Dana White’s Contender Series began back in 2017. Since then, the Contender Series has produced some big-name upcoming stars like Dan Ige, Sean O’Malley, Geoff Neal, Maycee Barber, and Edmen Shahbazyan. In short, it has been a huge success for finding talent.
A Contender Series fight is one that has stakes like none other, where fighters must showcase their skills to impress the UFC president enough for a contract with the promotional giant. Holding the Contender Series with a smaller cage inside the UFC Apex venue makes for a tense atmosphere, and with only close friends and family of the competing fighters in attendance as spectators. Emotions always run high, as a limited number of contracts can be given out on any given night, and many fighters can potentially have their dreams snubbed out solely because of bad luck.
In rare cases, however, a fighter gets a second look. This series will examine those.
Freddy “The Barbarian” Vidal (4-0 MMA)
Age: 31 years old
Height: 6’3″ / Reach: 79.5
Weight Class: Light heavyweight (205lbs.)
First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2025 (Week 5)
Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Felipe Franco (8-0 MMA)
Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2025 (Week 10)
New Opponent: Levi Rodrigues (5-0 MMA)
First Contender Series Fight
Freddy’s first Contender Series fight was just five short weeks ago. Vidal looked stellar in his fight and was able to get the finish late in the fight, submitting his opponent in the third via rear naked choke. However, Vidal had missed weight for his first appearance on the Contender Series. Freddy weighed in at 210lbs. at weigh ins for the fight, missing weight by 4lbs.
Unfortunate as well, leading into the bout, Vidal was just 3-0 as a pro but had an extensive amateur career at 5-0. A truly meteoric rise. Starting his amateur career in early 2022, Vidal competed for Extreme Cage Fighting (ECF) out of New York, and Flex Fight Series (FFS) also out of New York while an amateur. Vidal won a light heavyweight title for FFS in 2023 before going pro.
Vidal made his pro debut in the Texas-based Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) and fought 1-1 Mike Kennedy to a unanimous decision. Freddy would go back to FFS where he stopped a debuting Mike Lee and a 2-4 Anthony Wilson, both in the first round, before getting a call to grace the Contender Series.
First Contender Series Opponent
For his first appearance on the Contender Series, Freddy took on Felipe Franco. Felipe was the most experienced fighter that Freddy had faced and had stopped all of his previous opponents. Though it’s worth noting that Felipe had faced seven fighters without a single victory and one fighter that was 19-16 on his path to the Contender Series. To call him largely unproven, would be a pretty large understatement.
Felipe also had the misfortunate of having two opponents withdraw from his Contender Series fight before he finally drew Freddy Vidal.
The Road Back
Freddy has not competed or had any bouts scheduled in the five weeks since he last appeared on the Contender Series.
Gameplan/New Opponent
For Vidal’s shot at redemption on the Contender Series, he will be taking on another undefeated fighter in Levi Rodrigues. Levi also had an extensive amateur MMA career going, 5-0, 1 NC and becoming the Copa Thunder Fight Light heavyweight champion (a promotion out of Sao Paulo, Brazil). Levi also had multiple amateur boxing and kickboxing fights after he turned pro in MMA back in 2022.
Rodrigues is a three-fight veteran of LFA and has stopped all of the opponents that he has ever faced in competition. Levi has also faced considerably better competition than Felipe had in the lead up to this Contender Series bout.
At this weight class and level, everyone is dangerous. Plainly, someone is going to sleep in the main event on week 10 of the Contender Series. Should be a good scrap though, and fans should tune in to see if another light heavyweight will be added to the UFC’s shallow 205lb division.
