“I think I need to stay on a winning streak and continue to do attractive fights,” middleweight Penaz told us recently, asked about another possible Contender Series fight.

“I’d definitely be better prepared for what I’m going into. Apex, no fans, no music, a match in the afternoon… there are a lot of things that are otherwise against a normal fight on the event,” he said when asked how he would approach the fight differently.

Penaz did get back on the board with a win after his Contender Series bout. This past December he beat Joel dos Santos with a first-round TKO. It was important for Penaz to finish the year off with a win.

“I wanted to end the year with a win, which I did,” he stated. “And I think that intervals between fights of about four months are ideal.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzefivBUci/

Fresh into 2023 Penaz is 7-1. In terms of plans for the new year this is what Penaz had to say:

“I would like to have three fights and of course lead them all to the winning end. To show the best that I can do and to improve again in all aspects of the fight game.”

To help Penaz compete at the level he’s at have been the teams he’s been working with. Not just one team, but rather he’s been splitting his training with two top teams in Sweden and his home country Czech Republic.

“In Sweden, I train at the Allstars Gym, where I train with, for example, Khamzat Chimaev, Volkan Oezdemir, Alexander Gustafsson, and many more. In the Czech Republic, I train at Reinders gym, where I train with, for example, Michal Martínek, Miloš Petrášek, Daniel Škvor, and other excellent Czech fighters.”

Prior to MMA Penaz competed in Kickboxing. Coming into mixed martial arts from another sport can be a really difficult transition, but the hardest was getting his body to adapt.

“The hardest thing was before the body got used to a different kinds of movements like wrestling and grappling. I used to be much more tired from training this training session I’m doing now than from stand-up training.”

Penaz has achieved numerous accomplishments in kickboxing:

• 22-2 in amateur kickboxing
• WAKO World Championship and the WAKO European Championship.
• IFMA World University Championships in muay thai.
• 25-3 (14 KOs) in professional kickboxing and muay thai
• WMC European Muaythai Champion
• WKN European champion in muay thai
• CMTA Champion of the Czech Republic in muay thai
• WAKO Czech republic champion in kickboxing
• 4 (3-1) fights in Glory Kickboxing

Most dedicated fight fans should know who Penaz is. The Contender Series fight gave him more exposure, but the vast majority aren’t aware of Matej “Money” Penaz. Penaz was sure to let everyone know what to expect when he steps into the cage.

“Definitely expect quality striking, good movement, some fakes, and good control of my opponents. And of course, trying to finish the fight before the time limit.”

“Definitely my style, I don’t have classic striking as a kickboxer nor as a boxer. Of course, my body proportions and southpaw guard also play a role in it. I really try to do different techniques and timing in the training and also in the fights.” when asked how he’s different compared to everyone else.

The last question we asked Penaz was why he fought and what drives him to compete.

“It’s simple, I like it, I like to train hard and push my limits. I want to reach my maximum and fulfill my full potential. Of course, I want a nice house and to take care of my family but the most important motivation is to be the best version of myself.”

The post Contender Series Alum Matej Penaz Expecting a Big 2023 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In fact, depth-wise, it may have been the deepest DWCS show ever. CFFC featherweight champ Blake Bilder faced TriStar Gym standout Alex Morgan, while Polish lightweight prospect Mateusz Rebecki was up against Brazil’s Rodrigo Lidio. Matej Penaz, meanwhile, took on SD Dumas, and Japan’s Yusaku Kinoshita, a former RIZIN Fighting Federation athlete, was up against Jose Henrique Souza.

On the ladies’ side, a very evenly matched women’s strawweight fight found Viktoriya Dudakova up against Maria Silva.

Any or all of the winners had the potential to make an impact in the UFC, some quicker than others. But after another five UFC contracts had been dished out last week, expectations were certainly high for week six.

Dana White’s Contender Series 52 goes down Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full results from the event, which airs on UFC Fight Pass, can be found below.

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

Welterweight: Yusaku Kinoshita def. José Souza via R3 :43 TKO
Middleweight: Sedriques Dumas def. Matěj Peňáz via R1 :47 Submission (Guillotine)
Lightweight: Mateusz Rębecki def. Rodrigo Lídio via R1 3:05 Submission (RNC)
Women’s Strawweight: Viktoriya Dudakova def. Maria Silva via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
Featherweight: Blake Bilder def. Alexander Morgan via R1 3:15 Submission (RNC)

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

Maria “Viuva Negra” Silva (8-0 MMA)

Age: 26 years old

Height: 5’3″ / Reach: 65”

Weight Class: Strawweight (115lbs.)

First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2021, Week 7

Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Kathryn Paprocki (3-2 MMA)

Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2022, Week 6

New Opponent: Viktoriya Dudakova (5-0 MMA)

First DWCS Fight

Maria Silva put on a very impressive and dominating performance in her first appearance on the Contender Series last October.

Throughout the fight Silva peppered her opponent with extremely effective kicks and really showed off her polished kickboxing.

When the fight went to the ground she was also able to threaten her opponent with multiple solid submission attempts.

Maria looked like a very complete fighter and pressed the pace.

Although it was evident that Maria was looking for the finish for the duration of the bout, she wasn’t able to pull it off, as her opponent never gave up on the fight.

Maria won a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring every round for Maria, 30-27 x3.

First Contender Series Opponent

Maria Silva’s first Contender Series opponent was then 3-2, Kathryn Paprocki. Though Maria dominated the fight she wasn’t able to get a finish and that definitely factored into her not being able to receive a contract.

Kathryn is a one fight veteran of both the Invicta FC and LFA promotions.

Paprocki is an extremely tough fighter with a pro muay thai fight and a pair of pro boxing fights under her belt.

However, entering the Contender Series bout, Paprocki had not yet faced pro high level MMA competition.

Following the Contender Series bout, Kathryn got a spot on The Ultimate Fighter Season 30, as a flyweight.

Unfortunately, Paprocki lost in the opening round (quarterfinals) via majority decision to then, 4-1 fighter, (and actual flyweight) Laura Gallardo.

Although Kathryn Paprocki might not have been the highest level of competition for Maria Silva’s first Contender Series fight, she definitely was/and still is a very tough fight for anyone, so it’s a win that has not aged poorly.

The Road Back

Maria Silva has competed in just one professional MMA fight since her Contender Series appearance in October of 2021.

Silva took on then 6-0 undefeated prospect, Ewelina Wozniak, at Ares FC 4 back in March.

Maria and Wozniak were the co-main event on the card, and Silva was able to get the finish in the third round via rear naked choke.

It was an impressive win for Silva against a very talented up and coming fighter in Wozniak.

Silva also had another bout scheduled for late June against then 8-1, Anastasia Feofanova, but the bout was cancelled.

Gameplan/New Opponent 

This time Maria Silva will be taking on a very skilled and experienced opponent in Viktoriya Dudakova.

Dudakova is a 23 year old, 5-0,  pro MMA fighter that also had a 6-0 ameatur MMA record.

Viktoriya competed in the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) where she narrowly missed competing for the tournament’s 125lb gold medal. (Dudakova missed weight and was forced to withdrawal)

However, Dudakova is still a 2019 European Championship gold winner and ended up finishing with bronze in the IMMAF World Championships for 2019 as well.

Needless to say, this time around, Silva is going to have a very tough fight on her hands especially in the submission grappling department.

Viktoriya has finished every fighter that she has faced in pro MMA competition with four coming via submission and one via doctor stoppage.

It looks like Dudakova’s favorite submission is the rear naked choke as three of her four submission finishes utilized the technique.

This is sure to be a good fight at Maria Silva looks to get Contender Series Redemption fighters back on the right track. Redemption fighters are 4-1 this season and four out of five of them have received a contract. 

The post Redemption: Second Chances on Dana White’s Contender Series — Maria Silva appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cage Fury FC featherweight champion Blake Bilder kicks off the card, looking to make the jump to the UFC against Canada’s Alex Morgan. Fighting out of TriStar in Montreal, Morgan has two wins over UFC alum T.J. Laramie, and one of his losses came against current featherweight star Charles Jourdain.

Mateusz Rebecki, who holds the FEN lightweight championship and is ranked the #1 lightweight out of Poland according to Tapology, also features on the card. And in the featured fight of the evening, Japanese welterweight Yusaku Kinoshita takes on Jose Souza, a former middleweight making the drop to 170 for his DWCS opportunity.

Souza enters the night as an undefeated fighter; Kinoshita’s lone loss came via DQ, after holding the cage while delivering head stomps at RIZIN Trigger 1st. Head stomps are legal under the RIZIN rule set, holding the cage to do so, however, is not.

Weigh-ins for Dana White’s Contender Series 52 take place Monday in Las Vegas. Full results can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 6, Week 6 Weigh-In Results

Welterweight: Yusaku Kinoshita (171) vs. José Henrique Souza (171)
Middleweight: Matěj Peňáz (185) vs. Sedriques Dumas (184.5)
Lightweight: Mateusz Rębecki (155.5) vs. Rodrigo Lídio (155)
Women’s Strawweight: Viktoriya Dudakova (116) vs. Maria Silva (115)
Featherweight: Alex Morgan (144.5) vs. Blake Bilder (145.5)

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