“Sean O’Malley, Conor McGregor the first time I ever met him,” the UFC CEO told reporters about fighters who dazzled him like “Contender Series” standout Stephanie Luciano. “Ronda Rousey the first time I ever met her, the list goes on. Chuck Liddell.”
Stephanie Luciano and Talita Alencar battled to the first-ever draw on Season 7 (Ep. 7) of Dana White’s “Contender Series” last Tues. night (Sept. 19, 2023) at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, following three rounds of high-octane action. After the dust settled in “Sin City,” White excitedly awarded a UFC contract to Luciano.
Alencar got jack squat.
“Stephanie is on the young side, like I always talk about,” White said after the fight. “People being too old, people being too young, might need more experience. There’s something weird … when Stephanie stepped into the Octagon, I have this thing that I always talk about, when I see people that I think are special. She has that ‘it factor,’ she has that thing about her. Stephanie came forward the whole time, she tried to finish the fight, she tried to knock her out. I think Stephanie is special and I think this fight actually made Stephanie better. I’m gonna give Stephanie a shot in the UFC and see what she can do.”
History has shown us the “it factor” in UFC doesn’t always pan out.
“The minute that girl stepped into the Octagon … it’s this weird f*cking thing that happens to me,” White said during the “Contender Series” press conference. “I was like: interesting … let’s see how she fights. She’s 23 years old, she’s 5-1. This other girl is 32, she’s 4-0. It’s like both ends of the spectrum for me. And then as the fight started to play out … yeah, I like Stephanie. I’m interested to see her first fight in the UFC.”
A date and opponent for Luciano’s debut has yet to be determined.
“It’s surprising, right?” Luciano added. “I didn’t know what was going to happen there. I mean, Talita Alencar is a great athlete, and she came to impose her game, and then it was my turn to show her what I’m about, and I think that’s what made a difference. You don’t come out with a win, but you conquer the hearts of people, and that’s why I think I was able to get what I got.”
For more on Dana White’s “Contender Series” proving ground click here.