Canada’s Nallo, who may have dropped his old nickname (more on that later), has long been on the short list of many hardcore MMA fans and prospect watchers, but at 36, there was a question as to whether the Bellator MMA alum would ever make it to the UFC. That question was answered on Tuesday, when Dana White signed Nallo (14-3, 1NC) off a first-round finish of Samuel Silva, his fifth straight victory overall.

It’s back to the big leagues for Nallo, who noted that the regional circuit was not an easy place to be the past few years.

“When you’re not in a major, the world is rough. Especially right now, the MMA game is tough out there,” the lightweight told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “And for a guy who’s skilled, nobody wants to fight you, the money’s rough. So it’s a testament to my coaches my team and my family for sticking with me through that. Because I’m going to do the work.”

The support Nallo has received over the years, he added, “has been something that you could never even come close to paying back.”

Nallo is known for exciting finishes, and rising to the occasion, having won regional titles both as an amateur and professional. The Contender Series was another solid example, with a right hand dropping his opponent in explosive fashion.

“When it comes to stuff like this, I’m that guy. I will do something crazy,” Nallo stated. “And I’m not crazy in my life. I hang around, I train, I do nothing. But when I’m in the cage, it’s weird. Something mad happens.”

Now that he has his foot in the door, Mandel Nallo is ready to get to busy. “I told Dana, run me. I want to work,” he revealed, going as far to suggest a spot on the UFC Paris card this weekend. While that’s unlikely (though as recent history has shown, not impossible), there’s another date on the radar.

“October 18 in Vancouver, I was born there, I’ll fight there for sure. So that’s the plan, just to work as hard as I can and to get to where I want to be,” he stated.

As for his old “Rat Garbage” nickname, Nallo is leaving it in the past, kind of. “Maybe it’s like an alter ego or something. The website’s still up, people can still buy things on it, my merch. Maybe that’s my brand, and my nickname is something else. I don’t know, we’re still figuring it out. If you want to call me that still, it’s fine. I’m sure my parents are happy that I’m no longer ‘Rat garbage.'”

Watch the full DWCS 2025 Week 4 post-fight media appearance by Mandel Nallo above.

The post DWCS: Mandel Nallo Eying UFC Vancouver Card for Debut 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.

An Tuan Ho (7-1 MMA)

Age: 24 years old

Height: 5’6″ / Reach: 66.5

Weight Class: Flyweight (125lbs.)

First DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2024 (Week 1)

Old DW’s Contender Series Opponent: Lone’er Kavanagh (9-1 MMA)

Second DW’s Contender Series Fight: 2025 (Week 4)

New Opponent: Eduardo Henrique (14-2 MMA)

First Contender Series Fight

An Tuan Ho first competed on the Contender Series on August 13 of last year. An’s first appearance on the Contender Series was birthed from a 7-0 amateur MMA career and a 6-0 career as a pro. As an amateur, An Tuan Ho stopped five of his opponents and was a champion of the Arizona based Cage Rage on the River (RUF) promotion.

All six of his pro fights were under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) banner based out of Houston, Texas. As a pro An stopped four of his six opponents and even pulled off a kneebar. The most experienced opponent that he faced was Kedrick Latchman, then 9-9, who he stopped in the first round. The best win by An, prior his first DWCS appearance, came against Miguel Sanson in February of 2024. Tuan Ho logged a unanimous decision victory.  Miguel Sanson was 4-1 then, fell to 4-2- and he hasn’t lost since. He’s now 8-2 now and might actually be a fighter to look out for in the future. This is a win that has aged great for An.

In his first appearance on the Contender Series An fought well but was stopped with a left hook midway thru the first round. First loss and a stoppage on top of it.

First Contender Series Opponent

In his first appearance on the Contender Series, An Tuan Ho faced Lone’er Kavanagh who entered the fight at 6-0, just like An. Kavanagh, much like An, had competed in the majority of his pro fights (four of six) with one promotion, Cage Warriors, based out of England. Kavanagh was also an amateur MMA champion, though he didn’t have nearly as flawless of an amateur record as An, at 2-2-2, 1 NC.

But obviously Lone’er picked up a contract and was signed to the UFC after his finish of An Tuan Ho. For his UFC debut, just three months later in November, Lone’er faced another undefeated fighter in 7-0 Jose Ochoa. Kavanagh secured a unanimous decision victory with a hard-nosed performance.

Earlier this year in March, Lone’er took on an 8-2, Felipe dos Santos. Felipe had given Manel Kape, a ranked flyweight, a run for his money in a short notice, Fight of the Night winning performance in his promotional debut. Kavanagh was able to secure another unanimous decision.

In his most recent fight, Kavanagh faced his largest test to date, in the form of Charles Johnson, a 17-7, 11-fight vet of the UFC. Charles was fresh off of losing his ranking.  Johnson stopped Kavanagh with strikes in the second.

Lone’er’s activity and ascension to just outside the top 15 of the flyweight division has made the 2024 loss age very well for An Tuan Ho.

The Road Back

Since his appearance on the Contender Series last year, Tuan Ho has competed one time. It was back under the LFA banner against a 3-4 opponent in Jimi Natividad, granted, Natividad was not the originally scheduled opponent. Instead, Tuan Ho was supposed to face a 6-0 Micah Haas. That fight never went down and instead Tuan Ho steamrolled Jimi in 16 seconds.

That was enough to get An invited back for a shot at redemption on the Contender Series. An Tuan Ho was supposed to fight Frank Silva, virtually identical record at 7-0-1, and just turned 21.

Gameplan/New Opponent

With Silva now out, An Tuan Ho will instead be facing Eduardo Henrqiue for his shot at redemption. Eduardo has quite a bit of experience at 14-2 and was actually the defending champion in the LFA. One of his two losses came against then 5-1 Kleydeson Rodrigues in late 2019 via second round rear naked choke. Rodrigues, also a Contender Series veteran, won a contract in 2021 before going 1-3 with the UFC.

Eduardo’s only other pro loss was against a then 12-3 Davi Bittencourt, in Henrique’s LFA debut via unanimous decision. That was July of 2022 and Bittencourt got a shot on the Contender Series in October of 2023. However, it didn’t go his way as he was KO’d by Lucas Rocha (but Bittencourt is another fighter that fans could expect to see in the future).

Eduardo has faced really good competition on the regional scene. He’s also had a nice title span while in the LFA, winning the belt in 2023 with a fourth-round finish over an 8-1 Cody Davis. Henrique’s stopped an 8-2 fighter and a 10-2 fighter in the first round in the two title defenses since then.

It’s a tall task for An but An’s amateur and pro MMA career is virtually unblemished it’s just the stoppage loss to Kavanagh. Regardless, Eduardo has been tried and tested against UFC caliber guys. He’s more than ready to be on the roster, on paper at least.

Tough fight for An Tuan Ho but if he gets a win, by any means, he’ll undoubtedly secure a contract.

The post Redemption: Second Chances on Dana White’s Contender Series – An Tuan Ho appeared first on Cageside Press.

You’ve got a couple of undefeated prospects facing off as well — here’s a look at week four as we approach the halfway mark of the season.

Welterweight, Jack Congdon (7-1) Vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (8-2)

Notable Notes

• The only career loss Congdon has is to RTU alum Jonathan Piersma
• Congdon has a win over Jay Ellis (16-111), who is more wins than any of his other wins
• Congdon has never gone the distance
  Six of his wins come in round one
• Lebosnoyani is undefeated at welterweight (4-0)
• Lebosnoyani is 2-2 to the TKO/KO
• Lebosnoyani has won by KO/TKO, Submission, and Decision

Jack Congdon

I understand why Congdon was brought onto the Contender Series. He has a 100% finish rate and consistently delivers exciting fights. But when you dig into his résumé, it’s immediately clear that the level of competition leaves a lot to be desired. He’s based out of Massachusetts, a region not exactly known for producing top-tier talent, and the fighters he’s faced have been, frankly, abysmal. The most “accomplished” opponent he’s beaten is Jay Ellis, who now holds a 16-111 record. Most recently, Congdon went to war with a 36-year-old journeyman sitting at 9-6. Not exactly ideal when scouting for legitimate prospects.

Congdon himself isn’t without talent, but his game is built on problematic traits. At 6’2″, with a karate background, he throws a lot of side kicks and wheel kicks, though they’ve largely been ineffective. His best weapon is a sharp teep, and at range, he can be productive, stabbing the body with teeps and jabs, throwing long strikes from distance.

However, his striking is riddled with defensive flaws. He tends to reach, leaving his chin exposed, and relies on a classic “tall man’s defense,” which becomes more pronounced as the fight wears on. He does carry power and can land from both range and the inside, targeting all levels, but he often has to step into the fire to find success— and that’s not a sustainable style.

Congdon is simply too hittable in the very areas where he prefers the fight to take place. He loads up recklessly, leaving himself wide open to counters. On top of that, his cardio is a major liability. After five minutes, his defensive flaws become even more obvious and exploitable.

Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani

Lebosnoyani might be the most underrated prospect on this season of the Contender Series. Early in his career, he fought with relentless aggression, constantly hunting for the finish. But since his 2023 loss to JaCobi Jones and subsequent move up to welterweight, he’s shown a much more composed, mature approach, without losing that killer instinct.

A black belt in jiu-jitsu, Lebosnoyani is at his most dangerous on the ground. He’s an aggressive submission hunter who attacks from both top and bottom, chaining together submissions and constantly threatening all limbs. His transitions are fluid, and he never stops looking for an opening. That said, like many BJJ specialists, his wrestling still lags behind. He’s not a strong offensive wrestler; most of his grappling entries come from scrambles, reactive sequences when he’s taken down, or club-and-sub scenarios.

While he’s clearly a jiu-jitsu specialist, he’s also fallen in love with his striking, and in his case, that’s not a bad thing. On the feet, Lebosnoyani is smooth and creative. He moves laterally with purpose, frequently shifts stances, and throws a wide variety of kicks from all levels. He sets them up with slick feints, often using his hands as a distraction before dipping his head and whipping a high kick upstairs.

He’s hard to close the distance on, thanks to his movement and ability to stick and move. He’s a subtle but effective counter striker with solid vision during pocket exchanges. While his style does carry some risk (he can be clipped), his head movement has steadily improved, and his hands are fast enough to beat most opponents to the punch.

Physically, he might be at a slight disadvantage at 170, but he’s 4-0 as a pro in the division and had prior experience there as an amateur. It may pose some challenges in the wrestling department, but most opponents won’t be eager to engage him on the mat anyway.

Prediction: Congdon is only live in this fight due to his size advantage. Beyond that, Lebosnoyani is leagues ahead in terms of skill. Congdon’s best (and probably only) path is to close the distance and land something big, but that’s easier said than done.

More than likely, Lebosnoyani will use his superior movement, speed, and cardio to pick Congdon apart from the outside. While Congdon’s takedown defense is a concern, I don’t think wrestling will be Lebosnoyani’s primary approach here. Even though he’s clearly the better grappler, it wouldn’t make sense to burn energy chasing submissions against a much bigger opponent.

Instead, I see Lebosnoyani staying technical on the feet, out-kickboxing Congdon early and gradually wearing him down. As Congdon starts to fade, look for Lebosnoyani to turn up the volume and score a late TKO. Lebosnoyani via TKO in round three.

The post DWCS 2025: Episode 4 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.