Dana White’s Contender Series 57 Results

Dana White’s Contender Sequence, a staple tv program in recent times for the UFC, makes its long-awaited return tonight for its 57th installment, and first in what must be an epic seventh season.

Over the subsequent 10 weeks, 100 fighters will compete for a spot within the UFC with weekly fights below the unified rule set. Nevertheless, the onus can be on the fighters to not solely safe victories, however impress UFC President Dana White, who will welcome a choose few winners into the promotion on the finish of each episode.

A brand new season of #DWCS begins TONIGHT!

LIVE at 7pmET / 4pmPT on @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/DFw4aLsaOJ

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2023

This week’s episode of DWCS is ready to get underway at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and may be streamed on ESPN+.

Almeida vs. Fernando

Brazilians will take high billing in the principle occasion of the primary DWCS of 2023. César Almeida and Lucas Fernando are two proficient middleweight prospects who might have a future within the UFC no matter the results of their battle. Almeida is 3-0 in MMA, however has not competed since 2021 as he moonlights in skilled kickboxing. As a kickboxer, Almeida is 3-4. He has fought Alex Pereira thrice and even beat him as soon as, necessitating his inclusion on DWCS. Pereira’s path to the UFC was related, in any case, and he went on to develop into the UFC middleweight champion.

Fernando, in the meantime, is a special type of puzzle to resolve. At 6-foot-3, Fernando is huge for the middleweight division. A winner in 9 of his first 10 fights, he has additionally proven a capability to make use of his attain successfully and play to the weaknesses of his opponents. Whereas Almeida was initially scheduled to compete in LFA earlier this yr, Fernando truly has competed in LFA, holding a 4-0 document towards fighters with a mixed document of 37-7. It actually looks as if his battle to lose, however Almeida’s fight sports activities expertise can’t be discounted.

Nolan vs. Grad

The co-main occasion of this week’s episode can be a striker’s delight as Tom Nolan battles Bogdan Grad within the light-weight division. Nolan trains out of the Staff Compton Coaching Centre in Brisbane, Australia, and is 5-0 as an expert. He additionally lately stop his job to coach full-time as his prospects have come collectively in latest months. His aggressive type has led to a few consecutive finishes, and he’ll look to earn a fourth towards one other proficient striker in Austria’s Grad.

Dana White’s Contender Sequence is again TONIGHT‼️

This is how one can watch the thrilling kickoff to the seventh season of #DWCS ⤵️ https://t.co/DLsTON1YHl

— UFC Information (@UFCNews) August 8, 2023

Regardless of coaching out of Europe, Grad by no means competed in any of the highest European-based promotions. That mentioned, he has misplaced simply as soon as in a 12-fight profession and boasts one high quality the UFC loves of their fighters: ending skill. Grad has knocked out or submitted his opponent in 9 out of 11 wins, and all of these finishes have come throughout the first two rounds. His lone defeat got here on the judges’ scorecards, so Nolan’s greatest likelihood for victory can be to assault his opponent dynamically and a minimum of tease the takedown to get Grad to drop his palms and open issues up on the ft.

Machado vs. Szaflarski

An fascinating matchup will happen in the course of the cardboard, when Brazil’s Caio Machado meets unbeaten Polish heavyweight Kevin Szaflarski. Szaflarski has by no means misplaced, however is coming off an enormous layoff, having not fought since Might 2022. Previous to that, he had not fought since February 2021, so whereas he has proven a capability to shake off the rust, the shortage of exercise is a trigger for concern.

He’ll look to make his mark towards Machado, a sport fighter who trains out of Franco Kickboxing Pankration in Vancouver, B.C. Machado has competed solely in Canadian regional promotion Battlefield Battle League (BFL), and has been on a roll as of late with six straight wins, the final two of which have come by armbar. Making it three-consecutive armbars can be a tall process towards Szalflarski, who boasts an all-around skillset and fills out his heavyweight body. Nevertheless, Szalflarski additionally lacks anybody spectacular attribute about his sport and Machado might pose issues if he will get high place.

Talbott vs. Cortez

One of the crucial anticipated fights on the present needs to be Payton Talbott taking up Reyes Cortez at 135 kilos. The winner will seemingly be inserted into maybe probably the most expertise laden division within the sport, however each have all of the instruments to place collectively lengthy, profitable UFC careers. “Junior” Cortez is the older brother of UFC flyweight contender Tracy Cortez, and has appeared on the present previously. He received a tricky draw with future coaching associate Christian Rodriguez when he appeared on the present two years in the past, and has since received fights in dominant vogue in 2022 and 2023.

Talbott is the extra “projectable” prospect of the 2, boasting a number of bodily benefits that can be robust to deal with. At 5-foot-10, Talbott is huge for the bantamweight division, and combines his dimension with fight-breaking pace on the ft, just like Sean O’Malley. Nevertheless, whereas he has by no means misplaced as an expert, Talbott has solely 5 fights to his identify. He slowed down considerably earlier than stopping Cristhian Rivas within the third spherical at a latest Urijah Faber’s A-1 Fight occasion, with Rivas too broken and exhausted himself to totally take benefit.

If Cortez can climate the early storm, he has the pedigree to push Talbott to his limits and punch his ticket to the UFC, becoming a member of his sister within the course of. Nevertheless, the Talbott hype prepare might go away the station if he can end Cortez impressively. There isn’t any manner Dana White isn’t going to like every thing he brings to the desk.

Borjas vs. Dias

Kevin Borjas, 8-1 as an expert, was initially set to tackle Joshua Van earlier than Van was pulled from the battle to tackle Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville. Van proved his value in that battle, and Borjas will now look to do the identical towards 11-2 Dias.

Regardless of their information, each fighters are comparatively unproven, making DWCS an optimum proving floor for each. Borjas competes on the Peruvian regional scene, which has solely lately begun to provide legit MMA prospects. The overall degree of expertise on the scene is skinny in comparison with North American and European regional promotions, however the high Peruvian prospects have to date confirmed worthy of the massive stage. Claudio Puelles has had some success within the UFC, and the success Jesus Pinedo has seen the present PFL season give loads of hope to the prospects of Peru.

Dias has confirmed to be a submission machine with six submissions in 11 profession wins. He too has not fought an extremely robust power of schedule thus far, however has the good thing about having competed in Titan FC, a superb proving floor for fighters based mostly within the Southeast United States and the Caribbean.