Six fights filled out the third week of this year’s Dana White’s Contender Series.
That made for a busy Tuesday, and with 10 contracts already handed out this season, there was a rather wild possibility: if all six fighters managed to earn UFC contracts on DWCS 5 Week 3, the show would have matched the sum handed out for the entirety of season one, in just three episodes!
Among the names in action this week, Jack Della Maddalena, a top Australian prospect booked into a promising welterweight fight with Ange Loosa. Canadian flyweight prospect Jasmine Jasudavicius was also getting a look, taking on Brazil’s Julia Polastri. And the “Mo Show” was in town, with Mo Miller taking on Brandon Lewis.
Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 3 kicks off at 8PM ET, airing live on ESPN+ in the United States, and on UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from the card, at the UFC Apex, can be found below.
The women’s flyweight bout between Jasmine Jasudavicius and Julia Polastri kicked off the card on Tuesday. The Canadian was dominant in the first, coming close to finishing with ground n’ pound and arguably doing enough for a 10-8 round. The second was closer, but knees in the clinch and takedowns seemed to swing it to Jasudavicius. The end of the round saw Polastri come on strong, however. That led to the Brazilian pushing forward in the third, while Jasudavicius seemed to be tiring. But a late takedown from the Canadian saw her finish strong, and she took home the unanimous decision.
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ange Loosa, meanwhile, lived up to the hype. Maddalena’s boxing was on point early. He lit up Loosa on the feet. Everything found a home. The dominance continued in the second, until a low blow slowed things down. The third round saw Jack in some trouble, on his back, and Loosa certainly held his own. The pair would end up bloody, in a scrap that would potentially have earned Fight of the Night on any number of UFC cards. Della Maddalena took home the unanimous decision win.
Lukasz Brzeski picked up a submission win over Dylan Potter in the most controversial fight of the season thus far. The ref stopped the action for a phantom tap in the third, while Brzeski locked in a rear-naked choke on a tiring Potter. Problem is, Potter was fighting hands, not tapping, and the replay was pretty clear.
Albert Duraev, meanwhile, made no mistake with a rear-naked choke on Caio Bittencourt. After the win, Duraev asked Dana White for a UFC deal, saying he was ready to smash anybody — including champ Israel Adesanya.
At bantamweight, Mo Miller controlled the bulk of his fight against Brandon Lewis. But it arguably wasn’t flashy or one-sided enough to earn the UFC contract, despite over eight minutes of ground control from Miller.
Two skilled grapplers collided in the featured fight of the evening. And it was Jailton Almeida getting the job done with a second-round rear-naked choke!
Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 3 Results
Light Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida def. Nasrudin Nasrudinov by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:49
Bantamweight: Mo Miller def. Brandon Lewis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Albert Duraev def. Caio Bittencourt by submission (neck crank), Round 1, 3:29
Heavyweight: Lukasz Brzeski def. Dylan Potter by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 3:51
Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena def. Ange Loosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s Flyweight: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Contract Winners: Jasmine Jasudavicius, Jack Della Maddalena, Lukasz Brzeski, Albert Duraev, Jailton Almeida
