Dana White’s Contender Series is back for its 10th season.
The show, which airs on its home on Paramount+, 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 third episode of the new season takes place on Aug. 25 and airs live on Paramount+ starting at 7 p.m. ET.
WBW: Bella Mir (4-0, Syndicate MMA, United States) vs. Alex Apodaca (3-1, FactoryX Muay Thai, United States)
This week’s main event is a definite showcase fight for Bella Mir, a Zuffa-sponsored fighter for several years with a family legacy and high-level amateur wrestling/jiu-jitsu. This is really Mir’s fight to lose. While Alex Apodaca is a tough fighter with a good camp behind her, she stylistically does not match up well with a fighter of Mir’s background.
MW: Carlos Petruzella (15-1, Brothers of Life MMA, Argentina) vs. Nick Galanti (7-1, Dante Rivera BJJ, United States)
We have a traditional striker vs. grappler match here. The striker is Carlos Petruzella, an experienced mixed martial artist who has to prove himself against UFC-level talent here. The grappler is Nick Galanti, a wrestler and Dante Rivera jiu-jitsu acolyte who isn’t going to want Petruzella to get moving on the feet. Whoever imposes their game plan soonest wins this one.
HW: Mario Piazzon (10-1, Galpao da Luta, Brazil) vs. Guilherme Uriel (7-2, Evolution Combat MMA, Brazil)
In one of the biggest head-scratchers of the season, we get this heavyweight fight between Mario Piazzon and Guilherme Uriel. Uriel, likely the better of the two, is best known for getting tagged up by Josh Hokit last season, which may be why he’s been given a second chance, given that Hokit has quickly sailed up the heavyweight rankings. As for Piazzon, he won a dubious DQ a couple of years ago on the Contender Series and was knocked out by a sub-.500 journeyman recently in Brazil. This one has 2012 Bellator heavyweight prelims written all over it.
WW: Gary Balletto Jr. (11-3, Tri-Force MMA, United States) vs. Sean Clancy Jr. (8-0, Higher Level Martial Arts, Scotland)
In a battle of “juniors,” we get two regional champions squaring off. The flashier of the two prospects is Sean Clancy Jr., a good boxer and grappler who holds the respected Cage Warriors belt. He’s one of the prospects on this season that scouts are most looking forward to. Gary Balletto Jr. is a tough East Coast fighter who isn’t going to make it easy. He’s experienced and battle-tested.
As stated, he is one of the favorite prospects on the entire season and for good reason. He’s well-rounded, has a good strength of schedule already and finishes impressively. He’s a future top-25 welterweight at the very least.
This episode doesn’t really possess the best matchups that are going to lead to insane fights. That said, given the skill of Clancy and the toughness of Balletto, I think you could see some really good moments in this fight of two warriors getting after it. This fight has the best chance of being good.
WW: Alexis Miranda (9-2, Entram Gym, Mexico) vs. Ronald Humphrey (4-0, American Top Team, United States)
The least experienced fighter this season kicks off the card in what will be a big test for Ronald Humphrey. The American Top Team rep is a physical beast and is known for quickly hurting guys with his striking or ground-and-pound and putting them away. Alexis Miranda is a bit of a wild card here, as he’s more experienced and reps a good gym in Mexico, but could be susceptible to Humphrey’s power and wrestling.
Ronald Humphrey is only 4-0, and I still think he is a favorite to win his fight by a decent margin. Because of his lack of pro experience, he’s a guy some may sleep on, but I think he could be a guy that comes out in a major way in this fight.
I stated in his fight preview that he got knocked out cold by a sub-.500 journeyman recently. Piazzon is not UFC-level, and it will show here.
| Fight Pick | Prediction |
|---|---|
| WBW: Bella Mir vs. Alex Apodaca | Mir |
| MW: Carlos Petruzella vs. Nick Galanti | Galanti |
| HW: Mario Piazzon vs. Guilherme Uriel | Uriel |
| WW: Gary Balletto Jr. vs. Sean Clancy Jr. | Clancy |
| WW: Alexis Miranda vs. Ronald Humphrey | Humphrey |