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, that is welcoming Haddon back to the bright lights of the UFC. It’s also a match-up he pursued, it turns out.
“I had some tough setbacks, injuries that withdrew me, took me out of a fight earlier in the year. And then it’s just been back-to-back 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 with media outlets including Cageside Press. “The UFC were looking to match me up, and four weeks had gone by, and [Serhiy Sidey] pulled out. I had a friend message me, get in touch with my manager, and she got right on to it. And we actually asked for this.”
In the end, Haddon was “very grateful that he accepted the fight too, and we could get it done on potentially the biggest card of the year. So super-excited.”
Haddon had been booked into a February showdown with Aleksandre Topuria, brother of UFC lightweight champ Ilia, only for injury to nix those plans. Now he gets the undefeated Wellmaker. “Malcolm, he’s been impressive I feel. So this is a tougher fight I feel than Topuria, so I’m excited for that.”
Describing his opponent as a “very skilled, crafty fighter on the feet,” Haddon noted that Wellmaker’s grappling 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.”
Don’t be fooled by Haddon replacing Sidey in this Saturday’s fight, however. While the match-up might have been announced on short-notice, “this isn’t short notice at all. I wouldn’t have asked for it if it was short notice. If I was on the couch, I wouldn’t have been like ‘hey I’ll fight that guy in four weeks.’ Probably wouldn’t have been ready.”
The motivation to return now, meanwhile, boiled down to visibility. “I needed to get a fight in before the end of the year, because I’ve just kind of fallen off. And I need to come back with a bang and show everyone what I’m capable of.”
Watch the full UFC 322 media day appearance by Cody Haddon above.
