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Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. DWCS, the inaugural season of which took place back in 2017, sees some of the top prospects in mixed martial arts enter the cage in front of White and the matchmakers, looking to put in a performance worthy […]

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

DWCS, the inaugural season of which took place back in 2017, sees some of the top prospects in mixed martial arts enter the cage in front of White and the matchmakers, looking to put in a performance worthy of a place on the UFC roster.

Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters bag a deal with the sport’s premier promotion across 10 events, up on the 43 from 2022. Through nine episodes of season eight, 38 prospects moved a step closer to their title dreams on MMA’s biggest stage.

And the tenth and final added another four talents to the UFC roster. That included American Nick Klein, who delivered the highlight of the night by submitting Heraldo Souza just 37 seconds into the final fight of the night.

There was just one other finish on the card, with Oceanian fighter Jonathan Micallef rendering Mohamed Ado unconscious by way of a rear-naked choke. Meanwhile, Luis Gurule and Yadier del Valle did enough in their decision victories to impress the boss.

The only winner not to earn a contract on the night was 20-year-old Julieta Martinez, who will seemingly be given more time to develop away from the Octagon following her decision triumph over Leslie Hernandez.

With that in mind, see below for the results and moments that landed four athletes contracts with the UFC.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Results

Jonathan Micallef Def. Mohamed Ado Via Technical Submission (Triangle Choke): R1, 3:01

Julieta Martinez Def. Leslie Hernandez Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Yadier del Valle Def. Antonio Monteiro Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Luis Gurule Def. Nick Piccininni Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Nick Klein Def. Heraldo Souza Via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke): R1, 0:37

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

With that in mind, see below for the results and moments that landed four athletes contracts with the UFC.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Results

Jonathan Micallef Def. Mohamed Ado Via Technical Submission (Triangle Choke): R1, 3:01

Julieta Martinez Def. Leslie Hernandez Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Yadier del Valle Def. Antonio Monteiro Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Luis Gurule Def. Nick Piccininni Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Nick Klein Def. Heraldo Souza Via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke): R1, 0:37

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 10 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters bag a deal with the sport’s premier promotion across 10 events, up on the 43 from 2022. Through eight episodes of season eight, 34 prospects moved a step closer to their title dreams on MMA’s biggest stage.

And the ninth added another five talents to the UFC roster. That included German welterweight Islam Dulatov, who delivered the highlight of the night by brutally knocking out Vanilto Antunes with an elbow, making good on his “The Ripper” moniker.

There were three other finishes on the card, all of which earned the victors contracts. Also at 170 pounds, Kody Steele’s TKO of Chasen Blair was enough to forge his path into the UFC, as was a first-round knockout for heavyweight prospect Mario Pinto.

A big storyline heading into this week’s episode was the curtain-closer, which featured Artem Vakhitov. The former Glory Kickboxing champion was the last man to defeat Alex Pereira prior to his MMA transition, and he’s now pursuing similar success to “Poatan” in the cage.

In front of the Brazilian, who was cageside, the Russian stopped Islam Masraf with strikes inside round one. When granting Vakhitov a contract, White noted that Pereira had given his stamp of approval and pushed for his former rival’s signing.

The first fight of the night was the only contest not to produce a new athlete, with Australia’s Sean Gauci not doing enough in his decision win over Anthony Drilich to impress the UFC boss.

With that in mind, see below for the results and moments that landed four athletes contracts with the UFC.

Sean Gauci Def. Anthony Drilich Via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Islam Dulatov Def. Vanilto Antunes Via KO (Elbow): R1, 2:44

Mario Pinto Def. Lucas Camacho Via KO (punches): R1, 1:43

Kody Steele Def. Chasen Blair Via TKO (Punches): R2, 4:07

Artem Vakhitov Def. Islem Masraf Via TKO (punches): R1, 4:23

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Highlights As 4 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

Dana White Recognizes Alex Pereira’s ‘Halo Effect’ As Artem Vakhitov Gets UFC Contract

Alex Pereira is by far the most outstanding athlete the UFC has signed in recent years. Six of his ten UFC fights have been for a title, and he now holds the record for the quickest turnaround for three title defenses in the promotion. Pereira’s quick rise to the top of MMA has perplexed many […]

Continue Reading Dana White Recognizes Alex Pereira’s ‘Halo Effect’ As Artem Vakhitov Gets UFC Contract at MMA News.

Pereira’s quick rise to the top of MMA has perplexed many in the community. He is a kickboxing specialist but the lack of wrestling and grappling experience has yet to bother him in the UFC.

Artem Vakhitov, who defeated Pereira via decision at Glory 78, has signed with the UFC after winning at Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9. The UFC President is happy to witness the influx of kickboxers in the UFC and thanked the UFC light heavyweight champ for it…

Dana White Explains How Israel Adesanya And Alex Pereira Inspired Kickboxers To Enter The UFC

During the DWCS 75 episode’s press conference, White talked about the recent wave of kickboxers coming to the UFC. He believes the success Israel Adesanya and Pereira have had in the promotion to be the reason behind this.

Over the years, grappling has gradually become one of the most effective tools for success in MMA. Strikers often struggle to keep the fight on the feet against wrestlers but Adesanya and Pereira are huge exceptions. As a result, a lot of kickboxers with similar careers as these legends are now willing to try out their luck in the UFC.

The UFC CEO pointed out that many kickboxers have fought gruesome battles for less money than they deserved. By showcasing their exciting standup in the UFC, they can significantly boost their earnings and fame.

“What I actually think, like we were saying earlier, it’s fascinating how these guys that came out of this whole circuit with Israel and Alex, including them, are doing so well in the UFC. It’s fascinating, so, yeah, why not?” White continued, “I think it’s all of it. Obviously, those guys fought, you know, crazy fights, that I’m sure they didn’t make any money. Joanna J?drzejczyk and many others. And come over here and it’s absolutely life-changing for them.”

While he was announcing the contracts for DWCS Season 8, Week 9, Laura Sanko asked White about Pereira’s halo effect in the UFC. Here’s how he responded:

“100%. It’s fascinating and that these guys are coming over here with so many kickboxing fights. And they’re wrestling is on point. It’s actually fascinating.”

Vakhitov is a great example of the same. He’s just secured a UFC contract but has already generated a lot of hype because of his win over Pereira in kickboxing. Interestingly, “Poatan” himself convinced White to sign Vakhitov.

READ MORE: Conor McGregor Weighs In On Alex Pereira Facing An ‘Untested’ Jon Jones At Heavyweight

Continue Reading Dana White Recognizes Alex Pereira’s ‘Halo Effect’ As Artem Vakhitov Gets UFC Contract at MMA News.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 8 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 8 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters bag a deal with the sport’s premier promotion across 10 events, up on the 43 from 2022. Through seven episodes of season eight, 29 prospects moved a step closer to their title dreams on MMA’s biggest stage.

And the eighth added another five talents to the UFC roster. That included Kazakhstan’s Diyar Nurgozhay, who delivered the highlight of the night by knocking out Bartosz Szewczyk in the final fight.

There were three other finishes on the card, all of which earned the victors contracts. Torrez Finney secured his at the third time of trying after stopping Abdellah Er-Ramy with strikes in round one. While Jacobe Smith delivered a similar TKO to open the card, the highly touted Alberto Montes locked in an anaconda choke to put Carlos Calderon away by way of submission.

David Martinez’s win came in the only bout that required the scorecards, but that didn’t stop him from joining sister Melissa Martinez on the UFC roster.

With that in mind, see below for the moments that landed five athletes contracts with the UFC.

Jacobe Smith Def. Christien Savoie Via TKO (Strikes): R2, 2:55

Torrez Finney Def. Abdellah Er-Ramy Via TKO (Punches): R1, 4:10

David Martinez Def. Xavier Franklin Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alberto Montes Def. Carlos Calderon Via Submission (Anaconda Choke): R2, 2:38

Diyar Nurgozhay Def. Bartosz Szewczyk Via KO (Head Kick): R2, 3:32

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 8 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 7 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 7 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters bag a deal with the sport’s premier promotion across 10 events, up on the 43 from 2022. Through six episodes of season eight, 24 prospects moved a step closer to their title dreams on MMA’s biggest stage.

And the seventh added another five talents to the UFC roster. That included 22-year-old featherweight prospect Kevin Vallejos, who delivered arguably the highlight of the night by stopping Cam Teague with an onslaught of punches in the second fight on the card.

Three finishes followed, with Italian welterweight Daniel Frunza also forcing a stoppage with strikes while light heavyweight Kevin Christian and heavyweight Danylo Voievodkin found submissions.

All four of those winners earned contracts from White, as did Brazilian strawweight Alexia Thainara. Despite going the distance, the 26-year-old did enough to impress and secure her path to the Octagon.