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UFC Tampa | Dana White Contender Series Shine
Eleven Dana White’s Contender Series Alumni Take Center Stage This Saturday At UFC Tampa, Making Up Nearly Half Of The Card
Dana White’s Contender Series is where a lot of the next generation of UFC fighters are coming from. In just one night, athletes get the chance to catapult into the world’s number one fighting promotion, potentially changing their lives forever.
Saturday’s card, headlined by Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley, is the UFC’s final event of the year and nearly half of the competitors are graduates from Dana White’s annual series.
Enter Dana White's 16 Days Of Giveaways
Let’s break down the 11 fighters from Dana White’s Contender Series who are featured at UFC Tampa.
Billy Quarantillo
UFC Unfiltered | Joaquin Buckley And Billy Quarantillo Preview UFC Tampa
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UFC Unfiltered | Joaquin Buckley And Billy Quarantillo Preview UFC Tampa
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Born in New York, but training out of Tampa, Florida, is Billy Quarantillo. Since making his UFC debut in December 2019, he’s gone 6-4 inside the Octagon and is coming off a submission loss to Youssef Zalal earlier this year. Despite some inconsistency as of late, Quarantillo is a fan favorite because of the way he finishes fights. With three knockouts and one submission, he’s ended the fight on his own terms in four out of his six wins.
Quarantillo’s first chance at a UFC contract was when he competed on The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber in 2015. He lost in his second bout as a member of Team Faber, but after going 5-1 on the regional circuit, he earned a contract with a knockout victory over Kamuela Kirk in front of Dana White.
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Vitor Petrino
Vitor Petrino will make his third walk to the Octagon this year when he takes on Dustin Jacoby on Saturday. He made his way into the promotion with a knockout win against Rodolfo Bellato on season six in 2022 and has been viewed by many as a top prospect. Petrino’s UFC debut was in March 2023, when he defeated Anton Turkalj by unanimous decision.
During his next three bouts, he finished Marcin Prachnio and Modestas Bukauskas, then topped Tyson Pedro by unanimous decision, which pushed him to 4-0 since joining the UFC. In his last outing, he took a major step up in competition at UFC 301 against Anthony Smith, and the veteran caught Petrino with a first-round guillotine.
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Dustin Jacoby
Dustin Jacoby Finishes Stewart In The 1st Round | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Chikadze
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Dustin Jacoby Finishes Stewart In The 1st Round | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Chikadze
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On the other side of the cage will be Dustin Jacoby. The veteran is 1-4 in his last five, but always presents real danger to his opponents on the feet. Lately, he’s suffered losses to Dominick Reyes, Azamat Murzakanov, and Khalil Rountree Jr., all of whom are ranked contenders at light heavyweight.
Before the age of six, Jacoby was already training taekwondo and wrestling. After a career playing college football as a quarterback, Jacoby went on to compete under Glory, which led to his mixed martial arts career, where he went 9-1 as an amateur. He earned a UFC contract in 2011, but after two quick losses, he was released from the company. For the next eight years, he fought on the regional circuit, Cage Fury FC, World Series of Fighting, and Bellator to fight all the way back to Dana White’s Contender Series.
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Adrian Yanez
At 6-2 in the UFC, Adrian Yanez has proven himself to be a threat at 135 pounds. He punched his ticket to the UFC in 2020 and then proceeded to win in five straight appearances, including four knockouts.
In April 2023, divisional mainstay Rob Font ended Yanez’s streak in a fight where many fans believed the veteran taught the ascending talent a lesson. Following his defeat to Font, he took on Jonathan Martinez later that year, but was finished with brutal leg kicks, resulting in Yanez losing back-to-back fights for the first time in his career. Earlier this year, he got back on the winning side of things with a huge win over Vinicius Salvador and looks to keep it going this weekend.
Daniel Marcos
Taking on Yanez this Saturday during the second contest of the main card is the man from Peru, Daniel Marcos. Unlike many others, Marcos made broke into the UFC despite winning by decision on season six of Dana White’s Contender Series, meaning the boss believed he was supremely talented.
He went 2-0 during his rookie campaign in 2023, with a stoppage win over Saimon Olivera and a split decision victory over Davey Grant. His fight with Aoriqileng in February of this year was deemed a no contest due to an unintentional foul (low blow). Four months later, he moved to 16-0, 1 NC with a unanimous decision win over John Castaneda, and now he gets, by far, his biggest test yet.
Navajo Stirling
Navajo Stirling Fight Week Interview | UFC Tampa
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Navajo Stirling Fight Week Interview | UFC Tampa
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Navajo Striling is the latest City Kickboxing product to earn their way into the UFC. He knocked Phillip Latu out cold with one shot just three months ago at the UFC APEX, and he’s already making his debut to close out the year.
With a coach like Eugene Bareman to learn from, combined with the culture at CKB and having fighters like Israel Adesanya around, Stirling seems destined for greatness. He’s only 5-0 in MMA, but with a kickboxing and Muay Thai background, along with his 6-foot 4 frame, Stirling is certainly someone to keep an eye on.
Sean Woodson
Sean Woodson jumped to the scene following one of the best possible first impressions a fighter can make, with a flying knee knockout against Terrance McKinney. Since then, he’s gone 6-1-1, losing to Julian Erosa in 2020 by submission and drawing with Luis Saldana at UFC 278 in 2022.
“The Sniper” is 6’2 ½ and, at featherweight, that poses as a major problem to just about anyone. He has a phenomenal boxing game to back it up with quick hands and nice footwork. Heading into his fight with Fernando Padilla, Woodson rides a three-fight win streak with wins over Alex Caceres, Charles Jourdain, and Dennis Buzukja.
Miles Johns
Highlight: Miles Johns Scores 3rd-Round Knockout | UFC 265
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Highlight: Miles Johns Scores 3rd-Round Knockout | UFC 265
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The former LFA champion stepped up with high expectations after his Contender Series win versus Richie Santiago. “Chapo” battled some inconsistency within the UFC at first but seems to be turning a corner recently.
Saturday marks his third contest of 2024, where he faces Felipe Lima, who is making just his second appearance with the company. Johns was originally scheduled to face Cody Garbrandt, however the bout was canceled, leading to an opponent change. He’s won two straight for the first time since 2021 and looks to move to 7-2, 1 NC since joining the UFC.
Ramon Tavares
After losing to Serhiy Sidey in his first appearance on the Contender Series by what many thought was a controversial stoppage, Ramon Tavares was awarded a second chance during season seven. He returned about a month later and knocked out Cortavious Romious in the first round to earn his way.
Immediately following, the matchmakers wasted no time to rebook Tavares against Sidey. The rematch took place at UFC 297 and Tavares evened the score at one a piece between them with a split decision victory. Now, he faces veteran Davey Grant, which will give us an idea of where Tavares really stands at bantamweight.
Josefine Knutsson
Out of Stockholm, Sweden, Josefine Knutsson is one of the most intriguing fighters in the strawweight division. She’s undefeated at 8-0 professionally with wins over Julia Polastri and Marnic Mann.
She brings an all-around MMA game with a background in kickboxing, and was a K-1 flyweight Grand Prix finalist in 2019. She competed on both Road To UFC and the Contender Series, where she beat YeDam Seo and Isis Verbeek by unanimous decision, and now finds herself squaring off with Piera Rodriguez to open up the action on the final card of the year.
Piera Rodriguez
After winning on the Contender Series in 2021, Piera Rodriguez began her journey in the Octagon with two straight wins. The former LFA strawweight champion won nine straight to open her career, but last year, Gillian Robertson handed Rodriguez her first loss as a professional.
Rodriguez took about a year off, went back home to Venezuela and spent time healing her body and mind before making the walk again in May of this year. Her return didn’t go as planned, due to her being disqualified because of multiple headbutts. To close out the year, Rodriguez gets a chance to win for the first time in over two years.
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. 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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