Dana White’s Contender Series is back for its eighth season.
The show, which continues on its home on ESPN+, aims to give top prospects a chance to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn a contract with the company. The show’s second episode of the new season takes place on August 20 and streams live on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET.
WW: Andreas Gustafsson (10-2, Vasteras Fight Club, Sweden) vs. Pat Pytlik (9-1, Hayabusa Training Centre, Canada)
HW: Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1, Gorets Fight Team, Russia) vs. Hugo Cunha (8-1, Tata Fight Team, Brazil)
FW: Michael Imperato (12-6, Tap Star, Canada) vs. Cortavious Romious (8-2, Pura Vida MMA, USA)
MW: Cam Rowston (8-2, Training Grounds, Australia) vs. Torrez Finney (8-0, Agoge Combatives, USA)
BW: Cody Haddon (6-1, Luistro Combat Academy, Australia) vs. Billy Brand (5-1, MMA Gold Fight Team, United States)
In terms of fighters most UFC-ready now, it’s hard to argue Torrez Finney is not that guy on this episode. Finney, already a winner of a Contender Series bout last year, did not get a contract and returned to the regional scene. His most recent bout saw him absolutely nuke Tyson Jeffries’ chin in highlight reel fashion, getting him this second opportunity on the Contender Series. He’s a short middleweight, but he’s built like a tank, athletic, explosive and well-rounded. He’s going to give Cam Rowston all he can handle.
The banger of this episode should be the bantamweight bout between top Australian prospect Cody Haddon and blue-collared banger Billy Brand. Both are guys that don’t like to take a step back in the cage, which is while this one will be nuts. Brand has a strong Muay Thai/kickboxing style and Haddon is no stranger to getting into dogfights on the feet. This one should have Dana and co. on their feet by the end of the fight.
Some years ago, Michael Imperato was linked to a report that he had or was close to signing a contract with the UFC. Something happened and Imperato never joined the organization, relegating himself to fighting mostly in the Canadian regional scene. Whatever the circumstances, a second chance has come Imperato’s way after scoring a major submission upset in under a minute over veteran Ricky Bandejas at Unified MMA. It just so happened that Dana White was doing an episode of “Dana White: Looking for a Fight” at that event, so obviously that upset win got Imperato a look on this season of DWCS. It should be interesting to see what Imperato does with this opportunity, so keep an eye on this under-the-radar fighter.
Opposite of Imperator is Cortavious Romious, another fighter that is getting a second chance on the Contender Series this year. Last year, Romious took a late-notice fight with Ramon Tavares, where Ramious was quickly knocked out. He since then has won a fight, which has what got him back on this season of the Contender Series, but I think in terms of tools for the UFC, he may be the furthest off of the bunch on this episode. He should have a somewhat competitive fight with the aforementioned Imperato.
| WW: Andreas Gustafsson vs. Pat Pytlik | Gustafsson |
| HW: Rizvan Kuniev vs. Hugo Cunha | Kuniev |
| FW: Michael Imperato vs. Cortavious Romious | Imperato |
| MW: Cam Rowston vs. Torrez Finney | Finney |
| BW: Cody Hasson vs. Billy Brand | Haddon |