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 fourth episode of the new season takes place on Sep. 3 and streams live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.
WW: Seok Hyun Ko (10-2, Team Stun Gun, South Korea) vs. Igor Cavalcanti (9-0, Hikari MMA, Brazil)
FW: Austin Bashi (12-0, Warrior Way Martial Arts, USA) vs. Tommy McMillen (6-0, Team WolfPack, USA)
MW: Will Currie (12-3, Gintas Combat, England) vs. Djorden Santos (9-1, JAB Promotions, Brazil)
WFLY: Shannon Clark (5-0, Canadian Martial Arts Centre, Canada) vs. Yuneisy Duben (5-0, Team Ludus, Venezuela)
LW: Gauge Young (8-1, Ignite MMA Academy, USA) vs. Quillan Salkilld (6-1, Luistro Combat Academy, Australia)
This inclusion on the Contender Series is long overdue for Austin Bashi, who has been a top prospect for several years. Bashi is taking his ascent slowly and carefully, which is smart for a young guy and perhaps why he’s developed so well. He has a menacing ground game complete with strong wrestling and good submissions. His biggest win to date is over fellow prospect Askar Askar, who was once considered for the UFC himself. Look for Bashi to have a coming out party here.
The best fighter is also involved in the best fight on the show. Tommy McMillen has a similar wrestling style and has been very impressive himself thus far in his career. Their similar styles may cancel out and make this an all-out brawl. Both of these guys are UFC caliber guys and I think we see both in the promotion at some point in their careers.
Gauge Young is a guy flying under the radar on this episode that has good potential. He’s just 24 years old and has already looked to be a strong prospect who is well-rounded. He has pro kickboxing experience as well as his nine pro MMA fights. His lone loss is to respected Bellator veteran Bobby Lee, and other than that blemish, he’s been dominant with six finishes in eight wins. He has a very winnable fight in Quillan Sallkild.
Venezuela’s Yuneisy Duben gets the nod on this episode, but she looks to be the biggest long shot on the episode. Not only is she a small 125er, she has a tough task in LFA vet Shannon Clark, a highly touted prospect. Duben, in terms of a prospect, line jumped a ton more qualified flyweight prospects to make this season of the Contender Series. That said, she’s a finisher, but it must be considered that she’s never faced an opponent with a fight on their record. All six of her opponents were 0-0 at the time Duben fought them.
| WW: Seok Hyun Ko vs. Igor Cavalcanti | Cavalcanti |
| FW: Austin Bashi vs. Tommy McMillen | Bashi |
| MW: Will Currie vs. Djorden Santos | Currie |
| WFLY: Shannon Clark vs. Yuneisy Duben | Clark |
| LW: Gauge Young vs. Quillan Salkilld | Young |