That five UFC contracts per week pace would not be met in week three, however, after one fight fell through at Monday’s weigh-ins. That, unfortunately, was the highly anticipated showdown between Luciano Pereira and Felipe dos Santos.

With Pereira pulling out of the fight due to medical issues, dos Santos has already been given the golden ticket to the UFC: he’ll replace Kai Kara-France against Manel Kape at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia next month.

In the meantime, four fights are a go for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Episode 3. Those include a battle of undefeated middleweight prospects in Zachary Reese versus Eli Aronov. Ahead of the fight, Reese told Cageside Press that he was gunning for the first-round finish. Not only would that help impress Dana White, but “it’s how I take my mentality to training and fighting and stuff. Just looking for finishes, looking for checkmates the entire time.”

After a couple of early starts due to The Ultimate Fighter 31, which has now concluded, Dana White’s Contender Series airs a little later in the night this week. It kicks off at 8PM ET airing live on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 3 Results

Middleweight: Zachary Reese def. Eli Aronov by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:14
Welterweight: Oban Elliott def. Kaik Brito by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Women’s Strawweight: Josefine Knutsson def. Isis Verbeek by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Luis Pajuelo def. Robbie Ring by TKO, Round 1, 3:43

Contract winners: Luis Pajuelo, Oban Elliott, Zachary Reese

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 3 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

While Reese knows Aronov is his best opponent to date, “I don’t train for the opponent, I’m just trying to get as good as I can in between fights,” he told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “Because my goal is to be successful in the UFC, not just get to the UFC.”

Reese has been preparing for this fight at War Training Center in Texas, alongside the likes of Trevin Giles and Alex Morono, among others. Making it to the UFC would mean a lot — especially given he’d be able to see some money start rolling in.

“Just to be able to financially make a living, doing fighting. As fighters, we do it so much for free or for just a little bit of money,” Reese noted. “So to be able to fully focus on fighting would be amazing.”

As for Aronov, “I think he’s definitely my best opponent to date, in my pro career for sure. And yeah I’m super stoked to have that step up in competition.” He’s expecting Aronov to look to take the fight down, but Reese believes he might have a trick or two up his sleeve there. “I think he’s definitely going to try to grapple more, and I think I’m probably going to try to strike more. But I think I’m going to surprise him too with my grappling.”

Known for ending fights early, Zachary Reese is looking for a first round finish on Tuesday, and that’s nothing new. “All my pro fights have been first round finishes. It’s not necessarily that we go out there and plan to just run through these guys, it’s just how we train man. It’s how I train, it’s how I take my mentality to training and fighting and stuff. Just looking for finishes, looking for checkmates the entire time.”

“I’m going to bring some calculated and tactical aggression on August 22, and I’m coming home with that contract,” he later told us.

Watch our full DWCS Season 7 Week 3 interview with Zachary Reese above.

The post DWCS: Zachary Reese “Looking for Finishes, Looking for Checkmates” All Fight Long appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s an opportunity the newlywed (he got hitched just weeks out from his appearance on DWCS) knew was coming, “but when it actually turns to reality, you still got that kind of shock.”

“Ever since I was a little boy growing up, watching the UFC, it’s been my goal to make it to this stage. Sharing that same octagon as all of my childhood idols, it’s surreal,” Ring told Cageside Press recently. While Tuesday will mark the biggest fight of his career to date, “I’m training the same as I have for all of my fights,” Ring added. “I take this sport very serious, so I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.”

In terms of mental preparation, Ring admits that prior to turning pro, he struggled with his confidence. “I was winning fights, but I still didn’t believe in myself.” Six pro fights and six wins later, “I’ve ran through some pro fights and I’ve been successful, and now I’m starting to know myself that I’m good at this, and I can compete with these guys at this high level. And I’m going to go do it.”

Ring comes from a fighting family — his mother opened Ring Combat in the 1970s; she was a pro kickboxer with a black belt under the Chuck Norris Fighting System. His parents met at a martial arts competition; dad had his own black belt under the Walt Bayless system. “My dad, he’s been my coach ever since I started MMA fighting. He’s built me from the ground up. I believe in the system that we’re teaching— I tell everybody, it’s got an old school style to it, like the old fighters. Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz. That style is kind of getting lost in modern day MMA, but we’re still teaching it and it’s working for me. So I can’t wait to display it on the world’s biggest stage.”

When he puts that old school style on display Saturday, Ring will quite possibly be making a contender series first: it’s his mom and dad who will be in his corner, no one else.

Ring faces Luis Pajuelo on DWCS, and likes what he’s seen of his next assignment.

“We’ve definitely been watching film on him,” Ring said of his opponent, who fights out of Peru. “I think that he’s a tough fighter, I like watching him. He’s entertaining to watch, he’s a brawler. The thing that separates me from him is, he’s a striker, and I’m a full MMA fighter. I love every aspect of this game— I like the striking, I like pushing people up against the fence, and I also like slamming them down and hitting some ground n’ pound on them. I feel like I’ve got the slight edge in there just because I focus so much on multiple aspects of the fight game and not just one.”

Watch our full interview with DWCS Season 7 Week 3 featherweight Robbie Ring above!

The post DWCS: Newlywed Robbie Ring Ready to Show “Old School” Style Reminiscent of Couture, Ortiz appeared first on Cageside Press.

Will week three be another five-contract week? Read on for our DWCS breakdown and predictions!

Middleweight: Eli Aronov vs. Zachary Reese

Tale of the tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Reese
Speed: Reese
Output/Volume: Reese
Kickboxing: Reese
Striking defense: Reese
Footwork/movement: Reese
Wrestling: Aronov
Grappling: Aronov
Gas tank: Aronov

Prediction: This is an interesting fight between two guys that still have a lot of “what ifs” surrounding them. Aronov is coming off a huge win against Contender Series alum Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz. That was a solid win but the other wins not so much. He had to go to Canada to get a formidable opponent. The other fights he fought in Israel and he’s not fighting good opposition there.

Reese hasn’t fought much better competition. He beat TUF alum Aaron Phillips but that isn’t much of a challenge at this level. The biggest hurdle for Reese is he’s never fought past the first round as a pro.

I know Aronov’s cardio isn’t good but I don’t know if Reese has bad cardio or not. There may be some recency bias with Aronov due to his last fight. He did look good but he has a lot of stuff to work on. He’s a short middleweight and his striking defense lacks big time. His footwork and head movement isn’t where it should be with someone at a big height disadvantage. Reese is a big middleweight and his takedown defense seems pretty good. He hasn’t been tested against a wrestler like Aronov but Reese is at least good off his back.

This is a hard fight to pick but I like Reese for the upset. He’s bigger, has better stand-up, and has more tools to win. Aronov will probably be able to get the takedowns but the gap on the feet will be too wide on the feet. I can’t pick someone five inches shorter with poor striking defense.

The post DWCS 2023: Episode 3 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

There were a whole lot of Pyfer’s so far this year, and the UFC roster was going to have to find room for them. Would that trend continue in the third instalment of the season? There were certainly some promising fights.

A pair of undefeated prospects faced off at middleweight, with Israel’s Eli Aronov taking on Zachary Reese. Both fighters had well under 10 pro bouts to their name, so this one might be a little too soon. But Isis Verbeek and Josefine Knutsson represented two decorated kickboxers looking to make it in MMA, while Luciano Pereira vs. Felipe dos Santos had the potential to be fight of the season.

Weigh-ins for Dana White’s  Contender Series Season 7, Week 3 take place Monday in Las Vegas — check below for results.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 3 Weigh-In Results

Middleweight: Eli Aronov (185.5) vs. Zachary Reese (185.5)
Welterweight: Oban Elliott (170.5) Vs. Kaik Brito (169)
Women’s Strawweight: Isis Verbeek (114.5) vs. Josefine Knutsson (116)
Featherweight: Robbie Ring (145.5) vs. Luis Pajuelo (145.5)
Flyweight: Luciano Pereira vs. Felipe dos Santos (124.5)**

** Fight has been canceled.

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