DWCS 2023 episode five was topped by Bruno Lops and Brendson Ribeiro, who appeared to have no love lost between them at Friday’s weigh-in. Among the other notables on the card, Dione Barosa was stepping up on short notice to replace Corinne Laframboise at the event. That, after Laframboise’s pre-fight blood test had revealed her to be three months pregnant. Happy news, but her career will have to be put on hold for the time being.

With Barbosa stepping up, she got an endorsement from former UFC women’s featherweight champion (and current Bellator champ) Cris Cyborg, a fellow Brazilian.

Like Barbosa, Dylan Budka was also taking a bout on short notice, facing Chad Henekom at middleweight after fighting at heavyweight less than two weeks ago. Budka weighed in around 207 pounds for that heavyweight bout (which he won), so he probably didn’t cut any weight, but it’s still crazy to see him make middleweight successfully, and what sort of toll the short notice nature of the fight takes on the outcome remains to be seen.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 5 kicks off at 8PM ET on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results can be found below.

After Dione Barbosa snagged an arm-bar submission win to open the card, forcing a verbal tap inside of a round against Rainn Guerrero, it was two straight decisions on the week five card. They could not be more different, however: Jean Silva duked it out with a tough but ultimately outworked Kevin Vallejos, while Dylan Budka found himself in a grappling-heavy affair with a lot of work against the cage. Budka came away with a win over Chad Hanekom, and was emotional after the fight, revealing that he had been homeless just three years ago.

The penultimate fight of the evening saw Ukrainian-Canadian Serhiy Sidey finish Ramon Taveras early. But the finish was not without controversy: Sidey clearly knocked down Taveras, but Taveras never appeared out of the fight, despite ref Kevin MacDonald jumping in and waving things off. An unquestionably bad stoppage.

Wrapping up the night, Brendon Ribeiro pulled off the upset, flooring Bruno Lopes with a right hand. That was followed up on the ground with nasty hammer fists, the first of which Lopes managed to avoid. Not so with the rest, and he was put out shortly after by another three of four blows.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 5 Results

Light heavyweight: Brendson Ribeiro def. Bruno Lopes by TKO (right hand to ground n’ pound). Round 1, 3:47
Bantamweight: Serhiy Sidey def. Ramon Taveras by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 2:26
Middleweight: Dylan Budka def. Chad Hanekom by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Jean Silva def. Kevin Vallejos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s flyweight: Dione Barbosa def. Rainn Guerrero by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 4:35

Contract Winners: Dione Barbosa, Jean Silva, Dylan Budka, Serhiy Sidey, Brendson Ribeiro (Ramon Taveras will be invited back for week 10).

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That makes the fight that much bigger for Sidey (9-1), he told Cageside Press ahead of what is clearly the most important night of his career.

“This is what I’ve been dreaming of. This is what I’ve been visualizing for a very very long time. I see all these high level fighters who I’ve looked up to in the past, they’ve all made their walks out in Vegas, the fight capital. And it’s my turn now,” Sidey told us. “I enjoy the big crowds, all the pressure. I enjoy all eyes on me. It just feels like it makes me perform even better. So this is the moment for me, for sure.”

Sidey, who was picking up tacos when he got the news that he had been selected for the Contender Series, is a fighter who treats every fight as his toughest test to date. He hasn’t had a ton of time to prepare, having last fought in June, but believes he can rise to the occasion against Ramon Taveras.

“I’m expecting a tough fight, because this is the highest level of the sport. I’m never going to get an easy fight, and I’m cool with that, because the harder the opponent, the harder the obstacle that’s in the way, the more I’m going to be able to rise to the occasion,” explained Sidey. “And that’s just kind of the way I’ve re-framed it in my brain now. So the harder the challenge, the more I’m going to be able to grow from the experience, and I’m excited to grow.”

When it comes to Taveras, Sidey has done his homework and scouted his opponent. “He’s definitely a great striker. He has a great left hand, great boxing. Confident, because of his wins and his finishes. But to be honest, I just don’t think he’s had the same level of competition as me, and I think that’s going to play a big factor in this fight,” suggested Sidey. “As well as how many different weapons I have. I can take the fight where ever I need to take the fight and have a ton of different weapons.”

That’s something Sidey plans to exploit, though he reiterated that “this is no easy task, but again, the bigger the obstacle, the more I will rise to the occasion. And this excites me.”

Watch our full interview with Dana White’s Contender Series bantamweight Serhiy Sidey above.

The post DWCS: Serhiy Sidey Says “The Bigger the Obstacle, the More I Will Rise to the Occasion” appeared first on Cageside Press.

In her place this week steps Dione Barbosa, but there’s a good chance Lamframboise will get a crack at the UFC in future — though for obvious reasons, she’ll be taking some time off. Also featured this week, Laframboise’s fellow Canadian Serhiy Sidey, and Dylan Budka, who is no stranger to those following the regional circuit. Budka, like Barbosa, is taking this one on short notice.

We’ve got our predictions in! Read out for our preview of DWCS 2023 Episode 5!

Light heavyweight: Bruno Lopes Vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Prediction: There was no point in bother with who has the advantages because simply put, Lopes is better in every aspect. This is a fight made for Lopes to be able to show out and get a huge knockout.

If Lopes wanted to he could just take this fight down and submit Ribeiro. I’ve seen Ribeiro fall to lesser punches than Lopes is going to sling at him. With the level of striking and power Lopes has he probably ends this in under two minutes.

The post DWCS 2023: Episode 5 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Originally, Canadian standout Corinne Laframboise was expected to appear on the show, opposite Rainn Guerrero in a women’s flyweight contest. But after a positive blood test, Laframboise was forced out of the card. Normally, this would be cause for concern, in Laframboise’s case, it’s a reason to celebrate. The blood test in question showed she’s three months pregnant, news she shared on social media recently.

With her only career loss coming to Manon Fiorot, there’s little doubt Laframboise will be back here another day. In the meantime, it’s Dione Barbosa stepping up on short notice to face Rainn Guerrero. And for Canadian DWCS fans, there’s still another fighter on the card to cheer for: Burlington, Ontario’s Serhiy Sidey brings his five-fight win streak into a fight with Ramon Taveras, the current Combat Night bantamweight champ.

Weigh-ins for Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 5 took place Monday in Las Vegas; full results are below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 5 Weigh-In Results

Light heavyweight: Bruno Lopes (204) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (205.5)
Bantamweight: Serhiy Sidey (135.5) vs. Ramon Taveras (136)*
Middleweight: Dylan Budka (186) vs. Chad Hanekom (184.5)
Featherweight: Jean Silva (145.5) vs. Kevin Vallejos (145)
Women’s flyweight: Dione Barbosa (125.5) vs. Rainn Guerrero (125.5)

* Taveras came in 0.25lbs over the bantamweight limit, and was medically cleared to continue his cut. He made weight on his second attempt.

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