Week 3 Preview | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 10

Fighting out of Denver, Colorado, Apodaca dropped her pro debut in early 2024 but has won three straight since, all by unanimous decision. Being in “The Mile High City” means an opportunity to train with a wealth of top-end talents at several different standout gyms, so expect Apodaca to be fully prepared and dialed in to make the most of the opportunity before her this week in Las Vegas.

PRE-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Bella Mir | Alex Apodaca 

Fights like this are always fascinating because expectations are sky high for the 23-year-old Mir. She’s handled everything with aplomb thus far and keeps crossing off the goals she’s set for herself, so it will be interesting to see if she can punch her ticket to the Octagon on Tuesday night and immediately etch her name in the history books as part of the first father-daughter combo to compete in the UFC.

Mario Piazzon vs Guilherme Uriel

Mario Piazzon and Guilherme Uriel had very different experiences from one another when they made their first appearances on the Contender Series. Now, the Brazilian heavyweights are back with hopes of leaving Las Vegas with a UFC contract in hand.

Piazzon earned a win by disqualification during Week 8 of Season 7 in a fight where he controlled the opening two rounds with his grappling but didn’t take much damage at all. Since then, the 28-year-old heavyweight has gone 3-1 with a pair of finishes, setting up his return to the APEX this week.

Uriel touched down in Las Vegas last season and ran headlong into Josh Hokit, who not only dominated him that evening, but has since rocketed into the top 5 in the UFC heavyweight division. He posted a first-round stoppage win in his return to action in March and will look to give a much better account of himself this time around.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST: Polymarket UFC 334 | UFC 335

Heavyweights are always going to have a slightly outsized chance to earn a place on the roster simply because of the dearth of emerging talent on the regional circuit, so the opportunity is there for these two returning competitors to make the most of their second opportunities. So far this year, returning contestants are 4-2, with one of those losses coming in a matchup similar to this one where both parties were DWCS sophomores.

Gary Balletto vs Sean Clancy Jr.

Welterweights occupy the middle of Tuesday’s fight card as New England staple Gary Balletto faces off with unbeaten Scotsman Sean Clancy Jr. in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old Balletto arrives on a four-fight MMA winning streak, having last earned his second consecutive successful defense of the CES welterweight strap with a second-round stoppage win in April 2025. He’s fought exclusively under the BKFC banner since, going 3-0 with three stoppages, and holds an 11-3 record overall in MMA heading into this one.

Clancy Jr. touches down in the Nevada desert with a perfect 8-0 record and 100-percent finishing rate, with his last six appearances coming under the Cage Warriors banner. Training out of Higher Level Martial Arts, which has produced former UFC fighters Stevie Ray, Danny Henry, and Paul Craig, “The One” hasn’t competed since winning the Cage Warriors title last December after his bout with DWCS alum Justin Burlinson was scuttled the day of the bout when Burlinson suffered a cut.

READ: The Biggest Storylines From UFC Sacramento 

This should be a thoroughly entertaining battle for as long as it lasts, with Balletto having an edge in experience to lean on, while Clancy Jr. brings the confidence of a man who has never tasted defeat as a professional. You won’t want to miss this one.

Ronald Humphrey vs Alexis Miranda

A second-generation prospect faces off with the latest hopeful from Mexico’s Entram Gym here as Ronald Humphrey squares off with Alexis Miranda.

The son of former Strikeforce heavyweight Ron “Abongo” Humphrey, the 25-year-old “Career Ender” enters with a clean 4-0 professional record, having earned all his victories by stoppage, including three in the first round. With good size for the division and a string of vanquished foes in his wake, Humphrey profiles as an intriguing prospect on paper, and it will be curious to see how that translates when he steps under the bright lights on Tuesday night.

Miranda rolls into Week 3 looking to follow in the footsteps of previous Entram Gym representatives to graduate from the Contender Series, including Michael Morales and Juan Diaz. The 27-year-old “Mantis” is 9-2 as a professional, tall for the division at six-foot-two, and entering off back-to-back wins, though his level of competition has been limited.

MORE: Week 1 Results | Week 2 Results 

Kaik Brito became the first welterweight to earn a win and a contract this season with his third-round knockout of Namo Fazil to close out Week 2. Time will tell if either Humphrey or Miranda can follow suit here.

Carlos Petruzzella vs Nick Galanti

The Week 3 action gets underway in the middleweight division as Carlos Petruzzella faces off with Nick Galanti.

Petruzzella has rebounded from the lone loss of his career with consecutive victories heading into Tuesday's contest. “El Tito” aims to join Esteban Ribovics and teammate Kevin Vallejos as the latest Argentinian to use the Contender Series as a launchpad to a career inside the UFC Octagon.

Fighting out of Dante Rivera BJJ in Freehold, New Jersey, Galanti has been a staple under the CFFC banner, making each of his eight career appearances with the standout New Jersey promotion. He has won five straight since suffering his lone loss to date, having most recently claimed the vacant middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Xtreme Couture product Austin Clayton.

Will Petruzella join his compatriots on the UFC roster, or will Galanti keep rolling and become the latest CFFC champion to matriculate to the biggest stage in the sport?