Just a week ago, in the fifth installment of DWCS 2020, Knight earned himself a shot at the UFC proper. Now, it’s Nchukwi’s turn — despite being just 3-0 and not having fought since defeating Knight.

Jackson-Wink MMA product Phil Hawes will also compete Tuesday night. “Megatron” appeared on the Contender Series back in 2017, and while he came up short there, he hasn’t lost since, putting together three straight wins split between Bellator MMA and Brave CF.

Undefeated prospects are always worth keeping an eye on, especially when they’ve hit double digits. That’s the case for Aliaskhab Khizriev, with a 12-0 record entering the night. While the level of competition Khizriev faced early in his career was underwhelming, his last victory came against a name UFC fans will be very, very familiar with: Rousimar Palhares. Khizriev not only escaped with his leg intact, but managed to finish the Brazilian within a minute via ground and pound. That step up in competition coupled with an unblemished record have many observers high on his chances at a strong future in the UFC.

As always, the action gets underway at 8PM ET, live on ESPN+ (UFC Fight Pass internationally). Check back for results as the night unfolds.

For his part, Aliaskhab Khizriev wasted no time taking down Henrique Shiguemoto, and quickly took the back, locking in the rear-naked choke. Claiming the win in under a minute, the middleweight (who has also fought at welterweight) couldn’t have done much more to secure a UFC deal.

Drako Rodriguez clearly got the memo. Securing his own submission win with a triangle, he put away Mana Martinez in under three minutes. Martinez was locked up tight enough that he went to sleep before he could tap.

Phil Hawes got it as well. A big right hand sealed the deal, knocking down Khadzhi Bestaev with follow-up strikes a mere formality.

Church vs. Blackledge wound up being the first fight on week six of the Contender Series to leave the opening round. Blackledge’s takedowns were the story early. That, and low blows. Early in the second, the action was halted by by a low knee on Church. A second knee went upstairs, adding insult to injury. Or just more injury. Church opted not to take the full time allotted for recovery, and was soon in danger again. However, this time it was Church landing low, with a kick to the cup. When the action resumed, Blackledge earned another takedown, working in some shots to the body and head. Blackledge would press hard in the third, and while he couldn’t get the finish, he controlled to the bell, earning the decision win.

Nchukwi vs. Matavao was about the clearest example of power vs. speed you’ll find in modern MMA. Nchukwi frankly dwarfed his opponent, landing by far the more powerful strikes. But Matavao was willing to throw, and when he did, he threw a lot. He was rocked early, however, and grazed by a kick later in the round. That or the follow-up punch opened up a small cut.

Nchukwi didn’t take much time in the second, flooring Matavao early with a heavy head kick. Matavao was down for a while after that kick, but did recover and sit up under his own power.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 4, Week 6 Results

Tafon Nchukwi def. Al Matavao by knockout (head kick), Round 2, 2:01
Sherrard Blackledge def. Cameron Church by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Phil Hawes def. Khadzhi Bestaev by TKO, Round 1, 1:18
Drako Rodriguez def. Mana Martinez by technical submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 2:22
Aliaskhab Khizriev def. Henrique Shiguemoto by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 0:50

Contracts: Aliaskhab Khizriev, Drako Rodriguez, Phil Hawes, Tafon Nchukwi. Sherrard Blackledge invited back for a second fight this November.

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 4, Week 6 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Thing is, Tafon has not fought since that win, which came last November. Still, big things are expected of the light heavyweight, with the 205lb division badly in need of fresh blood.

That’s just one of five compelling bouts this week, so let’s get right to our preview and predictions.

Light Heavyweight: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Al Matavao

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Nchukwi
Speed: Nchukwi
Output/Volume: Nchukwi
Knockout Power: Nchukwi
Chin: Nchukwi
Kickboxing: Nchukwi
Footwork: Nchukwi
Wrestling: Neither
Grappling: Neither
Submissions: Neither
Cardio: Nchukwi

Prediction

Although Al Matavao has much more pro experience than Tafon Nchukwi, this is a big mismatch in favor of Nchukwi. The fight will most likely stay standing and in every aspect, Tafon has the advantage. What really stands out has got to be the physicality of Nchukwi. Matavao is a very small 205lb’er standing at 5’8″. That makes him even smaller than Kelvin Gastelum. I expect Tafon to bully Al Matavao around on DWCS and put him away quickly.

The post DWCS 2020 Week 6 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this piece, we feature 25 prospects believed worthy of a spot on the Contender Series Season 4. Left out will be fighters that fought on the previous seasons, though some may return.

Hugo Cunha

Heavyweight | 25 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5-0 | 3 KO/TKO, 2 Submissions

Hugo Cunha doesn’t have a lot of experience in MMA but is a Brazilian National Team wrestler and a BJJ black belt. You will notice his level of competition has been poor as he’s fought three opponents with an 0-0 record. Cunha has still looked dominant thus far in his career and that’s with a 100% finish rate. From Brazil, the ‘Silverback’ has fought in Florida for Titan FC so fighting in the States increases his stock even more.

Renan Ferreira

Heavyweight | 30 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6-2 | Win Streak: 1 | 5 KO/TKO, 1 Submission

Renan Ferreira’s loss early on in his career to Vinicius Moreira doesn’t look so good today. That was early in his career though and the truth is his ceiling is much higher. Like Cunha, Ferreira has recently fought in the U.S., with that bout being for top promotion LFA. He won his last fight against Jared Vanderaa and before that was on his way to probably beating Brett Martin only to be DQ’d due to punches to the back on the head. “Problema” is a giant standing at 6’10” who has a perfect finishing rate all inside two rounds. All those finishes have come by TKO mostly by ground-and-pound. On the feet, he does hit hard, has heavy leg kicks, and a good jab. Ferreira is a problem on the mat being such a big guy, and he does not let up with his heavy ground strikes.

Bruno Miranda

Lightweight | 29 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13-3 | Win Streak: 4 | 8 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

Brazil’s Bruno Miranda lives in Phuket, Thailand as he trains out of Tiger Muay Thai with the likes of many top UFC athletes. Miranda has extensive experience in Muay Thai and it has shown throughout his MMA career. He’s a staple of South Korean promotion Road FC fighting for them nine times. He isn’t locked down in contract-wise and he has a fighting style that should draw the UFC in.

Al Matavao

Light heavyweight | 26 | Nu’uuli, Alaska | 8-2 | Win Streak: 4 | 5 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission

Alaska is a state that lacks higher level fighters but Al Matavao is someone that has potential. In his most recent fight he scored a 16-second knockout. With that alone it’s almost certain he will land on the Contender Series. His last loss was to Jake Heun but since then he has won his next four fights. Matavao is fun to watch and has a style that always produces exciting fights.

Jake Hadley

Flyweight | 23 | Birmingham, England | 5-0 | Win Streak: 7 | 1 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions

Jake Hadley is only 5-0 as a pro but in his amateur career, he was successful and was a 4x amateur British flyweight champion. When Hadley was only 3-0 as a pro he fought a top prospect in Nkazimulo Zulu. Hadley beat him for the EFC Worldwide Flyweight Championship. In his latest fight, he beat a very good Blaine O’Driscoll in his Bellator debut. He could very well go straight to the UFC and there would be no complaints.

Nikolas Motta

Lightweight | 26 | Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil | 11-3 | Win Streak: 2 | 8 KO/TKOs

In 2015, Nikolas Motta competed on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 4 and lost to the eventual winner, Glaico França. Since then, Motta is 5-2 with both losses to good fighters. Motta has a win over current UFC fighter Joe Solecki. Also, a win over Cesar Balmaceda who was on our list last year. From Brazil, he lives in the United States and is the current CFFC lightweight champion.

Christien Savoie

Welterweight | 27 | New Brunswick, Canada | 8-0 | Win Streak: 11 | 5 KO/TKOs

Christien Savoie has competed at both middleweight and welterweight. Elite 1 MMA is a promotion out of Canada and Savoie has won two titles for them at both of those weight classes. Last summer, Savoie was targeted for the Contender Series, which unfortunately didn’t pan out — in fact it hasn’t the past two seasons. This could be the year. Savoie is mainly a grinder who will push the pace in close quarters. He wants to take the fight to the mat where his ground and pound is excellent landing at a solid rate with good shots from a short amount of distance.

 Casey O’Neill

Strawweight | 22 | Queensland, Australia | 4-0 | Win Streak: 9 | 1 Submission

When it comes to young up-and-comers, Casey O’Neill is one of the best. From Scottland, O’Neill has fought her entire pro and amateur career in Australia. She’s the current Eternal MMA Strawweight Championship. She even moved up to 125 in her latest fight because it’s so hard for her to find strawweights willing to fight her. O’Neill also fights out of an excellent camp in Tiger Muay Thai.

Hailey Cowan

Flyweight | 27 | Waco, Texas, US | 5-1 | Win Streak: 5 | 2 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Hailey Cowan has an extensive background in gymnastics and was very accomplished at Baylor University. She won a few tumbling national titles and is a two-time All-American. After coming up short in her pro-MMA debut, she then went on to win her next five fights looking impressive in the process. She’s a staple of top regional promotion LFA who always does a great job molding fighters.

Anthony Ivy

Welterweight | 29 | San Antonio, Texas, US | 8-2 | Win Streak: 4 | 5 KO TKOs, 3 Submission

Anthony Ivy is on a nice five-fight win streak currently and is the Fury FC and the WXC welterweight champion. Ivy has some good qualities on the feet with good clinch work and an explosive head kick. He’s primarily wrestler who chains his takedowns together well to go along with good timing, setups, and executions. In the grappling realm, he has perfect control showing superb ability to get dominant positions. His work ethic and cardio set him apart from other welterweight prospects.

John Gotti III

Welterweight | 27 | Oyster Bay, New York, US | 5-0 | Win Streak: 9 | 4 KO TKOs

John Gotti III is best known as the grandson of the infamous John Gotti, the Italian-American gangster known as the “Teflon Don.” John Gotti the third is going down a different path, pursuing a career in MMA, and has looked really good so far. He’s a knockout artist who recently went the distance for the first time. That’s a plus, for him to get that in early in his career. He has a style Dana White would want on the Contender Series.

Jose Johnson

Bantamweight | 24 | Copperas Cove, Texas, US | 11-5 | Win Streak: 5 | 7 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Jose Johnson, being only 24, has an amazing amount of experience. Not only is he 11-5 as a pro but he has an extensive amateur career going 68-12. At a point in his pro career, Jose was 5-4 but since late 2018 he’s looked much improved. He’s the current Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting bantamweight champ and recently fought for the top UFC feeder league LFA. Johnson has looked stellar as of late. He is now on a five-fight win streak, all finishes in the first round.

Emillio Trevino

Light-heavyweight | 24 | Boise, Idaho, US | 5-0 | Win Streak: 6 | 2 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Emilio Trevino is still a bit unknown due to only fighting pro for three years, and his lack of a busy schedule. Without much experience, he’s still fought for both LFA and Bellator MMA. Trevino fights out of a karate stance and is a fighter who fights behind his kicks. He actively switches stances and throws from different angles as well. He’s still green but has the toolset to go far.

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 4: Part 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.