Dana White’s Contender Series returns to the air on August 13, with Season 8 once again set for 10 weeks of action from UFC hopefuls. DWCS 2024 will have some fresh blood and some familiar faces, with LFA light heavyweight champ Bruno Lopes getting a second look this time around.
In a must-see match-up between young prospects, meanwhile, flyweights An Tuan Ho and Lone’er Kavanagh collide.
With the season kicking off, it’s time to break down each fight and give our predictions for episode 1!
Middleweight, Mansur Abdul-Malik (5-0) vs. Wes Schultz (6-1)
Notable Notes
- Both are the same height but Abdul-Malik has a four-inch reach advantage.
- Abdul-Malik has only beaten one person with a winning record (1-0).
- Schultz’s only pro loss comes to UFC fighter Dylan Budka.
- Abdul-Malik has never fought outside round one.
- Abdul-Malik trains out of the predominant camp at MMA Masters.
Pros and Cons
Mansur Abdul-Malik
Pros
- Heavy ground and pound
- Hits hard
- Fast starter
- Super athletic
- Strong wrestling
- Good straight punches
Cons
- Head sits on the centerline
- Reckless/Overzealous
- Over uses energy
Wes Schultz
Pros
- Good positional grappling
- Submission threat
- High work rate
- Scrambles well
- Crafty
- Good ground and pound
Cons
- Weak TDD
- Pulls guard
- Hands low
- Throws naked kicks
Prediction: Not surprised to see Abdul-Malik on the Contender Series for DWCS 2024 but he’s so raw that he would benefit from gaining more experience. Yet while he is raw, he’s still so athletic and has the wrestling base along with the power to be something special.
Saying that there are concerns. If you watch his pro debut you’ll see those concerns. He wasn’t setting anything up, was reckless, and got dropped. He’s grown since then but there are still a lot of unanswered questions that remain.
Wes Schultz would be the complete opposite. He’s seasoned and we’ve seen him put in every position. His only loss is to UFC’s Dylan Budka.
This fight I can see going two ways. Abdul-Malik will just run through Schultz or Schultz will survive round one and take over. Schultz fought another wrestler in Budka and Schultz would just pull guard and accept the bottom position. If he does that to Abdul-Malik who is a stronger better wrestler than Budka, Schultz will be in trouble.
I ultimately think that happens because of the superior wrestling of Abdul-Malik. Picking Schultz would just be me assuming the cardio of Abdul-Malik stinks. I just think Abdul-Malik is a bad matchup for Schultz. Abdul-Malik will land the bigger shots on the feet but more importantly, get the takedowns and land with that ground n’ pound. I’ve got Abdul-Malik by first-round knockout and I’m 65% confident.
