Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series delivered another brilliant night of entertainment at Meta APEX, as six fighters earned UFC contracts from UFC President and CEO Dana White, who visited with the media at the post-fight press conference.
Here are the key talking points from his session at the dais:
After another spectacular night of Tuesday night fights, White’s stint at the dais started with him sharing his instant reaction to what had just played out at Meta APEX.
READ: Meet The Newest Signees To The UFC
“Yeah, it was incredible,” he said. “I mean, I don't even know what to say about it. It was great. I mean, we, you know, I knew like halfway through the second round that I wanted both guys. I was like, I hope this goes to a third round; I want both those guys in the UFC. I was just taking Alvi, and Sean goes, ‘No, I want Jaden Ortega, too.’ I said, ‘Beautiful! Love it!’”
England’s Callum Connor battled all the way to the scorecards with Peruvian slugger Piero Guaylupo, and despite coming out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision verdict, he still did enough in defeat to earn a UFC contract from White, who explained his reasoning for signing the 8-1 lightweight.
“This is the Contender Series, but that could be up for Fight of the Year,” he said. “I mean, two undefeated guys, both coming forward. Both guys really wanted to win. The shots that they were getting hit with… and it was awesome. I said, ‘I don't want that guy fighting anywhere else. I want that guy fighting here.’”
On a night where so many fighters delivered eye-catching performances, White was asked if he could highlight the one athlete whose display impressed him the most.
WELCOME TO THE UFC 🤩
— UFC (@ufc) September 23, 2026
Alvi Dasuyev, Jaden Ortega, Marcos Degli, Piero Guaylupo, Callum Connor, & Damian Piwowarczyk earn UFC contracts!
[ B2YB @TotalWireless ] pic.twitter.com/LsbmNJCoIy
“Probably Piero [Guaylupo], because he's 21 years old,” he said. "To be that young and have the fight IQ – he's got everything. The kid's got literally everything. And he's 13-0 at 21 years old. That's insane. He's going to be fun to watch.”
The main event saw highly-rated European middleweight Norbert Novenyi Jr. defeat Theo Haig by decision after a grueling, wrestle-heavy battle. After a night packed with back-and-forth wars and spectacular performances, it led to White opting to pass on Novenyi, with the UFC boss admitting he didn’t enjoy the action in the featured bout.
Get Tickets To Watch DWCS Live In Las Vegas
“I didn't like the fight,” he said. They're both tough guys. Both got great records. And just let me tell you what, you don’t want to be the f****** main event on this f****** card tonight, and go out and fight that fight that they fought. I mean, it's just, you know, you're not getting signed.”
Despite being disappointed with how the featured bout played out, White said that Novenyi was still young enough, and talented enough, to bounce back from the disappointment of not getting a contract on the night and potentially make it into the UFC further down the line.
“Listen, the guy's 11-1, and he's only 25 years old. It's not like this guy's pushing 30 or in his 30s,” he said. “He’s got time. He's got a great record. He's obviously talented, and he came in at almost a 5/1 favorite tonight. So, yeah, it just didn't work out for him tonight.”
White was asked about Gable Steveson’s shock knockout loss in the opening seconds of his bout with Sean Sharaf at UFC 331.
“He lost. People lose. It happens,” said White. “He was a huge favorite, and he lost. It's not like we come back on Tuesday and go, ‘Oh, that's the end of him,’ you know what I mean? People lose. It happens, and if he believes that he's going to come back, then he will.”
He also reflected on the fan reaction to Steveson, with the Los Angeles crowd booing the former Olympic gold medalist when he left the cage before the official result was announced.
ICYMI: Gane-Hokit, Harrison-Nunes Headline UFC 334 In New York City
“Our fans, man. They know who they like and who they don't, and our fans are so educated,” he said. “It's like if a guy on the first prelim of the night doesn't make weight, when he comes out for the ceremonial, they start booing him. Our fans are dialed in on that s***, man. They know they know what they like and what they don't.”
White was also asked about recent comments from Andy Foster of the California State Athletic Commission, who said he would like to amend the Unified Rules of MMA to make oblique kicks to the knee an illegal technique.
“Listen, he's the most powerful guy in the commission anywhere in the world, and he's the best. And yeah, we don't disagree.”
White was asked if he had an update on former WWE superstar and MMA fighter Jake Hager, who sustained an eye injury during a recent Power Slap event.
“He went into emergency surgery that night, and then we're sending him to a specialist down in Miami,” said White. “There's lots of unfortunate things that happen in combat sports. Those two kids that couldn't stay here tonight and are in the hospital. I mean, it's a contact sport. It happens.
“What you do is you make sure that you do all the proper medical testing before the fight. You have the right guys there during the fight, and you take care of these kids after the fight. It's the biggest priority for me, other than having great fights. The only thing I really give a s*** about is that these kids are all safe and healthy.”
White later said former UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett was a “fun” addition to the Power Slap roster, before talking about the tactic of staging Power Slap events around college football weekends.
“I don't know if you were there or if you saw it, but following college football around is the thing to do,” he said. “The night before college football, there's nothing going on. If you've ever been to Notre Dame, I mean, there's literally nothing up there the night before. So yeah, that's the future for Power Slap.”
