The fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series is set to air on August 4 following delays in production due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.
MMAJunkie reports that Dana White’s Contender Series will be returning for a fourth season on August 4 after having been delayed due to COVID-19. The news comes as the UFC continues to put on a full slate of events between cards at the UFC Apex and Fight Island.
As the global situation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, there was speculation about whether the program would even be able to go on in 2020 with concerns for athlete safety and travel restrictions having stopped sporting events around the globe. UFC President Dana White, however, maintained that he still fully intended to go on with the fourth season in 2020 as well as relaunch The Ultimate Fighter later this year. Per the report, Adrian Yanez, Josh Parisian, Leomana Martinez, Joseph Pfyer, Chad Johnson and Jerome Rivera are all still set to appear this season.
Debuting in 2017, the series has quickly become one of the preeminent avenues for up-and-coming talent from around the world to showcase their skills on a big stage and sign with the world’s largest MMA promotion. Airing on Tuesday nights during the late spring and into the early summer, fighters compete in Las Vegas in front of President Dana White with the opportunity to be awarded a multi-fight contract with the UFC. Since its debut, the program has churned out top prospects such as Sean O’Malley, Johnny Walker, and Maycee Barber. While a contract with the UFC is the goal, several fighters who were not awarded deals have turned Contender Series appearances into lucrative opportunities outside of the promotion with names like Austin Vanderford and Brendan Loughnane signing with Bellator and PFL respectively after appearing on the show.
