Appearing on week three of the show, Yakhyaev used a knee and assorted other strikes to finish off Alik Lorenz. Speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex, the 24-year old noted that the fight went according to plan. In fact, the main difficulty was getting used to the Nevada heat.

The fight went “the way I exactly expected,” stated Yakhyaev, “but the acclimatization was difficult. It’s really hot here.” The Turkish fighter competed in the U.S. for the first time on Tuesday, and might want to consider the east coast moving forward.

As for the finish, “I expected this bout to be exactly the way it went, and I was working hard on it. And I got exactly what I expected.”

On the regional scene, the now 7-0 Abdul Rakhman Yahkyaev has been known for collecting championship belts, holding two, including one in ARES FC. Asked about how long it might take him to achieve gold in the UFC, he replied saying “we’ll see, but I hope about two years.”

That would be an impressive feat, and see Yakhyaev capture a title just as he’d be entering his prime.

Watch the full Dana White’s Contender Series 2025 Week 3 post-fight press conference with Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev above.

The post Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Targeting UFC Title Within Two Years Following DWCS Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

Coming off a five-contract week, could the UFC hopefuls set for action in week three continue that strong showing?

In the featured bout, Trent Miller was set to face Ryan Gandra in middleweight action. Gandra was an LFA veteran riding a six-fight win streak into DWCS. Almost as important, five of those six wins had come inside the distance, a mixture of KO/TKOs and submissions.

Miller, who had also competed for LFA in the past as well as Tuff-N-Uff and UFL, had won two straight.

LFA, Bellator, and PFL standout Manoel Sousa, whose lone loss came to Archie Colgan, is also in action on the Contender Series this week.

Where to Watch Dana White’s Contender Series

Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series takes place on August 26, 2025 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The action gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT, airing live on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from the event can be found below.

Trent Miller vs. Ryan Gandra

R1 – Gandra came out with the pressure and massive shots landing bombs on Miller. Miller survived the onslaught, but Gandra went off again with massive shots in a flurry. Clearly looking for that round 1 KO.

Gandra continued to land including a massive right hand that Mille somehow ate and survived. Gandra landed some shots to the body that forced Miller to change his defense. Gandra continued to land bombs on Miller.

Miller wasn’t able to land much of anything before Gandra was able to land more big shots and end his night early.

Hell of a prospect in Ryan Gandra.

Official Result: Ryan Gandra def. Trent Miller via R1 TKO, 2:51

Damon Wilson vs. Marcio Barbosa

R1 – Wilson right to the action throwing kicks and looking for his right hook landing one. Barbosa fired on him, but Wilson had that knee up the middle locked and loaded anytime Barbosa got too close.

Wilson with a quick right hook as Barbosa rushed in and then back to attacking the body and legs with kicks.

Barbosa landed a savage right hook that seemed to have knocked Wilson out, but the American popped right back up to his feet. Did the ground wake him up??

Barbosa began to hunt believing that he had a compromised Wilson in front of him. Wilson started to fire back though. Barbosa continued to land big shots up top then began to mix it up with some stiff leg kicks.

Another big shot from Barbosa dropped Wilson and some ground and pound finished the night.

What a performance from Marcio Barbosa.

Official Result: Marcio Barbosa def. Damon Wilson via R1 TKO, 4:14

Abdul Rakhman Yahkyaev vs. Alik Lorenz

R1 – Lorez came out with the pressure, but got hit to the body quick. Then Yahkyaev dropped him and finished him on the ground.

Dana White looked damn near shocked!

Official Result: Abdul Rakhman Yahkyaev def. Alik Lorenz via R1 TKO, 0:30

Cristian Perez vs. Manoel Sousa

R1 – They got after it quick and the fight hit the ground early with Perez controlling the positions. He took Sousa’s back with a body triangle, landed some shots to the head. Sousa tried to go belly down, but Perez was not letting him go.

Perez was able to get to mount, but that gave Sousa the room he needed to get half guard on. Perez finished the round with over 4 minutes of ground control time. Sousa had some work to do.

R2 – Perez FLEW into a heel hook on Sousa! Sousa fought out of it to his feet, Perez had the guillotine for 5 seconds before Sousa got away and landed a couple shots. Perez took him down again pretty quick, and almost got himself stuck in an armbar.

Sousa would try to move and Perez would dominate that position. Anytime Sousa moved Perez already had a counter ready to go. Sousa tried to use the kimura to get to his feet and was able to. Back to the feet and Sousa begin to throw big shots.

Perez began to land some bombs on him too including a nasty knee to the head, and then he shot in on Sousa putting him on the fence. Sousa got away and began to land bombs on Perez which clearly affected him forcing a shot and getting the fight back to the ground shortly before the round ended.

R3 – Sousa went after Perez landing big shots on him. Perez was gassed and just a bit too slow to avoid the incoming bombs Sousa fired at him. A big right hand rocked Perez forcing a shot, but Sousa got away quickly. The fight hit the ground, Sousa pounced on Perez before his corner screamed at him to let Perez get up.

Perez continued to look for the takedown, but failed repeatedly. Sousa took advantage landing big shots on Perez including another rocking right hand. Perez shot in and slowed the action, but Sousa was in desperation mode to finish this fight.

Perez shot in for a takedown, but ended up on his back. Sousa, needing a finish, did just that landing ground and pound on Perez forcing the ref to stop the fight. Massive comeback by the Brazilian.

Official Result: Manoel Sousa def. Cristian Perez via R3 TKO, 3:00

Donte Johnson vs. Darrion Abbey

R1 – The fight started slow with Abbey working his jab and Johnson looking for a way inside to land on his opponent. Pretty quickly Johnson landed a low blow on Abbey forcing a time out.

Not even a minute later Abbey was ready and time was started up again and boy these two went after each other. Both landed on each other clean and repeatedly until Johnson landed a big shot that put Abbey on skates. Johnson forced him backwards, knocked him down and finished him on the ground.

Official Result: Donte Johnson def. Darrion Abbey via R1 TKO, 1:04

Contract Winners: 

• Ryan Gandra
• Marcio Barbosa
• Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev
• Manoel Sousa
• Donte Johnson

The post Dana White’s Contender Series 2025 Week 3 – Play-by-Play & Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dana White was a little more reserved in week one this year, handing out just two contracts, but week two saw all five winning fighters granted entry into the UFC. Will that trend continue once again, or will the more reserved approach return? Of course it will depend in large part on individual performances. In any case, let’s get on to our breakdown and predictions for DWCS 2025 Episode 3!

Middleweight, Trent Miller (8-2) Vs. Ryan Gandra (7-1)

Notable Notes

• Miller is taking this fight on short notice
• Miller’s two losses come by submission
• Miller trains out of the superior team in Xtreme Couture
• Six of Miller’s eight wins come against losing records
• Gandra’s only loss came by KO/TKO
• Gandra has won by KO/TKO, Submission, and Decision
• Both have a combined ten first-round finishes
• This will be the US debut of Gandra

Trent Miller

Signing someone like Miller is clearly the matchmakers looking for chaos. He’s only gone the distance once, and his style is pure hammer-or-nail. He’s nowhere near UFC level, but he checks the boxes for what Contender Series often looks for. The only real attribute that stands out is his power, but even that is limited. His punches are wide and telegraphed—you can see them coming a mile away. There’s nothing straight, nothing set up, just wild bursts in exchanges where he sometimes finds a shot.

The problem is that he doesn’t handle return fire well. He backs up easily, reacts poorly when hit, and often panics into sloppy wrestling. While he’s strong enough to muscle his way into top positions, he doesn’t have the technique to keep it or make it dangerous. Overall, Miller is a very limited fighter: at best, a regional journeyman who thrives on chaos but falls apart against anyone composed.

Ryan Gandra

Gandra fights like a man possessed— zero defense, all offense. He throws everything with full power from the opening bell, charging into the pocket with wild, looping shots that look like they’re launched from the floor. There’s no real technique behind his approach, just chaos, pressure, and pure aggression.

It’s a risky style, especially for someone with a questionable chin. He’s only been officially stopped once, but he’s been badly rocked multiple times. As the fight wears on and his power fades, the flaws in his game become even more apparent. When forced to rely on his grappling, things don’t improve much. His ground game is serviceable at best and not something he can depend on at higher levels.

To his credit, Gandra’s recklessness makes for entertaining fights, and he’s shown the ability to keep pushing even as the fight slips out of his preferred chaos zone. He’s tailor-made for the Contender Series: exciting, volatile, and always hunting a finish. But at the UFC level, where structure and durability matter more, his style doesn’t look sustainable.

Prediction: This has all the makings of a wild one, an all-action brawl with little defense and plenty of chaos. Both guys are going to fight on the inside and see who goes down first. Gandra, I think, has more power and more tools to fall back on. His defense is shaky, but Miller, we know, is chinny. I think it’s as simple as Gandra hits harder and gets the quick knockout.

The post DWCS 2025: Episode 3 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.