Dana White’s Contender Series is back for its ninth season. Last night was the first episode of the season, so let’s look at each fight’s aftermath and make some observations from last night.
- Yuri Panferov def. Chris Ewert: I am not always correct, but I am going to point out a couple things here. I thought that Chris Ewert was the lowest or second-lowest fighter on this card when it came to talent. There were six middleweights on this episode and the UFC thought to bring him (of all of those middleweights) for a late-notice UFC bout. When he couldn’t get anywhere near weight, they brought him back to his original Contender Series bout to try and earn that UFC contract. From there, he was then the oddsmaker’s favorite to beat Yuri Panferov here. He was outstruck by Panferov and showed the takedown defense of a bar stool. I could have told you exactly how this fight was going to go when it was announced. What was everyone seeing in this guy that I was missing?
- Radley da Silva def. George Mangos: Was this fight boring? Absolutely. But sometimes, you have to expect that from the closest matchup on this episode. Mangos is 21, so he’s got plenty of time, and da Silva won despite a performance that was anything but inspiring. Some fights are bad because they are sloppy or insanely low level. Neither of these guys are low level. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of these guys make the UFC at some point.
- Baysangur Susurkaev def. Murtaza Talha: Susurkaev was somehow a late replacement (as opposed to being on the DWCS roster outright) despite being the best fighter on this card on paper. He proved it in practice. That’s the full commentary here.
- Ty Miller def. Jimmy Drago: There’s a lot to say about Jimmy Drago’s toughness and the top-notch boxing possessed by Ty Miller. To be honest, while Miller’s performance was solid and he showed off some great skills, I am a little surprised he got a contract. I figured given that was his sixth pro fight, perhaps Dana would heap praise and give him a “developmental deal” where he gets a prominent spot on an LFA or Fury card. Either that, or have him compete on one of the last couple episodes of DWCS this year. Perhaps him being on crutches after his fight put the kabosh on that. Either way, I have no problem with the signing, but would like him to develop more, especially given his young age.
- Ilian Bouafia def. Neemias Santana: This was the worst fight in recent DWCS history. Hard to blame Bouafia as that headbutt was pretty brutal. That said, Bouafia didn’t engage, nor did Santana who only wanted to engage as a counter-striker, so didn’t do much of anything. Side note: that blatant headbutt either needs to be a DQ (I am sure Bouafia wouldn’t want that because it would likely mean no contract) or needs to be two point deduction, minimum. Also, yes, that should have been a draw on the judge’s scorecards. Brutal night for all involved.