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 final episode of the new season takes place on Oct. 15 and streams live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.
MW: Heraldo Souza (9-1-1, Evolucao Thai, Brazil) vs. Nick Klein (5-1, Pura Vida MMA, USA)
FLY: Luis Gurule (9-0, Elevation Fight Team, USA) vs. Nick Piccininni (7-0, Fortis MMA, USA)
FW: Antonio Monteiro (17-4-1, Nova Uniao, Brazil) vs. Yadier DelValle (7-0, Gracie Barra, Cuba/USA)
WSW: Julieta Martinez (7-0, Brazilian Fight, Argentina) vs. Leslie Hernandez (4-1, MMA Lab, USA)
WW: Jonathan Micallef (6-1, Combat 1 MMA, Australia) vs. Mo Ado (5-0, 613 Fight Factory, Canada)
It’s hard to pick the best fighter on this episode between Luis Gurule and Nick Piccininni, who coincidentally will be fighting each other. We saw Piccininni earlier this season, who won a questionable decision over Jack Duffy. He was to fight Duffy on this episode again, but Duffy unfortunately pulled out of the fight. That means Gurule, who just fought for Fury FC and makes a quick turnaround, is taking this fight on extremely short notice. Both of these guys are UFC quality and lead this episode that isn’t the heaviest on UFC-ready talent.
For a striker’s delight, look no further than the women’s bout for the evening between American Leslie Hernandez and Argentinian Julieta Martinez. Hernandez has a striking heavy style, specifically more boxing than anything. She has good movement and hand combos that rack up damage. Martinez, who is just 20, has more of a kickboxing style, as she has a background in taekwondo. She has good kicks, but also has solid grappling if need to be. If this stays on the feet, this should be a good one.
Despite being the most experienced fighter on this episode, Brazil’s Antonio Monteiro looks to be an underrated guy nobody is talking about for this episode. He is set to face a top Fury FC prospect in Yadier DelValle, who despite being less experienced than Monteiro has more hype. Monteiro is a Nova Uniao rep, a top gym south of the equator. His last three wins come over opponents with combined records of 60-29-2. His last loss was a contentious split decision. I don’t think this is a guy to sleep on.
Australia’s Jonathan Micallef has been a solid finisher thus far in his career, but he’s entering the Contender Series having one his first fight since his first loss. That loss was a fourth round TKO at the hands of Aldin Bates, who hasn’t hit the prospect radar yet. That said, his most recent win over Matt Vaile, which was a month before this fight, was a solid victory over a respected journeyman in the region. Out of everyone on this episode, he seems to be the longshot, though he’s taking on a less experienced pro in Mo Ado, who has looked solid thus far in his short career.
| MW: Heraldo Souza vs. Nick Klein | Souza |
| FLY: Luis Gurule vs. Nick Piccininni | Piccininni |
| FW: Antonio Monteiro vs. Yadier DelValle | Monteiro |
| WSW: Julieta Martinez vs. Leslie Hernandez | Hernandez |
| WW: Jonathan Micallef vs. Mo Ado | Ado |