Josh Emmett

Lerone Murphy out pointed Josh Emmett to win a unanimous decision in the main event on Saturday. Josh Emmett has now lost three of his last four fights stemming from his unsuccessful interim title bout in 2023.

Emmett entered the bout with a #8 ranking at 145lbs, while Murphy was ranked at #10. Josh, who turned 40 years old about a month ago, is in a precarious position as he will likely be teetering on the edge of the top 10 come Tuesday.

Emmett should fight the winner of the Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson fight at UFC 314 on April 12th. The timing would be great. Ige is currently ranked at #15 in the featherweight division, while Woodson is unranked. Woodson has been a spectacular prospect with the promotion. The 2019 Contender Series vet is 7-1-1 and riding a 7-fight unbeaten streak. Ige is a tried and tested veteran that has faced the top of the division (including Emmett in 2021). The 2017 Contender Series alum has struggled recently, having lost three of his last four bouts. Either matchup, the fans win. Both Ige and Woodson are strikers with real fight-stropping power. Fans could either get a rematch between two veterans or a veteran vs an up-and-coming rangy striker. Winner of this fight would guarantee themselves a spot in the rankings while the loser would likely end up falling just outside #15.

Emmett’s next fight: Winner of Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson

Joanderson Brito

Joanderson Brito was nearly shut out in what was a textbook display of grappling dominance from Pat Sabatini. The loss was Brito’s second in a row, after he dropped a split decision to Williiam Gomis last September. Prior to that, Brito was riding high on a 5-fight win streak that saw him finish every opponent and land two performance bonuses.

This one is an easy one. Joanderson should fight Do Ho Choi next. These two guys were made to fight each other, and I could see a potential fight of the night out of the matchup. Choi went 3-3 thru his first six fights from 2014 to 2019. ‘The Korean Superboy’ landed five straight performance bonuses including his legendary scrap against Cub Swanson making him a fan favorite. Momentum slowed for Choi after he broke his arm in 2019 in his loss against Charles Jourdain. Choi was further delayed as he had to serve mandatory military service as a South Korean.

Since Choi returned in 2023, he has experienced a career resurgence going 2-0-1. He’s a crisp counter striker that’s not afraid of a battle and at 34 he’s still got a few more wars in the tank. Choi was last in action back in December when he put away Nate Landwehr in the final round. Great dance partner for a fighter like Brito that likes to move forward and throw venom. Sign me up.

Brito’s next fight: Doo Ho Choi

Cortavious Romious

Chang Ho Lee melted Cortavious Romious with some devastating ground and pound to get the second round TKO at UFC Vegas 105. Romious is now 0-2 under the UFC promotional banner. The two-time Contender Series competitor was signed last year after his unanimous decision win over Michael Imperato.

Cortavious also missed weight prior to the fight by 3.5lbs so he is in a very tough position. Next fight for Romious, if he gets one, should be against Josias Musasa. ‘The KO Wizard’ is also 2024 Contender Series veteran. Like Cortavious, Josias is also winless with the UFC and struggled on the scale. Musasa was submitted in his debut by Carlos Vera last month in the first round of their bout. Josias also missed weight for that bout coming in at 136.5lbs. Good matchup here, that makes sense for both fighters with the loser potentially facing an axe from the promotion.

Romious’ next fight: Josias Musasa 

Gerald Meerschaert

Gerald Meerschaert dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 105 Saturday.  It was Meerschaert’s second loss in a row after he was submitted by UFC newcomer, Reinier de Ridder, last November.

Meerschaert now has a UFC record of 12-11 and has anchored his position as a gatekeeper within the promotion’s middleweight ranks.

Couple different options are available for Meerschaert. Hes fought nearly everyone. Meerschaert could take a compelling rematch against a guy like Eryk Anders. The pair first fought in 2019 with Anders snagging a split decision. Since that bout, Anders is 5-4 and Meerschaert is 7-7. Eryk may have won his last two fights, but they were against guys who are no longer with the promotion (Jamie Pickett and Chris Weidman). Gerald’s been more active against more competitive guys. All things considered; this is a matchup that could be revisited.

Or perhaps, what makes more sense is to have Gerald take on the winner of Zach Reese vs Dusko Todorovic who are slated to fight on May 31st. Zack is a 2023 Contender Series vet that is 2-2 thru four bouts with the promotion. Dusko Todorovic is 3-5 with the UFC and came off the 2019 season of the Contender Series. Winner of this striking battle should take on Gerald as both are still under the prospect tag currently. This option gives fans a great striking vs grappling matchup with the winner proving their relevancy within the division. Leaning towards the winner of Reese vs. Todorovic but it really depends on the direction the UFC wants to go in.

Meerschaert’s next fight: Eryk Anders II or Winner of Dusko Todorovic vs. Zach Reese

Luis Gurule

Ode Osbourne upset Luis Gurule at UFC Vegas 105, handing him the first loss of his professional MMA career, in what was the 31-year-old’s promotional debut. Luis earned a contract off of a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni on the Contender Series last year.

A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC flyweight, CJ Vergara, for the loser of this bout. However, Vergara was released by the promotion following his third loss in row to last week.

Instead, Luis should take on Felipe dos Santos in his next fight. Felipe is 1-3 with the promotion and has lost his last two fights. Felipe was last in action a couple of weeks ago when he a dropped a unanimous decision to hot prospect, Lone’er Kavanagh. Despite his UFC record, Felipe has had some solid showings inside the cage. His UFC debut was against Manel Kape, and though he lost, the Brazilian fighter still put in a fight of the night winning effort. Felipe has had some tough opponents. The 24-year-old flyweight is also a veteran of the LFA and a fight between these two would be nonstop action. Winner of this fight would establish a foothold within the division, while the loser could easily be released.

Gurule’s next fight: Felipe dos Santos 

Robert Valentin

Robert Valentin dropped a split decision to Torrez Finney in a wrestling heavy bout to kick off the UFC Vegas 105 main card.  Valentin became the runner up of the 32nd season of The Ultimate Fighter last year with his loss to Ryan Loder.

A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC middleweight, Julian Marquez, for the loser of this bout. However, Marquez has since been released from the UFC following his fourth straight loss last month.

The perfect matchup for Valentin would be Jose Medina. Jose is in a similar position to Valentin. Medina lost his Contender Series bout in 2023 to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov by unanimous decision. However, thanks to his tenacity, Jose snagged a UFC contact from the performance anyways. Medina dropped to middleweight for his UFC debut losing a unanimous decision to Zach Reese last August. In his last fight, Jose was on the opposite end of a first-round highlight reel KO courtesy of Ateba Gautier. Considering both fighters situations, this high-stakes bout is bound to deliver. Two guys who are likely on their final chances with the promotion, loser gets cut.

Valentin’s next fight: Jose Medina 

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Romious (9-3) came into the fight still looking for his first promotional victory coming off a tough decision loss in his debut last November. He got a shot against Lee, but came in heavy on the scale 3.5 pounds overweight. Fortunately for him Lee agreed to go ahead with the bout.

Lee (10-1) won his UFC debut via split-decision last June after a successful run on Road To UFC. He looked to begin a win streak at the UFC APEX against Romious.

Round 1 Romious worked the jab early, but Lee went after him with flurries of strikes not letting him breathe. Romious landed a nice uppercut, but found himself defending a takedown from Lee.

Lee got the takedown after it seemed Romious would get away. Lee began working the handcuffs and legs laced, but Romious found his way back to his feet. Instead of looking to get back to striking he used his strength to get Lee to the ground. Not what fighters usually want to do with Lee.

Romious started working on the back take, transitioned to an arm bar attempt, but Lee got loose and landed some damage on him. Then he went in and took the back with a body triangle.

Lee landed a shot that busted Romious open, forced him belly down, and then went off landing shots on him. Romious used all of his strength to top position and helped him survive the round.

Round 2 Lee flew in close on Romious and landed an incidental knee to the groin forcing a time out from the ref. Romious got time to rest.

After just a couple minutes the action began again and the two got right after it landing on each other. Romious got the back position again after a quick takedown. Lee went belly down, but Romious seemed a bit too high on the back.

Lee slammed him down, but Romious went arm bar. Lee defended it and took top position. Romious once again was able to power out of the position and put Lee on the fence before going for the arm bar once again. Lee was able to get his arm out of danger and took the position.

Lee landed plenty of damage in back position with the body triangle forcing the referee to call the fight.

Another win for South Korea’s Chang Ho Lee.

Official Result: Chang Ho Lee def. Cortavious Romious via R2 TKO, 3:48

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UFC Vegas 100 featured a five-fight main card that produced three thrilling finishes.  In the co-main event, ONE Championship’s former two-division champion, Reiner de Ridder, submitted UFC vet Gerald Meerschaert to capture his first win with the promotion.  And in the main event, Carlos Prates firmly arrived as a fresh contender for the UFC’s welterweight division as he stunned viewers, flatlining veteran gatekeeper Neil Magny. A few new faces and some wily vets need to be matched after suffering defeat at UFC Vegas 100.

Neil Magny

Neil Magny was starched in the first round of the main event of UFC Vegas 100 by hot prospect Carlos Prates. It’s an undoubtedly tough loss for Magny to stomach as the 37-year-old has now been finished two times in a row and lost three of his last four fights. Magny entered the fight Saturday ranked at #15 in the UFC’s welterweight division, so he will be unranked when the new rankings come out.

Magny’s next fight should be against Elizeu Zaleski. Elizeu picked up a win earlier in the night when he smoked undefeated replacement fighter Zach Scoggin in the first round (Elizeu was originally supposed to take on Nicolas Dalby before Dalby withdrew). Zaleski has gone 2-1-1 in his last four fights, with the loss coming to Randy Brown back in June. Magny and Zleski share a common opponent in Li Jingliang. Neil defeated ‘The Leech’ via unanimous decision while Elizeu suffered a TKO defeat in the third round. The 38-year-old would match up well against Magny and the winner would likely be looking for another fight to break back into the rankings.

Neil’s next fight: Elizeu Zaleski

Gerald Meerschaert

Gerald Meerschaert was submitted late in his three round co main event against UFC newcomer, Reinier de Ridder. Meerschaert had a good showing on Saturday despite being dropped early but could not find a path to victory. Meerschaert is now 12-10 in the UFC and 2-2 in his last four fights. Gerald holds the middleweight submission record for the UFC.  He is one of the most active threats in the grappling department with the promotion.

With Meerschaert turning 37 next month he is still dangerous and has a lot of tread left on the tires of his career, as can be seen with his last win, a second-round submission over Edmen Shahbazyan in August.

Gerald’s next fight should be against Abus Magomedov. This is a fight that the UFC has scheduled on two separate occasions at this point. In December of 2021 a fight between the two middleweights was scheduled, but it was cancelled due to Magomedov’s visa complications. In February of 2023, the second scheduling of this fight, the date was cancelled again thanks to the same reasons. However, Gerald has only fought outside of the U.S. one time in his entire pro career so this bout might logistically not workout.

A good back up would be the loser of Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal on UFC 309. Timing works out as the bouts are within a week of each other. And both fighters would offer another grappling heavy type of matchup for Meerschaert.

Gerald’s next fight: Abus Magomedov or Loser of Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal

Cortavious Romious

Cortavious Romious was defeated in a lopsided unaimous decision at the hands of Gaston Bolanos on Saturday. Romious fought on the 2023 season of the Contender Series losing to Ramon Taveras. Cortavius was miraculously invited back earlier this year for a shot at redemption. The 30-year-old will begin his career in the UFC’s bantamweight division at 0-1.

Cortavious should fight the loser of Long Xiao vs. Quang Le. The two men are scheduled to fight on November 23rd, so the bouts are only a few weeks apart. Both Cortavious and Long were Contender Series fighters that competed on the 2024 season of the show. Quang came thru the LFA and went undefeated thru seven fights before dropping his first (short notice) fight in the UFC to Chris Gutierrez. Quang was also supposed to be on the 2024 season of the Contender Series but was signed instead. Long also lost his first fight in the UFC losing a split decision to Chang Ho Lee in June. Three men in very similar positions.  Whoever loses the bout on the 23rd should fight Cortavious for their first victory in the UFC.

Cortavious’ next fight: Loser of Long Xiao vs. Quang Le

Luana Pinheiro

Luana Pinheiro lost a unanimous decision to UFC vet, Gillian Robertson, on the main card of UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday. Pinheiro has now lost three straight fights and has been finished in two of them (by Amanda Ribas and Angela Hill).

Pinheiro, a 2020 Contender Series alum, now has a promotional record of 3-3 after starting off hot with the UFC. Luana, now 30, has no wins against current UFC fighters as Randa Markos and Sam Hughes have since been released by the organization. And Michelle Waterson-Gomez has since retired, so not a good look for Pinheiro.

Luana’s next fight should be against Yazmin Jauregui. Yazmin has a similar record as Luana as she’s 11-2 and Lunana is 11-3 as a pro. Jauregui is 3-2 in the UFC but has lost two of her last three fights and was finished in the first round of both. This fight would be a classic striker vs grappler match up and would offer both fighters a chance to get back on the right track in their respective UFC careers.

Luana’s next fight: Yazmin Jauregui

Dusko Todorovic

Dusko Todorovic was relentlessly beaten and stopped to open the main card of UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday. Dusko’s opponent, Mansur Abdul-Malik, was an undefeated Contender Series fighter looking to make a statement and unfortunately, he did so with his finish of Dusko. Rough outcome for Todorovic as he was just returning to action after suffering a fight ending knee injury against Christian Leroy Duncan that has had him out of action since March of 2023.

Todorovic is now 3-5 with the promotion since he was signed from the 2019 season of the Contender Series. Todorovic has lost three of his last four fights and been stopped in all three. Of Dusko’s three victories, all of his opponents have since been released (Dequan Townsend, Maki Pitolo and Jordan Wright).

Dusko should fight Ihor Potieria in his next fight. Ihor was last in action at UFC 307 in October when he lost a unanimous decision to Cesar Almedia. Potieria is 2-5 in the UFC and has lost four of his last five bouts. Ihor defeated Mauricio Rua in his retirement bout in early 2023. And Ihor won a unanimous decision over Robert Bryczek back in February but missed weight ahead of that bout. Good fight to make as both fighters are on the hot seat and bring exciting striking to the table.

Dusko’s next fight: Ihor Potieria

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A former Bellator talent, Bolanos was looking for his second UFC win, while Romious was making his promotional debut following his win on the latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Round one started with both fighters firing heavy kicks at each other, using the openings from the open stance matchup (Bolanos orthodox, Romious southpaw). A big explosion from Romious resulted in a slam that took the fight to the ground. However, he chased the armbar too quickly. Bolaños was able to defend the rushed submission attempt and ended up on top before disengaging and standing up. The next couple minutes were spent on the feet with Bolanos doing the better work and being the busier fighter. Bolanos appeared hurt at the end of the round, though it was revealed to be more of a stumble than a true knockdown. 10-9 Bolaños after one.

Big slams from Romious again to start the second round and while Bolanos came close to a reversal, Romious ultimately got a back take. Romious kept trying to lock in a rear-naked choke, but the Peruvian fighter managed to defend and work his way out of this bad position. He then managed to thoroughly outs-trike Romious for the remainder of the round. Romious won the first half of the round through control time, though there is very little doubt that Bolanos dished out more damage throughout the entirety of the round. Bolanos took the round 10-9 once again.

Romious was still looking to grapple in round three. They ended up in a strange position after Romious appeared to attack with a calf-slicer attempt. Bolanos ended up on the bottom, but a triangle choke attempt allowed him to reverse positions. Trying to hop around the back, Romious inadvertently put himself on the bottom after Bolanos denied the attempt. With both fighters breathing heavy in the latter half of the third round, strikes have less heat behind then and takedown attempts come easier. Romious successfully gets a takedown in the last minute, but Bolanos, assuming he is up on the scorecards, opts to close his guard, limit risk and wait for time to expire.

Official result: Gaston Bolanos def. Cortavious Romious by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

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Among those returning, Torrez Finney, who actually won his first appearance on the Contender Series but was shut out when it came time for contracts to be awarded. This time out, the middleweight has been paired up with Cam Rowston. Finney remains undefeated as a pro, in a division that could use a fresh face or two.

Bantamweights Billy Brand and Cody Haddon are an early pick for Fight of the Season on paper, giving them plenty to live up to.

Where to Watch Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 2

As always, the new season of DWCS airs live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on ESPN+ in the U.S., and Sportsnet/Sportsnet+ in Canada. The card will also be carried on UFC Fight Pass. Full results from the event can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 2

Welterweight: Andreas Berg Gustafsson def. Pat Pytlik by TKO, Round 2, 3:20
Heavyweight: Rizvan Kuniev def. Hugo Cunha by TKO, Round 1, 4:59
Bantamweight: Cortavious Romious def. Michael Imperato by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Torrez Finney def. Cam Rowston by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Cody Haddon def. Billy Brand by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:09

Contract Winners: Cody Haddon, Cortavious Romious, Rizvan Kuniev, Andreas Berg Gustafsson

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 2 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

Cortavious “Are You Not Entertained” Romious (8-2 MMA)

Age: 30 years old

Height: 5’4″ / Reach: 68″

Weight Class: Bantamweight (135lbs.)

First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2023 (Week 10)

Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Ramon Taveras (10-2 MMA)

Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2024 (Week 2)

New Opponent: Michael Imperato (12-6)

First Contender Series Fight

Cortavious Romious entered his first Contender Series fight riding a three-fight winning streak. Romious is a multi-fight veteran of regional promotions: 360FC based out of Arkansas, US and Caged Aggression MMA out of Iowa, US.

Romious would be one half of the main event for the Constender Series 2023 season, week 10.

In what was an absolutely wild fight while it lasted, Romious was dropped with a left hook and finished off with hammer fists in just 29 seconds of the opening round.

First Contender Series Opponent

In his first Contender Series bout, Cortavious Romious took on Ramon Tavares. The quick finish by Ramon would grant him a UFC contract (the fifth fighter on Week 10, 2023 to win a contract).

Ramon has fought just one time and had one bout canceled in the year since fighting Romious.

For Ramon’s UFC debut he fought then 10-1 fighter, Serhiy Sidey on UFC 29 in January. the fight was a rematch and turned out to be an absolute war. Ramon was able to secure a split decision victory but egregiously missed weight, coming in at 139.8lbs. for a bantamweight bout.

Most recently, Tavares had to withdraw from his July 27th bout against Caolan Loughran on UFC 304 thanks to an injury.

The Road Back 

Cortavious has had just one fight in the nearly 10 months since his first Contender Series bout. Cortavious ran through Erik Vo, taking less than a minute to armbar the then 15-28 fighter. That fight was a catchweight at 160lbs.

Cortavious also had a canceled bout against Dan Sokolowski in February thanks to a promotional event scheduling change.

Gameplan/ New Opponent 

For his shot at redemption on the Contender Series, Cortavious Romious will be fighting Michael Imperato.

Imperato has won five of his last seven fights dating back to September 2019. He is a five-fight veteran of Prospect Fighting Championships based out of Ontario, Canada.

The combined records of Imperato’s opponents in the last five years at the time of fighting them is: 57-41

In his most recent fight, Michael Imperato seemingly overcame the odds attracting the attention of UFC President, Dana White, with his finish of UFC veteran Ricky Bandejas at Unified MMA 55. Michael took just 51 seconds to submit Bandejas via rear naked choke. The fight and Imperato’s emotional post-fight meeting with Dana were featured on the most recent episode of Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight- Toronto, which dropped last week.

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With a UFC contract on the line, an impressive win is even more important for returning fighters, who could be on their last chance.

Welterweight, Pat Pytlik (9-1) Vs. Andreas Berg Gustafsson (10-2)

Notable Notes

• Dana says he doesn’t look at older fighters in their 30s but the main event has Pytlik who is 35 and Gustafsson who is 33.
• Pytlik got this opportunity because of his win in front of Dana White off an episode of Lookin’ For A Fight.
• Pytlik has a 100% finish rate and all wins come by KO/TKO. He never went the distance.
• Gustafsson has gone the distance three times and is 1-2 in those fights.
• Gustafsson had an extensive amateur career going 10-1.
• Gustafsson has a win over UFC fighter Christian Leroy Duncan as an amateur.
• Pytlik’s only loss comes to former UFC fighter Jake Lindsey

Prediction: I don’t think we should see guys in their 30s on DWCS but this one makes the exception. It’s also fine because they are at least fighting each other. Pytlik when he isn’t held against the cage is an exciting fighter. With Gustafsson, excitement is what he’s all about. In his last two fights, he won with a ten-second finish and a Fight of the Year contender.

This fight will determine how durable Pytlik is. Pytlik is the better fighter technically but with Gustafsson, you either have to hold him down or out-dog him. I don’t see Pytlik wrestling so I expect a banger. I’m not convinced Pytlik can go through a war. Gustafsson takes a ton of damage because he’s so reckless and his defense is taking it on the chin. He’s one of these guys that seem impossible to knock out. I’m going to pick Gustafsson by TKO in the third. Not super confident because Gustafsson is more entertaining than skilled but I’ll say I’m 55% confident.

The post DWCS 2024: Episode 2 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with Contender Series middleweight, Andreas Berg Gustafsson. We discuss Gustafsson’s background in greco-roman wrestling and chat about why he doesn’t lean on it more. In fact, he didn’t even lean on it when he fought noted strikers like Joilton Lutterbach – who was scheduled to fight the week before UFC 303 in Saudi Arabia. Plus, we talk about the origin of his nickname “Bane” and he shares how it comes from Scandinavian folklore. And if that’s not enough fun content, we get into the weeds on his Contender Series fight. He fights Pay Pytlik in a middleweight contest and is loving the matchup.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 303 (18:49)

After UFC Saudi Arabia, we look ahead to one of the biggest cards of the year. Even with the loss of Conor McGregor, the UFC has hit us with a banger of a fight card. Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka are back at it again and there’s tons of other fun action on the card to go with it. We’ll be breaking down a few of those fights as well as hitting you with an underdog and a parlay to make your wallet fat. This underdog is one of our favorites, so don’t miss out on it. Come check it out! For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Cortavious Romious Interview (33:54)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with Contender Series bantamweight, Cortavious Romious. Just before UFC 303, Romious shares his desire to get back and prove what he’s capable of following his short notice loss on week 10 of last year’s Contender Series. He doesn’t have a date yet for the fight, or even an opponent for that matter, but his head is in the right spot. As he dials in his training, listen to what he has to say.

The post TTP Ep. 435 with Andreas Berg Gustafsson, Cortavious Romious, and UFC 303 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Season 7 of DWCS wraps up Tuesday night in Las Vegas, with six fights rather than the usual five. That’s thanks to Lucas Rocha and Davi Bittencourt, originally scheduled to take place last week at flyweight. With Rocha missing weight badly enough that the fight was scrapped, matchmakers opted to keep the pairing together, and pushed them back a week and up a weight class to bantamweight.

Along with those hopefuls, returning fighters Connor Matthews and Ramon Taveras were getting their own second shot at the UFC. Taveras was actually fighting for the second time this season, while Matthews had appeared on the show last year, falling to Francis Marshall.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 10 takes place Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV. The card streams live on EPSN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results can be found below.

Rocha and Bittencourt kicked off Week 10 of DWCS Season 7, and it was Bittencourt repeatedly landing slam takedowns in the opening round. The first of those was the most emphatic but he nearly allowed Rocha to reverse position. Still, by the end of the round Davi Bittencourt had no fewer than six takedowns, and had thrown out some fun, flashy spinning attacks.

None of that mattered come round two, when Rocha connected with a knee just 18 seconds into the round for the knockout!

Second verse, same as the first. Or second fight, anyway. Marquel Mederos flashed stance switches and chewed up the calf of Issa Isakov, a training partner of Benoit St. Denis, in the opening round of their lightweight fight — and connected with a knee for the finish at 4:09 of round one! Two straight knee strike finishes to open the night!

Torrez Finney vs. Yuri Panferov was a different sort of beast. The middleweight fight saw both men swinging early, and Finney was rocked! He pursued a takedown, and landed a slam, keeping himself in it. A very active, fun first round, and in the second, Finney earned a takedown and took the back. That’s a whole lot of body to carry on your back, and Panferov did not like the neck crank he found himself in. He survived that, but Finney would secure a rear-naked choke and force the tap moments later! The first submission win of Torrez Finney’s career, and you could do worse than do it on Dana White’s Contender Series.

The first fight of the night to go the distance saw Connor Matthews pick up a unanimous decision win over Jair Farias. Matthews had an especially dominant second round, even landing a head kick that Farias somehow ate. Mixing in takedowns along with elbows in the clinch and sharp hands, Matthews looked solid in his second DWCS showing.

The lone flyweight fight of Week 10 also went the distance, with Andre Lima coming away with a clear-cut decision win. Rickson Zenidim proved to have heart and a solid chin, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Lima earned a trio of 30-27 scores.

The final fight of the night, and season, didn’t last long. Ramon Taveras and Cortavious Romious chose to stand and bang, and it was Taveras who remained standing when the dust cleared.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 10 Results

Bantamweight: Ramon Taveras def. Cortavious Romious by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 0:29
Flyweight: André Lima def. Rickson Zenidim by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Connor Matthews def. Jair Farias by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Middleweight: Torrez Finney def. Yuri Panferov by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:43
Lightweight: Marquel Mederos def. Issa Isakov by TKO (knee), Round 1, 4:09
Bantamweight: Lucas Rocha def. Davi Bittencourt by KO (knee), Round 2, 0:18

Contract winners: Lucas Rocha, Marquel Mederos, Connor Matthews, Andre Lima, Ramon Taveras

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 10 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

For this week, the 10th and final week of the Contender Series for 2023, the Redemption Series will be taking a look at one half of the main event, Ramon Taveras. 

Ramon “The Savage” Taveras (8-2 MMA)

Age: 29 years old

Height: 5’8″ / Reach: 70″

Weight Class: Bantamweight (135lbs.)

First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2023 (Week 5)

Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Serhiy Sidey (10-1 MMA)

Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2023 (Week 10)

New Opponent: Cortavious Romious (7-1 MMA)

First Contender Series Fight

Ramon Taveras is a very special case on the redemption series as he competed a little over a month ago on Week 5 of the 2023 season of the Contender Series. Unlike most redemption fighters that usually made their first appearance on the Contender Series in a different season entirely.

Taveras headed into his first Contender Series fight on a four-fight win streak, including a first-round finish over MMA legend, Charles Bennett, in March earlier this year.

Taveras finished three of these four fights and captured the Combat Night Bantamweight title in his final fight before being on the Contender Series.

Despite competing at 135lbs. on the Contender Series, 29-year-old Taveras, has successfully weighed in as a bantamweight just three times throughout his entire pro MMA career.

Ahead of his first appearance on the Contender Series, Taveras missed weight, weighing in at a 136.3lbs. for his bantamweight bout. In the fight itself, Taveras made a good impression for as long as the fight lasted. Ramon displayed excellent boxing fundamentals, a lighting jab and a great 1-2 combination.

Unfortunately, Taveras was countered by his longer opponent and dropped with his opponent following up with ground and pound. The fight was stopped (prematurely in the eyes of some, including Dana White) at this point leaving Taveras visibly upset. This quick stoppage was likely one of the major contributing factors to Taveras being invited back later on in the same season.

First Contender Series Opponent

Ramon’s first Contender Series opponent was Serhiy Sidey who entered the fight with a 9-1 record.

Sidey, who is also a large bantamweight at 5’11”, competed in five bouts at featherweight to start his pro career beginning in 2018.

The Canadian would go on to win the Battlefield Fight League (BFL) Bantamweight title and successfully defend it multiple times. Sidey also captured the vacant BTC Bantamweight Title earlier this year which captured the attention of UFC brass.

For Sidey’s impressive performance on the Contender Series he earned himself a UFC contract. Since this bout was just a little over a month ago, Sidey has yet to compete in the UFC and at the time of this articles release, doesn’t have his UFC debut booked.

The Road Back 

Ramon Taveras has neither competed in a pro MMA fight nor had a bout scheduled in the month since his last Contender Series appearance.

Gameplan/ New Opponent 

For his shot at redemption, Ramon Taveras will be taking on the 7-1 fighter, Cortavious Romious. Romious is another big bantamweight that has had five of his eight fights at 145lbs. or heavier.

In Cortavious’ most recent fight, he fought at a catchweight of 150lbs., for his LFA bout. Cortavious is on a three fight win streak all first round submission finishes. The combined record of Cortavious’ opponents at the time of fighting them was: 36-29

At 5’4″ with a 67″ reach, and a dangerous submission threat Cortavious will be the grappler in this grappler vs striker match-up for Ramon Taveras’ shot at redemption.

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