Week 3 Results + Scorecards | Dana White's Contender Series Season 8

29-28, 29-28, and 28-29 for Piccininni, now 7-0. Duffy falls to 7-1.

Piccininni, a decorated college wrestler, was able to get Duffy to the mat several times, but Duffy's jiu-jitsu kept him out of serious trouble, and on the feet, his kicks to the leg rarely missed the mark. But, in the end, two of the three judges favored the New Yorker's wrestling over Duffy's striking and submission attempts.

Malcolm Wellmaker defeats Adam Bramhald via knockout at 2:29 of the first round

Augusta, Georgia's Malcolm Wellmaker made short work of Adam Bramhald, knocking out his foe in the first round of bantamweight action.

England's Bramhald (13-3) was the aggressor from the start, but Wellmaker (8-0) calmly handled the rushes with a stiff jab, and when he landed flush with a right hand, it was game over. The official time was 2:29 of the opening frame.

Marco Tulio defeats Matthieu Duclos via TKO at 2:38 of the second round

After a decision win on the last season of Dana White's Contender Series that didn't garner him a UFC contract, Brazilian middleweight Marco Tulio made a statement this year with an emphatic second-round knockout of France's Matthieu Duclos.

The action was competitive in the first round, with Tulio holding the edge, but Duclos staying in the fight thanks to the Brazilian's often wild attacks. But in the second, Tulio was more measured, and with a spinning back kick to the liver, he dropped and stopped Duclos, with referee Keith Peterson calling the bout at 2:38 of the second stanza.

Tulio moves to 12-1 with the win. Duclos falls to 6-3.

Bogdan Grad (29-28, 30-27) defeats Michael Aswell via split decision (29-28)

Featherweights Bogdan Grad and Michael Aswell went to war for three rounds at the APEX, and when the punches finally stopped flying, it was Grad emerging victorious via split decision in a stark contrast to his 2023 DWCS appearance, which saw him stopped by Tom Nolan.

Scores were 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27 for Grad, now 14-2. Aswell falls to 9-2.

Aswell promised to put his foot on the gas from the start, and he did just that, jumping on Grad with crisp 1-2s. It took Grad a while to get into his rhythm, but once he did, he got right back into the fight, and he matched his foe's workrate. Late in the second, Aswell suffered a cut over his eye that prompted a visit from the Octagonside physician, but he was cleared to continue, and the two proceeded to deliver another action-packed round in the third, with both leaving everything in the Octagon.

Andrey Pulyaev defeats Liam Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Russia's Andrey Pulyaev closed the night with an upset, as he defeated the favored Liam Anderson via unanimous decision in the middleweight headliner.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Pulyaev, now 9-2. Anderson falls to 6-3.

Anderson pressured Pulyaev early, trying to get the fight to the mat, but once Pulyaev fought off the attempt, he controlled the standup action from long range, bloodying the New Yorker while battering the body and both legs with kicks.

Pulyaev had more success with his striking in the second, and while Anderson was game, he was a step behind the Russian, who was tagging his opponent to the head, body and legs. With a little over a minute to go, Anderson finally got a takedown, but wasn't able to do much with it outside of some late ground-and-pound.

In the third, Pulyaev continued to dominate the standup game, and with three minutes left, he got a takedown of his own. Anderson was able to escape and take his opponent's back briefly with a minute to go, but by the end of the fight, it was Pulyaev back in control.