Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) once again picks up the slack in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-free week with the penultimate episode of Season 6, starting as always at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
As has become tradition for his season, all five of last week’s victors punched their tickets to the Octagon. Bruna Brasil stole the show with a vicious head kick knockout, though Farid Basharat, Ikram Aliskerov, Josh Peek, and Daniel Marcos all impressed in their own rights.
We’ve got another international lineup in store this week, headlined by Albania’s Leon Aliu (10-1) against Brazilian finisher Brunno Ferreira (8-0). The co-main hosts the night’s biggest attraction in 17-year-old Bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. (5-0), who takes on once-beaten Mando Gutierrez (5-0). Up at 265, Fury FC champ Austen Lane (11-3) fights Richard Jacobi (6-0-1), while Tajikistan’s Nurullo Aliev (6-0) faces Josh Wick (12-5) at 155. Finally, Roybert Echeverria (7-0) meets Jafel Filho (13-2) in the Flyweight opener.
‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:
Leon Aliu vs. Brunno Ferreira —Ferreira def. Aliu by TKO (punches) at 1:35 of Round One
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Mando Gutierrez — Rosas def. Gutierrez by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Austen Lane vs. Richard Jacobi — Lane def. Jacobi by TKO (punches) at 4:34 of Round One
Nurullo Aliev vs. Josh Wick — Aliev def. Wick by TKO (punches) at 4:36 of Round One
Roybert Echeverria vs. Jafel Filho — Filho def. Echeverria by TKO (punches) at 1:31 of Round Three
‘Contender Series’ Play-By-Play Results:
185 lbs.: Leon Aliu vs. Brunno Ferreira
Round one: Ferreira switching stance, sending out kicks. Good lead right, Aliu tries to flurry in response. Heavy body and low kicks from Aliu. Brief clinch. Ferreira tries a head kick. Clubbing right lands for Aliu and they trade in the clinch, Aliu with punches and Ferreira with knees. Trading with their rear hands. Hard counter right buzzes Aliu and his legs are jelly. Aliu wobbles to the mat, tries to shoot, and gets clubbed with punches for the TKO finish. Aliu vehemently protests the stoppage, but his body language was not good.
Final result: Ferreira def. Aliu by TKO (punches)
135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Mando Gutierrez
Round one: Rosas aggressive early, tossing out kicks. Spinning back kick to the face glances off and he absorbs a knee before shooting. Gutierrez looks for a guillotine, can’t get it, working on standing against the fence. He makes it up, tries to fight off the throw with a whizzer, can’t do so and gets mounted a minute in. Rosas takes the back with a hook in. Struggling to get the other one, manages to wrap up the body triangle. Two minutes in. Hard hammerfists and elbows from Rosas, who looks for a Suloev stretch. Good attempt, can’t finish it, stays attached. Flattening Gutierrez out with two minutes to go.
Back to guard. Gutierrez tries to go to mission control and ends up surrendering side control. Right back to the back goes Rosas. Gutierrez escapes with a minute to go. Solid shots from Gutierrez as Rosas tries to sit up into a takedown attempt, then he jumps guard for another guillotine. Good defense by Rosas to wait it out. 10-9 Rosas.
Round two: Rosas right back on the front foot. He fakes a flying knee, then changes levels for an easy double-leg. Gutierrez again chasing the guillotine without success. Side control for Rosas against the fence. One minute in. Full mount, then the back, flattening him out. Good right hands. Looking for the RNC, slips over the top. Gutierrez looking to take his back in return. Another failed guillotine leaves him on his back again. He stands, fights off a takedown, gives up his back. Two minutes to go.
Gutierrez escapes and successfully takes Rosas’ back. Both hooks in, looking for the RNC. Rosas quickly turns into top guard. One minute to go. Rosas staying tight. 10-9 Rosas.
Round three: Low kicks from Rosas, who lands a body kick and eats a right hook. Good left hands. Gutierrez spins him down into guard with a single-leg. He looks for the back and again Rosas sweeps into guard a minute in. Ground-and-pound landing for him. Two minutes in. Full mount, then the back. He briefly threatens another Suloev stretch before going back to chasing the RNC. Body triangle. Two minutes to go.
Still looking for the RNC. Landing short punches from the back. One minute to go. Rosas tries a last-second armbar. 10-9 Rosas.
Final result: Rosas def. Gutierrez by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Austen Lane vs. Richard Jacobi
Round one: Low kick from Lane to start. Counter 1-2 lands for Jacobi. More kicks from Lane, culminating in an inside low kick directly to the groin that has Jacobi moaning in agony. Despite this, he takes just 90 seconds to recover. Nice body kick by Lane. One minute in. He rushes in and Jacobi wraps up a body lock, taking him down directly into mount. He stays heavy for a while, postures up briefly for some shots, then goes back down. Two minutes in. Still staying heavy, not posturing. Lane sweeps into guard. Two minutes to go.
Jacobi turns for a sloppy armbar, can’t get it, starts trying to hold Lane against him. Ground-and-pound from Lane. He postures up and starts dropping bigger shots with a minute to go. Another sloppy armbar attempt from Jacobi and Lane responds by hammering him with punches until the ref steps in.
Final result: Lane def. Jacobi by TKO (punches)
155 lbs.: Nurullo Aliev vs. Josh Wick
Round one: Wick firing low kicks. Aliev pressures him to the fence, then shoots. Wick ends up jamming his thumb in Aliev’s eye as he tries to defend, so they pause and bring in the doctor. They reset against the fence, where Aliev continues to drive. First throw unsuccessful. Knees from Aliev a minute in. He wrenches Wick down into guard. Good elbow two minutes in. More elbows piling up. Two minutes to go.
Keeping Wick stuck against the base of the fence. Both seemingly looking to scrape each other’s eyes. Continuing to work the ground-and-pound. He ramps it up with a minute to go, swarming with punches and elbows until the ref intervenes.
Final result: Aliev def. Wick by TKO (punches)
125 lbs.: Roybert Echeverria vs. Jafel Filho
Round one: Filho on the front foot early. Looking for low kicks. Echeverria attempts a front kick, lands a leg kick. One minute in. No real connections besides low kicks so far. Filho fires a double-leg, remains dogged as Echeverria fights for underhooks. Two minutes in. Hauling Echeverria across the cage. Nice granby roll by Echeverria to deny it and end up on top, avoiding a toe hold. Filho puts him back on the fence. Good body lock takedown and he jumps on Echeverria’s back. He’s got the RNC locked up on the chin. Two minutes to go.
Echeverria fights it off and Filho continues to look for the choke. Echeverria again survives, turns into top position, and kicks at his legs. One minute to go. Still standing over Filho. Both kicking at each other’s legs. 10-9 Filho.
Round two: Jab exchange. Echeverria counters a low kick with a right cross to knock him off-balance. Echeverria firing low kicks, tries a front kick and switch head kick. One minute in. Hard lead right. Filho comes back with a 1-2, lands a sharp left hook and low kick. Better entry on the next double-leg and he again transitions to the rear body lock takedown, Granby roll by Echeverria two minutes in and he looks for a heel hook. Filho denies it and looks for his own. Echeverria stands over him with two minutes to go.
Again Echeverria just hops side to side and kicks at his legs. They stay there for 40 seconds before the ref finally stands them up. Echeverria low kick, Filho left hook. Echeverria tries to spin with a minute to go. Hard 3-2 by Filho. Echeverria responds with a side kick to the midsection. He avoids a flurry. He looks for a late double-leg and Filho threatens a guillotine. 10-9 Filho.
Round three: Filho caps a flurry with a low kick, then lands a good left hook. Echeverria body kick, eats a left hook downstairs. Body jab and low kick land for him, then a glancing wheel kick. Combination. He seems like he’s waking up a bit. Good low kick and Filho’s definitely not moving right on that leg. One minute in. Filho falls short with a flying knee, lands an inside low kick. Echeverria just misses with a head kick, and Filho comes back with a vicious left hook that drops him hard against the fence. Filho blasts him with punches while he’s stuck on his knees, and while Echeverria protests the stoppage, that was a whole lot of unanswered shots.
Final result: Filho def. Echeverria by TKO (punches)
For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.