Over the years, DWCS has usurped The Ultimate Fighter (currently running its rather inglorious 31st season with coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler) as the number one way for fighters to make it to the big show. Last season, 43 UFC contracts were handed out on the show. Though as fight fans likely recall, things go off to a rocky start, with only Joe Pyfer awarded a contract in the first week.

Would things play out differently as the Contender Series returned for 2023? Hopefully so. Among those in action, returning fighter Junior Cortez, brother of UFC women’s flyweight Tracy Cortez (who also won her way into the promotion on the show), heavyweight Caio Machado, and a number of other promising hopefuls.

Full results from Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7 Week 1 can be found below. The episode gets underway at 7PM ET, and will be followed by the latest instalment of The Ultimate Fighter.

The opening fight of the evening saw flyweights Kevin Borjas and Victor Dias go the distance. While Borjas was the underdog coming in, he out-struck his opponent and repeatedly ripped the body en route to a unanimous decision win. Dias had some success early in the fight with takedowns, but by the end, absorbing liver shot after liver shot, he was exhausted, while Borjas still looked ready to go.

The second fight of the night saw Payton Talbott impress with some crisp and at times unorthodox striking (spinning back elbows, and a flip mid-fight?!?). While Reyes Cortez had his moments in the bout, by the third he was cut open and trailing. A low blow gave Cortez ample recovery time, but he couldn’t turn things around. Talbott also stuffed a solid dozen takedowns, showing his TDD was up to snuff.

Heavyweight Caio Machado continued the decision streak, winning all three rounds on all three scorecards against Kevin Szaflarski. Machado, a Brazilian who has settled in Canada, took some big swings throughout the fight, while Szaflarski was low-offense especially in the early going. The final tally, per the broadcast? 130 strikes to 22 in favor of Machado.

In the opening round between lightweights Tom Nolan and Bogdan Grad, an exchange of fire on the feet led to a left hand landing for Nolan. That put Grad down in an instant, and a single follow-up ground strike eliminated any slim hope of the fallen fighter recovering. After three decisions, the first stoppage of the night!

It was back to the scorecards for the final fight of the evening, and it wasn’t close. In the cage, or with the judges. All three judges scored the fight for 35-year old middleweight Cesar Almeida, with wildly different scores from 30-26 to 29-27. Regardless, an dominant showing with plenty of ground control plus some sharp leg kicks from Almeida.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 1 Results

Middleweight: Cesar Almeida def. Lucas Fernando by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
Lightweight: Tom Nolan def. Bogdan Grad by KO (left hook), Round 1, 1:23
Heavyweight: Caio Machado def. Kevin Szaflarski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Payton Talbott def. Reyes Cortez Jr. by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Kevin Borjas def. Victor Dias by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Contract winners: Kevin Borjas, Payton Talbott, Caio Machado, Tom Nolan, Cesar Almeida

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As a result, the Dana White’s Contender Series 2023 season opener comes at a special start time of 7PM ET, but still on its traditional home of Tuesday night.

The show has produced stars like Jamahal Hill, Sean O’Malley, Geoff Neal, and Adrian Yanez — and has become a proven pathway to the UFC. 43 contracts for the big show were handed out in 2022, in fact, a record-setting number.

All ten fighters successfully made weight on Monday for the season’s kick-off episode, with names like Caio Machado, a longtime heavyweight prospect, and Junior Cortez, brother of UFC flyweight star Tracey Cortez. He was making his return to the series, in fact, after coming up short in 2021.

We caught up with Machado and Payton Talbott ahead of this card, so be sure to check out those interviews (linked)!

Full results from the Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 1 weigh-in can be found below. The show airs on ESPN+ in the U.S., and on UFC Fight Pass in international markets.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 1 Weigh-In Results

Middleweight: Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. Lucas Fernando (186)
Lightweight: Tom Nolan (155) vs. Bogdan Grad (156)
Heavyweight: Caio Machado (256) vs. Kevin Szaflarski (260.5)
Bantamweight: Payton Talbott (135.5) vs. Reyes Cortez Jr. (135.5)
Flyweight: Kevin Borjas (125.5) vs. Victor Dias (126)

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Will 2023’s crop of rookies produce similar contenders? We’ll know soon enough! In the meantime, we’re back with our breakdown and predictions for episode one, which gets underway at an early start time, 7PM ET.

Flyweight: Kevin Borjas vs. Victor Dias

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Prediction: This was supposed to be Rickson Zenidim fighting Borjas but now we get Victor Dias. Dias is an excellent replacement and could be someone that could’ve gone straight to the UFC. He’s a winner of his last five and is the reigning Titan FC flyweight champion.

I don’t see this as a competitive fight at all. I had Zenidim beating Borjas so I think Dias runs through Borjas. I expect an early takedown and a rear-naked choke finish.

The post DWCS 2023: Episode 1 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Heavyweight is always in need of fresh bodies, and this year is no exception.

First off, a look back at last year’s list, where none of the ten fighters featured were signed to the UFC. Hugo Cunha instead signed with ONE Championship, losing his debut. Oleg Popov, meanwhile, has signed with Bellator MMA, and will debut for the promotion this February.

Hugo Cunha
Nyle Bartling
Andre Schmidt
Oleg Popov
Jesus Navarrete
Caio Machado
Kirill Kornilov
Brett Martin
Rizvan Kuniev
Aleksandr Maslov

Now, let’s take a look at 10 heavyweight prospects the UFC should sign in 2023!

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MMA loves fighting families. That goes right back to the start of the sport, at least in its modern form, with the Gracie family being the dominant name in mixed martial arts for years. Since then, siblings from Dan and Jim Miller to Nick and Nate Diaz have become fan favorites. PRIDE had Enson and Egan Inoue. Sisters got in on the act when Antonina Shevchenko joined women’s flyweight champ Valentina in the UFC; most recently, Mohammed Usman joined brother Kamaru in the UFC by way of The Ultimate Fighter 30.

Will the Bonfims be the latest pair to make it to the big show? We look at that and more ahead of DWCS 53.

Light heavyweight: Rodolfo Bellato Vs. Vitor Petrino

Tale of the tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

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

Prediction: In a rather rare occurrence on DWCS, this bout is a rematch from their fight in 2019. In that meeting, Petrino won by knockout in only twenty-five seconds. A great win for Petrino but you can’t really determine who the better fighter is in such a short amount of fight time.

I think it only takes one time for the fight to hit the mat for Bellato to submit Petrino. The longer he stays on the feet he risks getting caught by Petrino. Petrino I think would benefit from starting fast and drawing Bellato into a brawl. I think as long as Bellato is composed he will find a takedown.

Petrino could very well catch Bellato but my pick is Bellato by submission.

The post DWCS 2022 Week 7 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

The story of the card might be the presence of Gabriel and Ismael Bonfim, a pair of highly touted Brazilian brothers who have been plying their trade under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner. Welterweight Gabriel is an undefeated 12-0, while lightweight Ismael is 17-3, with both men more than deserving of a crack at the UFC.

The promotion, and MMA in general, has a long history of fighting family ties, from the Gracie family, to the Diaz brothers, to Dan and Jim Miller, to the Lauzons, and the Shevchenko sisters. Earlier this year, Mohammed Usman joined brother Kamaru in the promotion by way of The Ultimate Fighter; previously on the Contender Series, Louis and Orion Cosce won their way into the UFC on the show.

The Bonfim brothers will look to be the next set of siblings to make the big show.

Also on this week’s episode, Jimmy Lawson will have a 30 pound advantage over heavyweight opponent Karl Williams.

Full results from Monday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 53 weigh-in can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 6, Week 7 Weigh-In Results

Light Heavyweight: Rodolfo Bellato (205) vs. Vitor Petrino (203.5)
Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim (170) vs. Trey Waters (170.5)
Heavyweight: Jimmy Lawson (263) vs. Karl Williams (233)
Lightweight: Ismael Bonfim (156) vs. Nariman Abbasov (156)
Women’s Flyweight: Tereza Bledá (125.5) vs. Nayara Maia (126)

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