Athletes
Ateba Gautier | DWCS Grad Showcase
Highlighting Fighters Who Made Their Mark On Dana White’s Contender Series And Have Continued To Impress In The UFC
Dana White’s Contender Series is a proven a launching pad for rising UFC stars, offering fighters the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the UFC CEO.
With one chance to make an impression, DWCS fighters can earn a UFC contract based solely on their performance that night if White believes they have what it takes to compete with UFC talent.
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In this series, we showcase DWCS grads who have continued to shine since earning their UFC contract on the show. Next up: one of Season 8’s standouts, Ateba Gaautier, who will make his fourth official walk to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett.
Ateba Gautier
It has been smooth sailing for Cameroonian middleweight Ateba Gautier since his arrival in the UFC last March. The 23-year-old first made a name for himself in 2024 on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, finishing Yura Naito with an onslaught of ground-and-pound strikes in the second round to close the show.
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Upon entering the UFC, tougher competition is expected, and it often takes a fight or two for a young prospect to find their footing inside the Octagon. For Gautier, it took no time at all.
His 2025 campaign featured three fights and three first-round knockouts over a 7-month stretch, each performance as dominant as the last.
In his UFC debut, Gautier looked as if he were competing in his 30th professional bout. For the opening few minutes, he stalked Jose Daniel Medina around the Octagon, patiently finding his range and biding his time. With a minute-and-a-half remaining in the round, Gautier backed Medina up along the fence and unleashed a flurry of hooks, capped with a knee up the middle that sent the durable Medina crashing to the canvas.
Four months later at UFC 318, Gautier was matched up with The Ultimate Fighter season 32 finalist Robert Valentin. Unlike his debut, where it took a few minutes to land his power shots, Gautier had Valentin retreating within 20 seconds. Once Valentin’s back touched the cage, Gautier went to work, landing one punishing strike after another. To Valentin’s credit, he absorbed much of the punishment well, but Gautier’s relentless pressure was far too much to overcome. After a second knockdown, referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
The trend continued in October against short-notice opponent Tre’ston Vines, who made his UFC debut filling in for Ozzy Diaz. It was a difficult assignment for the 29-year-old American, who met the same fate as Gautier’s first two UFC opponents. Ninety seconds into the opening round, the two clinched along the fence, and Gautier landed a series of short elbows before dumping Vines to the mat. A few follow-up strikes later, the fight was over.
Fighters On The Rise | UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett
It was about as strong of a first year in the UFC as one could have, and Gautier will look to carry that momentum into the promotion’s first event of the Paramount+ era. He is set to face fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Andrey Pulyaev at UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett. Pulyaev is 1-1 in the UFC since earning his contract in August 2024, most recently earning a second-round stoppage of Nick Klein last August.
UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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