Rosas Jr. was not in the main event on Tuesday, but was easily the most talked about fighter on the card thanks to his young age. His appearance Tuesday officially made him the youngest competitor to appear on the show, and saw him up against Mando Gutierrez — at 25, eight years his senior.

The featured fight of the evening featured a couple of fighters known for finishes, with Leon Aliu and Brunno Ferreira facing off in a middleweight affair.

Dana White’s Contender Series 55 takes place Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full results from the event, which airs on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere, can be found below.

After a bit of a slow start, Jafel Filho exploded in the third round. Roybert Echeverria narrowly missed on a head kick, then was clipped by a Filho left hand. Echeverria dropped, trapped against the cage as Fialho rained down blow after blow. That wrapped things up with Filho earning the TKO victory.

Narullo Aliev overcame an early eye poke to employ a judo throw on Josh Wick, taking the fight to the mat and swarming with ground n’ pound. The high-volume attack was more than Wick could withstand; the ref soon waved it off.

Austen Lane landed one of the nastiest low blows in recent memory early in his heavyweight fight with Richard Jacobi. Jacobi went down in obvious pain, but took just over 90 seconds to recover. Later, they would go to the ground, and Jacobi would hunt for an arm-bar. That backfired, as Lane was able to get on top and secure the third straight TKO of the night.

Raul Rosas Jr., all of 17 years old, proved to be the real deal on Tuesday. While he went the distance for the first time against Mando Gutirrez, Rosas Jr. dominated, especially on the ground, where he attempted multiple submissions including a Suloev stretch. The first round alone got a standing ovation from Dana White, and while he couldn’t get the finish, he has a bright future in the sport.

As expected, the middleweight featured fight between Leon Aliu and Brunno Ferreira did not go the distance on Tuesday. Ferreira rocked Aliu early, and piled on with strikes. Aliu made it back to his feet after grabbing a leg, but was quickly put down for good in the fourth TKO finish of the night.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season Six, Week Nine Results

Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira def. Leon Aliu by TKO, Round 1, 1:35
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Austen Lane def. Richard Jacobi by TKO, Round 1, 4:34
Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Josh Wick by TKO, Round 1, 4:36
Flyweight: Jafel Filho def. Roybert Echeverria by TKO, Round 3, 1:31

Contract winners: Jafel Filho, Nurullo Aliev, Austen Lane, Raul Rosas Jr., Brunno Ferreira

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

In the featured fight of the evening, undefeated Brazilian middleweight Bruno Ferreira was paired up with Italy’s Leon Aliu. Both men were proven finishers, resulting in the fight screaming fireworks.

We’ve got our picks and preview ready — read on!

Middleweight: Leon Aliu Vs. Bruno Ferreira

Tale of the tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Even
Speed: Ferreira
Output/Volume: Ferreira
Kickboxing: Ferreira
Striking defense: Ferreira
Footwork/movement: Ferreira
Wrestling: Ferreira
Grappling: Ferreira
More likely to finish on the mat: Ferreira
Gas tank: Aliu

Prediction: Footage isn’t great on both of these fighters, but both seem to fit the bill for the show. Between the pair they have a 100% finish rate and fourteen first-round finishes.

Both seem fine no matter if the fight is standing or on the mat. I do slightly favor Ferreira with the tape I watched. While Aliu has some clubbing power his technique is a little sloppy. Ferreira isn’t any technician but his punches are straighter and cleaner.

Ferreira is a judo and jiu-jitsu black belt so I’m thinking he has a better ground game too. Aliu can’t be slept on with his guillotine but in jiu-jitsu as a whole I favor Ferreira.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id9MM4X1dNY

The post DWCS 2022 Week 9 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

The featured fight at DWCS 55 is expected to feature Italy’s Leon Aliu up against Brunno Ferreira of Brazil. Ferreira boasted an undefeated record of 8-0 to start the night, with a 100% finish rate to boot. Italian Aliu was also a proven finisher, with just a single loss as a pro.

Returning to the Contender Series this Tuesday night, meanwhile, was heavyweight Austen Lane. Lane might be best remembered as former NFL star Greg Hardy’s first opponent on DWCS in 2019. An NFL vet himself, Lane had gone on to post a 7-2 record following the Hardy fight, with an 11-3 record overall and four straight wins.

Lane was paired up with Brazil’s Richard Jacobi, who had yet to taste defeat as a pro.

The talk of the week, however, would no doubt be centered around Raul Rosas Jr. The Mexican bantamweight known as “El Nino Problema” was getting his first look on the show, at just 17-years old.

Weigh-ins for Dana White’s Contender Series 55 go down Monday in Las Vegas. Full results can be found below starting at 12PM ET.

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

Middleweight: Leon Aliu (186) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. (134) vs. Mando Gutierrez (135.5)
Heavyweight: Austen Lane (240.5) vs. Richard Jacobi (244.5)
Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev (155.5) vs. Josh Wick (156)
Flyweight: Roybert Echeverria (125) vs. Jafel Filho (125.5)

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

Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting (WXC) returned for their 77th event on April 24, 2019. The show will be the second edition of Warrior Wednesday.

In the main event, UFC veteran Daron Cruickshank was back in Michigan following a loss to Damien Brown at RIZIN 14. Cruickshank faced Jackson Wink prospect Chris Brown in a lightweight contest. Cruickshank is a pioneer for MMA in Michigan with his gym, Michigan Top Team, which is producing stars on the local scene. Plus the success he has sustained throughout his lengthy MMA career, earning the moniker “Detroit Superstar.” Meanwhile, Brown was looking to bounce back from a narrow split decision defeat to newly-signed UFC fighter Thomas Gifford in his last appearance.

In the co-main event, Michigan’s own Jason Fischer returned to Warrior Xtreme Fighting after a losing effort at ACB (now re-branded ACA) 85 last April. Bellator veteran Fischer was taking on 24-year-old Josh Wick, who has competed in Bellator (against Johnny Nunez at Bellator 205) and was looking to get consecutive wins in consecutive months – following a submission victory against Alex Trinidad at SCL: Combat Series 1.

Also on the card, Michigan’s Darius Estell faced off against Hawaii’s Edward Thommes. Estrell most recently fought previously undefeated prospect Zach DiSabatino at Cage Titans 42, with Estrell coming away with a split decision win. Estrell was looking to avenge his last performance in the Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting cage, as he suffered his only professional loss to Drew Morais last August. Meanwhile, Thommes wanted to avenge his last performance also, as he lost via third-round TKO to Toby Misech at Bellator 212. Thommes’ other losses have came to Jackson Wink product Stephen Cervantes and ex-UFC competitor Tyler Diamond.

*Tidbit* – The Main event between Daron Cruickshank and Chris Brown is off according to Chris Brown. Brown weighed in at 157 pounds yesterday, and Cruickshank said he had to be 160 pounds by 5pm for him to take the fight. Brown made the 160 pound limit, but Cruickshank had a change of heart and chose not to take the bout. Read Brown’s full statement here.

Cruickshank then entered the cage himself, and said that his opponent Brown was unprofessional and his management told him it was not worth taking the fight. Cruickshank also apologised to the local fans and thanked them for coming out. He did say he will be fighting in Japan for RIZIN FF in July however. 

The card streamed live, exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

WXC 77: Warrior Wednesday 2 Results:

• Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Brown – cancelled.
• Jason Fischer def. Josh Wick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
• Edward Thommes def. Darius Estell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
• Mickey Marsack def. Travis Karppinen  by submission (rear-naked choke), round 1, 3:12

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