The Contender Series is MMA in a perfect format: no six-to-seven hour long cards, no staying up until the wee hours of the morning for those on the east coast. Just five, sometimes six fights, with fighters pulling out all the stops thanks to what is on the line.

For the final installment of 2021, the Contender Series boasted more Chinese talent trying to break into the UFC, a pair of undefeated Canadian prospects in a year that had seen three fellow Canucks make it to the big show, and a Hawaiian talent getting a second look. The latter would be Canaan Kawaihae, who came up short in his first appearance back in 2018.

The Canadian contingent, meanwhile, was made up of Achilles Estremadura, a BFL mainstay, and Yohan Lainesse, a former TKO fighter and current CFFC welterweight champ.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 10 kicks off at 8PM ET, airing live on ESPN+ in the United States, and on UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from the card, at the UFC Apex, can be found below.

Opening up the card at flyweight, China’s Zhifa Shang and Atlanta’s Juan Puerta went the distance. Puerta scored an early takedown, and spent plenty of time in control. Shang appeared to chase the finish in the third, likely knowing he was down on the scorecards, but he couldn’t find it. Puerta took the split decision win.

In a featherweight fight that Canaan Kawaihae was arguably winning, Jonas Bilharinho stole the show. Late in the third round, with one minute remaining, Bilharinho landed a spinning heel kick that knocked Kawaihae senseless. A highlight reel moment that will last for years to come.

It was back to flyweight for Lun Qiu vs. Erisson Ferreira, with China’s Qiu getting off to a solid start. What played out was a very competitive back-and-forth fight in which both men had their moments. Ferreira was right there late in the third, nearly sinking in a guillotine, then a rear-naked choke. But Lun showed decent defensive grappling and made it back to his feet. The fight went to Ferreira in the end, which China being 0-2 on the night.

After a fun grappling exchange on the ground early in the evening’s second-to-last bout, Yohan Lainesse set up the finish with a cracking short left. Justin Burlinson’s head hit the canvas, one follow-up punch hit home for Lainesse, and that was a wrap!

The final fight of the fifth season of DWCS was a wild one. Achilles Estremadura came out guns blazing, hurting China’s Maheshate. In fact the Canadian rocked him more than once. But Maheshate turned things up in the second and third, hurting Achilles with a flying knee and beginning to really flow with his attacks. In the end, he’d win the unanimous decision. He also became the first Chinese fighter to win on the Contender Series.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 10 Results

Lightweight: Maheshate def. Achilles Estremadura by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Yohan Lainesse def. Justin Burlinson by TKO, Round 1, 1:37
Flyweight: Erisson Ferreira da Silva def. Lun Qiu by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Jonas Bilharinho def. Canaan Kawaihae by TKO, Round 3, 4:00
Flyweight: Juan Puerta def. Zhifa Shang by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Contract Winners: Yohan Lainesse, Maheshate

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 10 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

One last week, one last set of breakdowns. Let’s get to it!

Lightweight: Achilles Estremadura Vs. Maheshate

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Prediction

There wasn’t enough tape to get an assessment at all on Maheshate. Estremadura on the other hand I like a lot and is someone that has tons of potential. The guys he’s been fighting are low-level but have been shown out. And he’s succeeding against guys with more experience.

His immense knockout power is where Estremadura shines. He has gone the distance three times and all three times it has been five rounds. Cardio is definitely not a concern. Not only is he a credible wrestler his takedown defense is solid. Estremadura can wrestle and grapple both but tends to jab, rip the body, and chin checks his opponents on the feet.

Of the small clips I have seen on Maheshate, he looks competent — at least at striking. Looks like he’s an output guy with aggression. No matter what I’m extremely confident in Estremadura. He may be the next big thing out of Canada. Estremadura wins by TKO/KO at +140 is the bet to make. Don’t see it going any other way.

The post DWCS 2021 Week 10 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this three-part feature, we’ll list prospects the UFC should bring in for season five. This will exclude prospects that have already been on the show, although there are a few that could very well be brought back. The goal here is to be realistic with the selections, so don’t expect too many left-field picks.

From last year’s list, Tafon Nchukwi, Dustin Stoltzfus, Brandon Royval, Collin Anglin, TJ Laramie, Adrian Yanez, Al Matavao, Nikolas Motta, Cody Brundage, Sherrard Blackledge and more all made it to the show. Others, like Anthony Ivy, Kay Hansen, Max Rohskopf, Timur Valiev, and Irwin Rivera, were signed directly to the UFC, to varying degrees of success.

Let’s get started!

Saidyokub Kakharamonov

Bantamweight | 25 | Chicago, Illonise, US | 8-2 | Win Streak: 2 | 3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions

Kakharamonov should 100% be one of the first fighters the UFC contacts for the Contender Series this year. Kakharamonov just recently won the CFFC bantamweight title with an impressive knockout win. He’s only lost to Pipe Vargas and Umar Nurmagomedov, the latter of whom is a current UFC fighter. He’s fought for the likes of CFFC and PFL so he’s been on the bigger stages. Kakharamonov has exciting style and the personality that the show needs.

Askar Askar

Bantamweight | 26 | Chicago, Illonise, US | 11-1 | Win Streak: 1 | 4 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

Askar’s sole loss was to the name above in Saidyokub Kakharamonov. It did happen in only 0:39 seconds, so there wasn’t really a chance to see how that fight would have played out. Askar was signed to the UFC this past February to fight Cody Stamann on short notice. The fight was called off because Askar failed his medicals, and his contract was pulled. It’s only fair to give Askar another chance by having him go through the Contender Series first, to see if he’s ready (and if he’s healthy). Askar is a really talented fighter and the extra experience will only help him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_3iHl38sA

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 5: Part 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.