Dana White’s Contender Series is actively in its 10th season, and this season has been nothing but action. Through three weeks and 15 fights, there have already been 11 finishes, with six coming in the very first round.
With MMA continuing to grow in popularity and the UFC being the premier organization in the sport, featuring many of the best fighters in the world, what the Contender Series offers is something unique: a glimpse into the future of the UFC. Regional champions from all around the world, as well as rising prospects who have already made waves on their own, come together to compete in what might be the world’s most thrilling and intense job interview.
There are more than 400 fighters on the active UFC roster who have competed on Dana White’s Contender Series. That’s roughly two-thirds of the roster. Of those fighters, around 40 are currently ranked inside the top 15 of their respective divisions.
This isn’t just a developmental show anymore. It’s one of the primary pipelines into the UFC. People have actively passed on opportunities to go on the UFC’s alternate route, The Ultimate Fighter, because they wanted to compete on DWCS instead.
Why You Should Watch
So, if such a large portion of today’s UFC roster comes through the Contender Series, why should you be watching? Well, it’s simple, really: the finish rate is insane.
These fights aren’t always the most technical or pristine performances you’ll ever see inside the Octagon, but the fighters are incentivized to go for the finish, which gives you wild fights. Imagine going into a job interview and actually seeing the person you’re competing against sitting across from you. Except instead of answering questions, you have to fight them. It’s you or them. That’s the Contender Series.
Have a boring fight? You might not get signed. Make a statement? You could become the UFC’s next prospect. That gives fighters an incentive to chase finishes. Fighters become more aggressive, and that aggression creates opportunities to be countered. It leads to wild exchanges, momentum swings, knockouts, submissions and upsets.
It also gives fans an opportunity to see the UFC’s next crop of prospects much earlier in their careers. You aren’t hearing about these fighters after they’ve already won three or four UFC fights. No need for your Conor McGregor impression: “Who da fook is that guy?” You’ll know who that guy is, and you won’t be surprised if he’s actually good. Or maybe you’re looking at the odds wondering why a fighter you’ve known for years is suddenly an underdog. Well, maybe there’s a good reason, because some of these guys coming out of DWCS are SPECIAL.
And let me tell you, this season has been nothing but action. Nothing has been guaranteed, either. We’ve seen some of the widest betting margins in Contender Series history. Some of those massive favorites have delivered exactly as expected. Others have fallen short.
This Year’s Talent
Like I mentioned previously, there have already been 11 finishes through the first 15 fights of the season, and several prospects have immediately stood out. One of them is Anthony Wint.
The heavyweight knocked out his opponent on the Contender Series in just 30 seconds. Only 11 days later, Wint made his UFC debut and submitted heavyweight Terrance Chatman, quickly turning his Contender Series opportunity into success on the UFC roster.
On that same Contender Series card, Bilal Hasan, a highly touted 9-0 flyweight prospect, entered as one of the biggest favorites in Contender Series history. He delivered. Hasan scored a first-round knockout over Mridul Saika and now makes his UFC debut this weekend in Shanghai against Nilson Rojas.
Cristian Pérez is another name to watch from this year’s class, while Week 2 main-event winner Kaik Brito produced one of the most memorable finishes of the season when he knocked out Namo Fazil in what could end up being a Knockout of the Year candidate.
That fight in particular represented the classic Dana White’s Contender Series experience: two guys biting down on their mouthpieces and throwing at each other until one of them couldn’t continue. But it wasn’t the only war on that card.
In the opening fight, boxer Roman Puga defeated natural wrestler Taner Tremblay. Tremblay showed he could hold his own on the feet with Puga and even managed to take a round from him. Their performances were impressive enough that both featherweights earned UFC contracts.
Then came the biggest upset in Dana White’s Contender Series history. Bella Mir, daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, entered her fight with plenty of attention and expectations surrounding her. Across the Octagon stood Alex Apodaca, a Tiger Beetle prospect, who entered as a staggering +1000 underdog. She was able to stuff the takedown threat of the six-time NCAA wrestling champion Mir and simply outwork her on the feet through rounds two and three, not backing down from the challenge. Beforehand, she said she was going to make history, and she sure did. The former med student turned financier turned pro fighter won a 29-28 decision over Mir, pulling off the biggest upset in Contender Series history and providing another reminder of what makes this show so compelling.
This shows that truly anything can happen when you step into that cage, no matter who you are, what the odds say or how wide the odds are. Once the cage door closes, it’s you and your opponent. That, to me, is what makes MMA so special, and on the Contender Series, you see it in its rawest form.
Make sure to catch The Scrap Sheet Friday's at 8pm est for your UFC figut breakdowns predictions and discussions!
https://youtube.com/@notmovedpodcast?si=fSoMZh_0ybnySUBZ
