Rafael Pergentino vs Luke Fernandez

Round 1 – Luke Fernandez meets him in the center of the cage. He throws a hard 1-2 and it drops Pergentino. He follows up with a couple of bombs on the mat and it’s all over before it even really started.

Official Result: Luke Fernandez def. Rafael Pergentino by TKO (Punches) – Round 1 (0:15)

Donavon Hedrick vs Luis Felipe Dias

Round 1 – The fighters feel each other out a bit and then Hedrick throws a big shot that misses the mark. Off-balance, Dias looks to capitalize and throws wildly himself. That prompts a takedown from Hedrick, but Dias quickly wrestles up and gets a back take of his own. After some solid positioning, Hedrick works his way back to neutral and the fight is back on the feet about halfway through. Hedrick is next to land with some straight strikes. Dias looking for the counters and finds a couple. Dias then gets on his horse and decides to be the aggressor. He backs him up and lands hard to the body with a kick. That prompts a clinch from Hedrick. On the separation, Dias lands and drops Hedrick and then takes the back again, which is where the round ends. Dias 10-9

Round 2 – A couple clashes into the clinch kick off the second round. Dias looks to be the more dangerous fighter in there with knees. Hedrick is the more active fighter from range and then he shoots a double. Dias is happy to jump guillotine, but it is not even close. Hedrick lands some big shots on top before Dias uses the cage to get back up. They separate and Dias uses a duck under to work to the back. He gets hooks in and gets to work. In three-quarter mount, he looks for a combination of choke attempts and punches. Hedrick continues to defend, but he’s in bad spots. Dias takes the back one more time and this time gets the choke.

Official Result: Luis Felipe Dias def. Donavon Hedrick by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 2 (4:37)

Imanol Rodriguez vs Roque Conceição

Round 1 – Some early kicks from Conceição find the mark as Rodriguez looks to feel him out. A sharp right drops Rodriguez. He hops right back up and starts to turn up the pressure to take a bit off of himself. Conceição falls awkwardly after getting clipped with a right and appears stunned – Rodriguez is all over him. He lands a knee that hurts him, and another couple hooks. Conceição back up and eats a shovel uppercut that puts the lights out for good.

Official Result: Imanol Rodriguez def. Roque Conceição by TKO (Punches and Knees) – Round 1 (2:12)

Adrian Luna Martinetti vs Mark Vologdin

Round 1 – The size discrepancy is obvious to start. Vologdin tries to beat it by working with some kicks particularly to the lead knee. He lands some work and Martinetti starts looking for a takedown. Vologdin stuffs and separates. Then he starts getting going with the pressure. A body shot drops Martinetti. He gets up and is dropped again with a right hand. He shoots a takedown off of that one, but Vologdin rolls through to avoid and separates again. Martinetti sticks with the low leg kicks to close out the round, but Vologdin is stepping through them to land big. He drops Martinetti a third time with just seconds left and goes for the finish. The time expires as they go to war. Vologdin 10-9

Round 2 – Both fighers start the second round a touch more measured after the chaotic end to the first. Then Martinetti gets him back to the cage and goes nuts with the body shots. The defense goes to the wind. Martinetti with knees to the body. Vologdin with hooks that stumble Martinetti. Martinetti back on the knees and adds an elbow. More hooks from Vologdin. Vologdin is gushing blood. Martinetti gets some top control and looks for a finish. Vologdin eventually works up and hurts him again. This is one of the most insane wars in the history of Contender Series! Martinetti 10-9

Round 3 – Martinetti looks for the kicks to start the round again. Vologdin marches forward and hurts him with a right hook. He looks to finish and Martinetti survives with a takedown against the cage. He doesn’t do much with the position and then Vologdin does a back roll to his feet. Vologdin uses the opportunity to turn the pressure up again. He is landing with the jab and head hunting. A knee lands for Martinetti, and he scores another takedown. He lands a few small strikes to try to take the round. Vologdin nearly sweeps to end the round, but it ends there. Martinetti 10-9

Official Result: Adrian Luna Martinetti def. Mark Vologdin by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Lucas Caldas vs Magomed Zaynukov

Round 1 – Quick kick to the calf from Caldas to start things. They trade down bottom and then the hooks start flying on both sides. Zaynukov getting the better of most exchanges early, but Caldas not backing down. Caldas having some success when moving forward, but Zaynukov is the much more accurate striker. Both attacking the body and putting a pace on. Caldas takes a kick to the nuts and has no interest in taking a break. A left hand from Caldas drops Kaynukov. He wrestles to survive and Caldas works to his feet. Another elbow seems to hurt Zaynukov again, but the sharpness of Zaynukov has him back in the fight. Tough round to call with the knockdown for Caldas and the volume from Zaynukov. I lean slightly to the Russian. Zaynukov 10-9

Round 2 – The kicks start this round as well with Caldas moving forward. Zaynukov landing the big kicks. Caldas finds a home for an elbow. A judo foot sweep sees Zaynukov grab some top control from guard. He does little with that time and then lets up Caldas. They trade again and Zaynukov is finding a home for the hooks and kicks. Zaynukov takes a poke to the eyes and we get a quick pause before heading right back for more of the same. Despite all the damage from Zaynukov, Caldas is still moving forward as the horn sounds. Zaynukov 10-9

Round 3 – More of the same in the third round. Caldas is having trouble keeping the range without eating some very sharp strikes from Zaynukov. He keeps chipping away at Caldas. He lands a big head kick as well before being poked in the eye yet again. Mark Herzog takes a point for this one. We restart with three minutes to go. Zaynukov immediately back on the horse and gets a knockdown with a right. Caldas pops right back up again and gets in his face. Caldas finds a home for a couple of rights and a spinning back elbow, but he doesn’t have the power to put him away. Zaynukov rips a half dozen upper cuts to close the show and should take this on the cards. Zaynukov 10-9

Official Result: Magomed Zaynukov def. Lucas Caldas by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

DWCS Contract Winners:

• Mark Vologdin (before the show was even over)
• Adrian Luna Martinetti (before the show was even over)
• Luke Fernandez
• Luis Felipe Dias
• Imanol Rodriguez
• Magomed Zaynukov

And for more Dana White’s Contender Series coverage, check out all of the work here on Cageside Press. We have interviews with the fighters as well as analysis of those getting a chance on Tuesday.

The post Dana White’s Contender Series 2025: Week 9 – Play-by-Play & Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Among the UFC hopefuls in DWCS 2025 Week 9, Luke Fernandez, an unbeaten CFFC light heavyweight champion with plenty of raw talent. With a favorable set for Tuesday, the slow path could seem Fernandez blossom into a real star in the UFC’s 205lb weight class.

We’ve got our breakdown and predictions ready for the upcoming instalment of DWCS, so let’s get to it.

Flyweight, Imanol Rodriguez (5-0) vs. Roque Junior (10-2)

Notable Notes

• Rodrigues fought this past season on TUF
• Rodrigues has a 100% finish rate outside of his last TUF fight
• Rodrigues is 0-1 to the decision (TUF fight)
• Junior is 1-2 to the decision
• Both have questionable decision losses
• Both guys have all their finishes inside two rounds
• Both have a submission win a piece

Imanol Rodriguez

In my opinion (and many others), Rodriguez should’ve won his fight on TUF 33 to move to the finals. Instead, the guy he “lost” to ended up winning the show, and that’s why I think he’s getting this spot. He came into the show a bit too soon, we thought, but during the show proved he belongs.

At his core, Rodriguez is a striker. While he occasionally throws opponents to the mat, it’s more about resetting the pace than controlling position. His style is chaotic yet calculated—he thrives in wild exchanges, launching power shots with both hands, attacking the body, and mixing up angles. He’s relentless, with legitimate finishing ability, and when he hurts an opponent, he knows how to close the show. His durability and knockout power allow him to take risks, and he is willing to absorb damage in pursuit of the finish. That can also hurt him at the higher level because a vet could be able to pace themselves better and pull away on Rodriguez late in the fight.

Rodriguez’s game is straightforward—about 60% chaos, 40% technique. He’s the type of fighter you’d bet on because he puts everything on the line. However, there are still unanswered questions. How will he fare in deep waters? How will he handle an elite wrestler? What does his ground game truly look like? This fight may have come sooner than ideal, but regardless of the outcome, it’s a crucial learning experience for Rodriguez.

I had three big questions for Rodriguez going into the TUF house: How will he fare in deep waters? How will he handle an elite wrestler? And what does his ground game truly look like? And I believe he answered those. He can be taken down and put in a bad position and controlled for a bit. Also, he scrambled well and stays composed and defends subs well. Rodriguez’s ground game as a whole looked good. He knew when to explode out of positions, and in round three, he dominated Morales on the mat, which is a great feat for a young fighter.

Roque Junior

Going into the tape on Junior, I wasn’t expecting much given the level of Brazilian talent brought in this season—but I came away impressed. He has a 2020 loss to Hugo Paiva, a solid prospect at the time, so there’s no shame there. His more recent loss to veteran Denis Araujo was a fight I thought Junior should’ve won, which means he could realistically be riding a nine-fight win streak with no official losses in the past five years.

Junior is primarily a striker, and he’s got sharp hands. He would benefit from mixing in more kicks and body work instead of relying so heavily on head-hunting, since his attacks can get a bit repetitive. That said, he applies steady pressure, cuts off the cage well, and throws with real intent. Adding more target variety would make him even more dangerous, but he already does a nice job of throwing in volume and working from different angles.

His wrestling and ground game are harder to pin down, though he seems capable of holding his own everywhere. He shows good awareness in scrambles—hitting switches, defending takedowns, and working constantly to stand up when he’s on his back.

Prediction: This should be a fun clash between two skilled strikers. Junior has the edge in raw power, but that’s about it. Rodriguez is the more layered striker—he works the body better, carries more speed, and has the option to mix in takedowns if needed. Junior’s power and Rodriguez’s tendency to get reckless make him live for a big moment, but I lean the other way. I think Rodriguez’s pace and pressure eventually wear Junior down, leading to a late-round TKO.

The post DWCS 2025: Episode 9 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.