The latest offering from Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 is the penultimate episode of the season – and features a former rival of Alex Pereira looking to win his way into the UFC.
The appeal of Artem Vakhitov for the promotion is obvious: a GLORY kickboxing champ, he’s the last man to defeat “Poatan” in that sport, with their career series tied 1-1. The UFC struck gold with Pereira, who entered the company with little in the way of MMA experience, but with a resume that included a couple of wins over Israel Adesanya in their old sport.
The UFC is no doubt hoping for a repeat. It’s a story that sells itself in a way. Yet where Pereira and Adesanya had a somewhat heated rivalry, things have been far more pleasant between the light heavyweight champ and Vakhitov. And where Pereira is a knockout artist, a finishing machine, Vakhitov is more of a technical striker, something he’s admitted in advance of his Contender Series debut. Still, the allure is there, and the light heavyweight division is seemingly always in need of a talent infusion.
Where to Watch DWCS Season 8 Week 9
As always, this week’s Contender Series installment takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV and streams on ESPN+ in the U.S., and SportsNet/UFC Fight Pass in Canada. The action gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Full results can be found below.
Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Results
Light Heavyweight: Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf by TKO, Round 1, 4:23
Lightweight: Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair by TKO, Round 2, 4:07
Heavyweight: Mário Pinto def. Lucas Camacho by knockout, Round 1, 1:43
Welterweight: Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes by knockout, Round 1, 2:44
Flyweight: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Contract winners: Islam Dulatov, Mario Pinto, Kody Steele, Artem Vakhitov
