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 eighth episode of the new season takes place on Oct. 1 and streams live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.
FW: Alberto Montes (9-1, The GOAT Shed, Venezuela) vs. Carlos Calderon (6-2, Elevation Fight Team, USA)
MW: Torrez Finney (9-0, Agoge Combatives, USA) vs. Abdellah er-Ramy (7-1, Rebel Pride, Spain)
BW: David Martinez (10-1, Bonebreakers MMA, Mexico) vs. Xavier Franklin (5-0, George’s MMA, United States)
LHW: Diyar Nurgozhay (9-0, Arlan MMA Pro Team, Kazakhstan) vs. Bartosz Szewczyk (8-2-1, Ankos MMA, Poland)
WW: Christien Savoie (10-1-1, House of Champions MMA, Canada) vs. Jacobe Smith (8-0, Fortis MMA, USA)
A wrestler from Oklahoma St., Jacobe Smith is one of the best welterweight prospects not currently in the UFC. In fact, he and Austin Bashi might be the two best prospects on this season of the Contender Series. Obviously, Smith’s grappling is top notch and is hard to deal with. Couple that with natural athleticism and power, as well as developing striking under Fortis MMA’s banner, and you have yourself a real problem at 170 pounds. He takes on the experienced Christien Savoie, which will be a solid test for him to earn that UFC contract.
The bantamweights are likely to steal the show yet again, as Mexico’s David Martinez meets American Xavier Franklin. Martinez is one of the best prospects on the season as a former Combate Global Champion with a well-rounded game that includes impressive striking. Franklin has no problem banging on the feet as well, though he has the edge in the wrestling game. This should be a fun chess match that will eventually turn into a fire fight.
Speaking of Franklin, he is a guy on this card that is probably among the lesser known, but he’s actually a solid prospect. In addition to having a flashy personality, Franklin is a very good athlete with strong wrestling and good striking. He has dominated his pro career thus far, though his current opponent, the aforementioned David Martinez, is far and away his biggest test to date.
On what appears to be a week’s notice, Elevation Fight Team’s Carlos Calderon gets the call to the Contender Series, which means he has a tall mountain to climb. That’s especially the case against a strong, aggressive fighter like Alberto Montes. The Combate veteran has won two straight, but that reversed a two-fight skid, including one fight where he was choked out in the first round by Motaz Askar. His wins come against inexperienced and below-average fighters, so he has a lot to prove taking on a somebody who is already proven in Montes.
| FW: Alberto Montes vs. Carlos Calderon | Montes |
| MW: Torrez Finney vs. Abdellah er-Ramy | Finney |
| BW: David Martinez vs. Xavier Franklin | Martinez |
| LHW: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Bartosz Szewczyk | Nurgozhay |
| WW: Christien Savoie vs. Jacobe Smith | Smith |