UFC 322: Cody Haddon full media day interview
UFC 322 fighter Cody Haddon spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his preliminary card bout vs. Malcolm Wellmaker.
NEW YORK – Cody Haddon met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC 322.
Haddon (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a fight between bantamweight prospects on the preliminary card at Madison Square Garden. At media day, Haddon took questions from members of the press corps before his fight.
Haddon won his contract on DWCS in August 2024 and had a successful debut against Dan Argueta a couple months later. But he had to pull out of a fight against lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s brother Aleksandre in February, and that has kept him on the shelf now for 13 months.
Haddon said the layoff has been on his mind heading into the fight with the unbeaten Wellmaker – a fight he asked for after Wellmaker’s original opponent, Serhiy Sidey, pulled out a month ago.
“I had some tough setbacks this year – a couple injuries that took me out of a fight earlier in the year,” Haddon said. “It’s been back-to-back bad luck. I’m just grateful to be back on this card, and I actually asked for this fight.
“… He’s a great fighter. I think he’s a phenomenal fighter, and that’s why I want to fight him. I want to fight the best.”
Haddon, who trains with recent UFC bonus winner Quillan Salkilld, said getting back in the cage after the layoff is starting to reach tantamount importance, though, for his career.
“It’s been a year since my last fight, and I needed to get a fight in before the end of the year because I’ve just kind of fallen off. I need to come back with a bang and show everyone what I’m capable of, and hopefully I can get the job done and after Saturday night, people will know who I am, as well.”
Check out Haddon’s full media day interview in the video above.
