Standouts From Dana White's Contender Series, Season 8

The Xtreme Couture-based middleweight closed out the opening week of last season with a second-round stoppage win over Wes Schultz and has gone on to continue validating his status as a must-see prospect in the 185-pound ranks.

FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads

Just a few months after earning his place on the roster, the 27-year-old registered a first-round finish over Duško Todorović to claim his first UFC victory, then followed it up three months later with a second-round stoppage over fellow Class of ’24 member Nick Klein. In June, Abdul-Malik squared off against veteran Cody Brundage in a competitive bout that was ultimately ruled a draw after an accidental clash of heads resulted in the fight being stopped in the third round.

Now 8-0-1 as a professional, and armed with a single-minded focus on studying his craft and improving as a fighter, the former University of Maryland student is poised to be one the top emerging talents in the currently shifting middleweight division for the next 12-18 months.

Jose Miguel Delgado

Before Abdul-Malik impressed to wrap up Week 1, Delgado became the latest member of the MMA Lab to join the UFC roster.

Even before the advent of Dana White’s Contender Series, the Glendale, Arizona fight camp had a reputation for turning out quality prospects, with John Crouch and company helping guide dozens of hopefuls into the rankings over the years, including Benson Henderson, John Moraga, and Jared Cannonier, as well as the bantamweight trio of Mario Bautista, Kyler Phillips, and Marcus McGhee. “Suga” Sean O’Malley was repping The Lab when he kicked in the door on Season 1, and last year, it was Delgado that made a statement.

NEW: UFC Glory Days | Robbie Lawler On Conor McGregor, The Greatest Fight Of All Time, And More

The 27-year-old featherweight stopped Ernie Juarez with a knee to the head 85 seconds into the second round, registering his fifth consecutive victory in the process and earning a spot on the roster. Since then, he’s quickly worked his way to the fringes of the Top 15 in the 145-pound weight class thanks to first-round stoppage wins over Connor Matthews and Hyder Amil.

He’s expected to make his third start of the year this fall, and if he turns in another impressive effort there, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Delgado battling for a spot in the rankings in the opening quarter of 2026.

Marco Tulio

A finishing machine fighting out of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima camp, Tulio is another middleweight member of the Class of ’24 to pay close attention to going forward.

The Brazilian hopeful registered a solid win over Yousri Belgaroui during Season 7, out-working the lanky kickboxer over the course of three rounds, but he failed to come away with a contract. After collecting a stoppage win under the LFA banner in January, he was back in Las Vegas in August, finishing Matthieu Duclos with a multi-strike combination that began with a sharp right hand, progressed into a spinning back kick to the liver, and wrapped with a storm of punches.

The Biggest Winners From Noche UFC 2025

Through his first two UFC starts, “Matuto” has continued his winning and finishing ways, posting consecutive stoppage victories over Ihor Potieria and Tresean Gore to run his winning streak to double digits. He was slated to face Michel Pereira in Shanghai last month before he was forced to withdraw, but the prominent pairing should tell you all you need to know about the upside the UFC sees in the 13-1 standout.

Malcolm Wellmaker

A week after his teammate Cody Haddon punched his ticket to the UFC, Salkilld became the second Luistro Combat Academy representative to graduate to the biggest stage in the sport through Season 8, and the Australian has hit the ground running through his first two trips into the Octagon.

Debuting in February at UFC 312, Salkilld opened the show in Sydney with a 19-second knockout win over Road to UFC tournament winner Anshul Jubli, connecting with a driving right hand just as the broadcast team was explaining how Jubli believed he was the better striker of the two. It was a statement effort straight out of the gates, one that earned the moustachioed lightweight a Performance of the Night bonus, and immediately put him on the radar as a person of interest in the 155-pound weight class.

NOCHE UFC REWIND: Final Results | Lopes' Post-Fight Interview | Who Won Bonuses?

Four months later at UFC 316, the 25-year-old from Perth picked up a unanimous decision win over Yanal Ashmouz in a bout where he started well, and was forced to battle and hang on down the stretch. Though far from the blistering effort submitted in his debut, the gruelling 15-minute battle probably did more for his development than running through Jubli, and showed that Salkilld has the wherewithal to navigate dicey moments deep in fights.

In addition to his exploits in his UFC rookie year, Salkilld is one of those athletes whose pre-UFC resume continues to age well and therefore further bolster his stock. He holds a pair of wins over Dom Mar Fan, who is set to compete in the Road to UFC lightweight finals, and earned his place on the roster with a unanimous decision win over Gauge Young, who has since turned in a pair of solid efforts inside the Octagon.

Navajo Stirling

A member of the City Kickboxing squad from Auckland, Stirling touched down in Las Vegas last fall with just four professional MMA bouts under his belt, looking to join his teammates Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker on the UFC roster. After knocking out Phillip Latu with a sharp left hook midway through the second round, the light heavyweight prospect was awarded a contract, and he wasted little time getting himself into the win column in the UFC.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Kyle Daukaus | The D'Arce Knight Returns

Three months after joining the roster, Stirling ventured to Orlando, Florida and collected a unanimous decision win over Tuco Tokkos in his promotional debut. Then in May, he returned to action in Montreal, getting the better of Ivan Erslan in another three-round tussle that went the distance. Much like with Salkilld, those 15-minute stints in the Octagon are likely going to be huge for Stirling, who is still very much in the learning and development stage of his MMA career, but clearly has a sound foundation and tremendous people around in his corner to help him maximize his talents.

He’s set to make his second appearance of 2025 next week in Perth in a clash with fellow DWCS alum Rodolfo Bellato, which should serve as another measuring stick moment for where the CKB man stands in his development.

Elijah Smith

Here’s one way to stand out in your rookie campaign: deliver a performance that makes everyone immediately think of one of the most iconic finishes in MMA history.

Smith accomplished that feat in his second UFC start, gathering Toshiomi Kazama up as the Japanese fighter locked in a triangle choke off his back and forcibly slamming him to the canvas with a thud, the impact echoing through the UFC APEX and channelling Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s similar finish of Ricardo Arona years ago under the Pride banner.

READ: Updates to UFC Vancouver

The 23-year-old bantamweight is the son of UFC alum Gilbert Smith, who made a pair of appearances on The Ultimate Fighter during his career, and sports a 9-1 record through his first 10 professional appearances having won each of his last seven fights. Prior to powerbombing Kazama in August, “Swift” earned a hard-fought win over veteran Vince Morales in his February debut, which came after he beat Road to UFC flyweight finalist Aaron Tau on the Contender Series to earn his place on the roster.

Like so many of last year’s standout graduates, what really stands out about Smith is the combination of his well-rounded skill set and youth, which affords him plenty of room to keep growing, time to mature as both a fighter and a man, and still have a long runway for potentially enjoying a lengthy career inside the Octagon. If the early returns are any indications, this is only the start of a very long run for Smith in the UFC.

Ateba Gautier

The third middleweight to land on this list, Gautier has made the biggest splash of the bunch since claiming a spot on the roster one year ago with a second-round stoppage win over Yura Naito.

One of the things that makes Dana White’s Contender Series and its graduates so fascinating is that for all the analysis and tape study we can do, you never really know how an athlete is going to look once they step under those lights and into the Octagon. Through two UFC appearances, the 23-year-old from Cameroon has looked like the genuine article.

READ: 2025 Topps NOW | Noche UFC

Gautier made his promotional debut in Mexico City at the end of March, stopping the notoriously durable Jose Daniel Medina with a knee up the middle with just under 90 seconds remaining in the opening round. Less than four months later, he rolled into New Orleans and dispatched Robert Valentin in even quicker fashion, putting away the recent TUF finalist in 70 seconds with a collection of strikes that had Valentin on rubber legs for 45 seconds before the stoppage finally came.

What has stood out the most about Gautier is that despite his obvious athleticism and menacing power, he fights with the poise and patience of a seasoned veteran, which is impressive considering he’s just nine fights into his professional career. He’s penciled in to face Ozzy Diaz at UFC 320 on October 4, and if the Manchester Top Team representative collects another devastating finish, expect to hear more people talking about his infinite upside heading into next year.

Kevin Vallejos

A little more than three months after Vallejos dropped a decision to Jean Silva on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, he was back in the cage collecting a third-round stoppage win to successfully defend his Samurai Fight House featherweight title for the third time. Less than three months later, he picked up another finish and another successful title defense, cementing his place as a contestant on Season 8.

Back in Las Vegas for the second straight year, “El Chino” clobbered then-unbeaten prospect Cam Teague, cementing his standing as a standout prospect in the 145-pound weight class, and since matriculating to the Octagon, he’s continued showing his promise.

How To Watch Season 9 Of Dana White's Contender Series

In his March debut, the 23-year-old stopped veteran SeungWoo Choi in a touch over three minutes, rocking him with an overhand right before chasing him to the canvas with follow-up blows to close things out. Then in August, Vallejos successfully navigated a challenging paring with fellow DWCS alum Danny Silva on a night where all five Argentinian athletes on the UFC roster were in the building.

Now 16-1 as a professional and riding a five-fight winning streak, Vallejos has room to grow and should be afforded the opportunity to do so in the talent-rich featherweight ranks, but continued success could certainly accelerate his climb up the division ladder.

Alexia Thainara

Thainara will make her second UFC appearance one year and three days after earning her contract when she steps in with ranked strawweight Loma Lookboonmee in Perth next week. It’s an immediate litmus test for the promotional neophyte, but one that is justified based on her track record and debut showing earlier this year.

The 27-year-old Brazilian was won 10 straight, with her lone professional loss coming nearly six years ago in her third start, which came against UFC staple Bruna Brasil. Since then, “Burguesinha” has run through the competition, including registering a submission win over future UFC contemporary Rayanne Dos Santos and claiming her spot on the roster by bouncing Rose Conceicao from the ranks of the unbeaten.

WATCH: UFC Unfiltered | Alden Coria, Teddy Atlas & Noche UFC Recap

She made her first trek into the Octagon in March, venturing to London to face Molly McCann, where she grooved her way to the cage, submitted the beloved Scouser in the first round, and instantly announced her presence as an emerging threat in the 115-pound weight division. Some debutants look bewildered or hesitant when they make that first UFC start, but Thainara was loving life and looked like she’d been competing at this level for quite some time.

Her bout next week in Perth is definitely one to play close attention to and will tell us a great deal about where she stands in the division.

David Martinez

Martinez was already a must-add member of this group after his first UFC appearance, but coming off a massive victory in his sophomore showing last weekend at Noche UFC, he's cemented his standing as one of the standouts from Season 8.

The younger brother of UFC strawweight Melissa Martinez, the 27-year-old bantamweight had a strong run under the Combate Global banner heading into his DWCS appearance last year, posting an 8-1 mark with the promotion that included six finishes, a win over UFC vet Francisco Rivera Jr., and a split decision loss to game veteran Gianni Vasquez. His performance inside UFC APEX last fall was solid, as he thoroughly out-worked Xavier Franklin to earn a contract, but it’s been his efforts since that have really elevated his stock.

Watch David Martinez's Octagon Interview At Noche UFC

Paired off with Saimon Oliveira in Mexico City for his promotional debut, Martinez dispatched the Brazilian in the waning moments of the first round, running his winning streak to eight. And then last week, he stepped up to face Top 15 fixture Rob Font on short notice in San Antonio, registering a unanimous decision win over the divisional mainstay to claim a spot in the rankings.

Few athletes claim a number next to their name that quickly, and it’s even harder to do in a division like bantamweight, which tells you all you need to know about Martinez and why you need to keep paying close attention to him going forward.

Jacobe Smith

Everyone is always on the lookout for the next emerging heavyweight and Pinto could very well be that man.

The Portuguese big man carried an 8-0 record into his DWCS appearance last October, where he promptly stopped fellow unbeaten Lucas Camacho in less than two minutes to impress the UFC President and earn a contact. He debuted on March 1 against Austen Lane, and after a shaky first round where the former NFL defensive lineman had some success, Pinto planted a right hook on his chin 39 seconds into the second to halt the action and push his winning streak to double digits.

HIGHLIGHTS: Greatest Finishes | Noche UFC: Silva vs Lopes

What stood out to me most from speaking with Pinto ahead of his debut is how sharp he is about the ins and outs of the fight game, understanding straight away what life is like as a heavyweight prospect and that he needs to take things step-by-step, despite carrying the same “get to the top” ambition as everyone else that crosses the threshold into the UFC cage. That wisdom, combined with his size, obvious talents, and the strong team he has around him makes the 27-year-old someone to keep close tabs on in the heavyweight ranks.

He’s slated to return to action on October 11 in Rio de Janeiro against Jhonata Diniz, and another strong effort there will surely test his willingness to continue taking things slowly.

Islam Dulatov

Dulatov lost the first fight of his career, and has since rattled off a dozen consecutive victories, all of them by stoppage, including his DWCS appearance and promotional debut in July. Coupled with the fact that he’s modeled for Versace and many other massive brands, it’s easy to understand why the Chechen-born welterweight fighting out of Dusseldorf, Germany has emerged as someone plenty of people are excited about in the 170-pound weight class.

As much as I absolutely adhere to the “you can only beat the people they put in front of you” adage, there are — like everything in life — degrees to these things, and beating all of them in devastating fashion is certainly different than eking out wins. The 27-year-old has consistently done the latter, venturing into the second round just once in his career, and exhibiting an outstanding ability to manufacture finishing opportunities and capitalizing on them.

UFC 321 PRE-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Tom Aspinall | Ciryl Gane

In his DWCS appearance last fall, Dulatov switched from throwing punches to hitting Vanilto Antunes with a thudding elbow that instantly put the Brazilian on the canvas and halted the action. Against Adam Fugitt in his debut at UFC 318, “The Ripper” was patient and poised before dropping the veteran from the Pacific Northwest with a short left hook and immediately pounding out the finish with nasty, pinpoint hammerfists.

On top of all this, Dulatov has tremendous size for the division, standing six-foot-three with a 75-inch reach, and he does his training camps at American Top Team, so you know he’s getting outstanding coaching and reps every time he’s in the gym.

Jonathan Micallef

The third member of this class set to compete next week, Micallef might be the least hyped of the bunch, but all of that will surely change if he’s able to defeat popular Welshman Oban Elliott in Perth.

Micallef showcased his skilled ground game while locking up Mohamed Ado last season to secure his contract, putting the unbeaten Canadian prospect in precarious positions from the outset before putting him to sleep with a triangle choke three minutes and a tick into the contest. As a follow up, he faced off with Kevin Jousset in Sydney at UFC 312, getting the better of the City Kickboxing man in a fight largely contested on the feet to collect his first UFC victory and push his record to 8-1 overall.

Get Your Tickets For UFC Perth

“The Captain” profiles as one of these next-gen fighters that is solid everywhere and simply needs more experience in order to fully suss out their skill sets. It’s impossible to get a steady read on where their talents rest or to accurately forecast how things could shake out for them in the short and long term because each time out, they show you a little more and make you reset your expectations.

As such, it’s better to just sit back, watch, and assess from there.

Next weekend’s pairing with Elliott is a great test, especially with “The Welsh Gangster” coming off a frustrating setback in Baku, Azerbaijan earlier this year.