hasn’t been seen all that much. “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter, and that’s why I want to fight him,” he added, “because I want to fight the best.”
However, don’t be fooled by Haddon replacing Sidey in this Saturday’s fight. While the bout may have been announced on short notice, “this isn’t short notice at all. I wouldn’t have asked for it if it had happened on short notice. If I was on the bench, I wouldn’t have said, ‘Hey, I’m going to fight that guy in four weeks.’ He probably wouldn’t have been ready for it.”
The motivation to return now, meanwhile, came down to visibility. “I had to take a fight before the end of the year because I just kind of fell off. And I have to come back with a bang and show everyone what I’m capable of.”
Watch Cody Haddon’s full UFC 322 media day appearance above.
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