Week 6 Preview | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 10

Aiming to follow in the footsteps of Season 10 headliners that have earned contracts Kaik Brito and Adam Darby, Zevan Hunt and Mayton Perea meet on Tuesday with designs on maintaining the welterweight division’s 100-percent graduation rate so far this year.

Training under for UFC fighter Matt Grice, Oklahoma’s Hunt has amassed a 7-0 in a little more than four years as a professional, with six finishes, five of which have come in the opening round. Last time out, he toppled early Contender Series hopeful Devin Smyth, connecting on a second-round kneebar to maintain his unblemished record.

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A former member of the Ecuadorian national wrestling team, Perea looks to become the fifth athlete from the South American nation to compete inside the Octagon and touches down in Las Vegas riding a three-fight finishing streak that has carried his record to 8-3. Each of his 11 appearances have ended inside the distance, with all but one of his victories coming in the opening round, so expect a fast start from Perea on Tuesday night.

Will Hunt remain unbeaten and deliver a performance that carries him to the UFC roster or can Perea join compatriots like Marlon “Chito” Vera and Michael Morales in representing Ecuador in the UFC?

Oscar Ravello vs Igor Cavalcanti

Oscar Ravello looks to maintain his unbeaten record at middleweight as he steps into the fray with returning Brazilian hopeful Igor Cavalcanti.

After 14 straight starts in the welterweight division, Ravello ventured back up to the 185-pound weight class in April, registering a first-round submission win to become a two-division titleholder under the Warriors Combat Championship banner in his native Peru. Now 13-3-1 with 10 finishes, “The Punisher” aims to take full advantage of the opportunity before him and spoil Cavalcanti’s return to Las Vegas on Tuesday.

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Cavalcanti carried an unbeaten record into his Season 8 appearance, but was outclassed by South Korean Seok Hyeon Ko, who has since gone on to post wins over Oban Elliott and Phil Rowe. Consecutive first-round finishes and wins in four of his five fights since that first appearance have earned “Jacare” a second chance and this time, he’s hoping to leave with a contract in tow.

It will be interesting to see if there is any difference in physicality in this one as Ravello continues his move back to middleweight against the established 185-pound athlete Cavalcanti. While they’re close in measurables, their frames and comfort competing at this weight could be a deciding factor in this one.

Ednilson Santos vs Akbar Abdullaev

Brazilian veteran Ednilson Santos answered the call to share the cage with Akbar Abdullaev this week in Las Vegas as the lightweights go head-to-head in hopes of claiming a spot on the UFC roster.

Each of Santos’ last three fights have come against Contender Series alums, as he’s sandwiched wins over Kamuela Kirk and Shaheen Santana on either side of a loss to Long Island native Dylan Mantello. Training under Plinio Cruz and routinely working alongside former two-division champ Alex “Poatan” Perreira, rest assured the 34-year-old will be well-prepared and ready to shock the world on Tuesday night.

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The 28-year-old Abdullaev arrives with a 13-0 record and 100-percent finishing rate, having spent the previous three years competing under the ONE Championship banner. His stellar record and elite skills have made it difficult for Abdullaev to find dance partners over the last year, but now he gets the chance to justify the hype and claim a place on the UFC roster.

We’ve already seen one massive upset already this year — can Santos make it two, or will Abdullaev give UFC lightweights reason to avoid him as well?

Luis Hernandez vs Hugo Guillon

The first of Tuesday’s tandem middleweight contests pits unbeaten Floridian Luis Hernandez against streaking French prospect “The White Walker,” Hugo Guillon.

Perfect in seven starts, Hernandez made waves last summer when he taunted UFC middleweights Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis while choking out one of their teammates, resulting in the Xtreme Couture reps rushing the cage to confront him. He followed that up with another stoppage win in October, maintaining his perfect finishing rate in the process, and seeks to put himself in a position where he could call Strickland and Curtis colleagues.

Guillon began his career at light heavyweight, going 3-1 with one no contest before making the shift to middleweight at the outset of 2023. Unbeaten since switching divisions, the 29-year-old aims to hand Hernandez his first loss and give himself a chance to compete alongside the cast of ascending French talents already thriving on the UFC roster.

Neither man has faced anyone with too much meaningful experience thus far, so it’ll be interesting to see how these two measure up against one another and if either one is able to quickly take charge of this encounter.

Tyshawn Williams vs Antonio Monteiro

Business kicks off in the featherweight division this week, as Tyshawn Williams faces off with returning Brazilian Antonio Monteiro.

A Division-I wrestler before transitioning to MMA, Williams has been perfect through his first eight appearances, earning five finishes. He’s seemingly settled in at featherweight now after bouncing through weight classes and catchweight bouts earlier in his career and can lean on the wealth of experience in the room at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas where he trains in order to ensure he’s ready to take the next step here.

Monteiro makes a return trip to the Meta APEX two years after going the distance with Yadier del Valle in Season 8. A win last summer got him moving in the right direction again, and now the Nova Uniao product looks to join teammates Jafel Filho and Rafael Estevam in using the Contender Series as a launch pad to a UFC career.

Can Williams maintain his unbeaten record and secure himself a contract, or will the more experienced Monteiro become the latest returning talent to make good on their second chance?