DWCS 2025: Episode 8 Breakdown and Predictions

Coming off of UFC Perth, where DWCS 2025 winner Cam Rowston made a big splash in his debut, it was on to Week 8 of this year’s Contender Series.

The stats so far in 2025: 31 contracts awarded across 35 total fights in seven weeks. Two Contender Series winners in 2025 have already made their UFC debuts: Rowston, and Baysangur Susurkaev, who already has his second fight with the company booked.

Among those in action this week, Louis Jourdain, brother of current UFC star Charles “Air” Jourdain.

Will we see another quick turnaround from one of this week’s winners? We’ll know come Tuesday, meanwhile, here’s our breakdown of the latest crop of Contender Series hopefuls.

Middleweight, Vitor Costa (8-1) vs. Damian Pinas (7-1)

Notable Notes

• Both fighters were supposed to compete earlier this season
• The only loss Pinas has is by DQ
• Costa hasn’t lost since his pro debut
• That loss was to UFC’s César Almeida
• Costa is undefeated at light heavyweight (4-0)
• Costa was a double champ for Jungle Fight
• Both have a combined ten first-round finishes
• Costa is 2-0 to the decision (both split)
• Pinas has never fought past round two
• Costa has won by KO/TKO, submission, and decision

Vitor Costa

Costa dropped his pro debut to current UFC fighter Cesar Almeida but hasn’t lost since, building a strong résumé along the way. He’s 1-0 in LFA, but his biggest accomplishments came in Jungle Fight, where he captured both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles. On paper, that kind of success in two thin divisions should be promising—especially for a UFC roster that needs depth. Unfortunately, Costa doesn’t project as much of a threat at the next level.

He’s a pressure fighter who comes forward looking for the finish, but his approach is raw. He lacks effective footwork, offers little to no defense, and fights at a pace that’s only sustainable for about five minutes. As the fight wears on, he fades hard—his power drops off, and his speed goes with it.

To his credit, he’s dangerous when he traps opponents against the cage and unloads, but against anyone with solid defense and composure, those moments will be much harder to come by. Costa has the finishing ability to put away lower-level opposition, but higher-level fighters will likely expose his cardio and defensive holes.

Damian Pinas

Pinas is getting this opportunity a bit too early in his development. At just 23 years old, he’s still very raw — and it shows on tape. He’s at his most dangerous when allowed to operate at range, where he can sit down on his punches and let his power go. But while the knockout threat is real, he tends to overthrow and waste energy with wild, inefficient strikes.

Most of his wins have come against lower-level opposition, and even in those fights, his defensive grappling has been a glaring weakness. He gets taken down too easily and too often. Off his back, he’ll stay active and look for submissions, but he doesn’t seem to have the technical depth to make those threats effective at a higher level — sweeping with a kimura against tougher competition just isn’t going to work.

Pinas also fights with a lot of wasted motion, and defending takedowns only accelerates his gas tank issues. Right now, he’s a one-shot power threat with major holes in his game. He needs more time and seasoning before he’s truly ready for this level, but maybe a Contender Series appearance will give him the experience and direction he needs to take the next step.

Prediction: With all the questions surrounding Pinas, this is a good stylistic fight for him. Costa isn’t gonna push the takedown, and on the feet, he has a lot of holes Pinas could puncture. Costa wants a messy fight and will walk forward and put the pressure on. His chin is shaky, and when he’s willing to strike with a guy like Pinas, it’ll be a long night. I expect Pinas to have a big speed, power, and technical advantage, and it becomes evident as soon as the fight goes. I see an early knockout from the rising Pinas.