Dana White's Contender Series
Results
Week 7 Results + Scorecards | Dana White's Contender Series Season 8
Contract Winners, Scorecards, Recaps And More From The Newest Round Of UFC Hopefuls
Through the first six weeks of Season 8, there have been 24 contracts handed out, with every division that has been represented in the cage having graduated at least one athlete to the UFC roster.
Leading the way so far has been the bantamweight division, which has seen five competitors — Cody Haddon, Cortavious Romious, Malcolm Wellmaker, Josias Musasa, and Elijah Smith — being called to compete in the Octagon in the future. The middleweight division currently sits in second position, having produced four contract winners to date, while welterweight and featherweight share the final spot on the podium through these first six weeks.
This evening, the first set of strawweights make the walk, aiming to join the party, while heavyweights close out the show, with Danylo Voievodkin and Bailey Schoenfelder looking to maintain the division’s 100 percent graduation rate so far this season.
Following an all-action evening inside the cage, UFC CEO Dana White handed out contracts to all five winners, adding Alexia Thainara, Kevin Vallejos, Kevin Christian, Daniel Frunza, and Voievodkin to the roster, marking just the second time this season that five contracts were awarded.
That’s now 29 new additions to the roster this season with three weeks left to go.
Here’s a look at how things played out on Tuesday night.
Dana White's Contender Series Season 8, Week 7 Results
- Danylo Voievodkin defeats Bailey Schoenfelder by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:13 of Round 1
- Daniel Frunza defeats Vadym Kutsyi by TKO (strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2
- Kevin Christian defeats Francesco Mazzeo by submission (triangle armbar) at 4:17 of Round 2
- Kevin Vallejos defeats Cam Teague by TKO (strikes) at 2:23 of Round 1
- Alexia Thainara defeats Rose Conceicao by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 7
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Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 7
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Dana White's Contender Series Season 8, Week 7 Fight Card
Alexia Thainara defeats Rose Conceicao by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Favorites had won the opening fight of each week this season, and Alexia Thainara made sure that remained the case on Tuesday, out-working former training partner Rose Conceicao over three rounds.
Thainara was just a little bit ahead of Conceicao at every turn and in every phase, landing the superior attacks while standing, mixing up her targets and her weapons while also being able to win the clinch interactions and deposit her fellow Brazilian on the canvas several times. While Conceicao came out of the gates aggressively to start the third, Thainara weathered the early storm and reasserted her dominance, wrapping up a clear victory on the cards.
All three judges saw things in favor of the now 11-1 flyweight, who trains alongside two-division UFC stalwart Amanda Ribas and whose sole setback came against UFC strawweight Bruna Brasil. There are still elements for Thainara to tighten up, but her results have been outstanding thus far and her passion for competing jumps off the screen.
Kevin Vallejos defeats Cam Teague by TKO (strikes) at 2:23 of Round 1
Kevin Vallejos turned in an eye-opening performance in his return to Las Vegas on Tuesday night, running through unbeaten prospect Cam Teague in less than half a round.
The 22-year-old Argentinian, who lost last season to streaking Fighting Nerds representative Jean Silva, impressed UFC CEO Dana White with his performance last season and had him smiling from ear-to-ear with this one on Tuesday night. From the outset, Vallejos was the more technical, more effective of the two, and once he recognized that he hurt Teague to the body, he continued punishing the Port City Combat Sports representative, finishing him with an unrelenting flurry along the fence.
Vallejos has thrived under the Samurai Fight House banner and continues to look like a prospect to watch going forward. Already 14-1 for his career, it’s going to be impressive to see him grow and develop as he continues to get older and gain more experience.
Kevin Christian defeats Francesco Mazzeo by submission (triangle armbar) at 4:17 of Round 2
Brazil’s Kevin Christian took full advantage of his incredible length when working on bottom, locking up a combination triangle armbar to submit Francesco Mazzeo in the second.
The towering light heavyweight split Mazzeo open off his back early in the first and threatened with an armbar when the Italian left his arms inside for too long. Though both looked fatigued in the second, Christian continued to look for submission openings the entire time Mazzeo was in top position, ultimately lacing up a triangle choke and drawing out the tap by extending the arm.
Standing six-foot-seven, Christian is a matchup nightmare in terms of his size and should continue to improve as he gets back into the full swing of things following an extended hiatus. He advanced to 9-2 with the victory, collecting his fifth submission and eighth finish overall in the process.
Daniel Frunza defeats Vadym Kutsyi by TKO (strikes) at 3:30 of Round 2
Daniel Frunza won the battle of attrition with hard-charging Vadym Kutsyi, taking the best the welterweight from Belarus had to offer before putting him away as his gas tank ran empty.
Frunza hurt Kutsyi early in the first round, but the 33-year-old was able to drag him to the canvas and get the better of things for the majority of the all-action round. But it was clear Kutsyi was fading and Frunza capitalized, attacking the midsection midway through the second round, sending Kutsyi to the canvas, where the follow-up blows brought about the stoppage.
That’s now five consecutive victories for the 30-year-old, who has shifted his training to Miami in pursuit of his UFC dreams. He’s finished each of those wins and showed tremendous resilience in this one, making him a name to watch going forward.
Danylo Voievodkin defeats Bailey Schoenfelder by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:13 of Round 1
Danylo Voievodkin closed out Tuesday’s show by pulling off a massive upset, rocking and submitting Bailey Schoenfelder in under 90 seconds.
The big Ukrainian heavyweight cracked Schoenfelder with a right-left hook combination, instantly diving onto the rear-naked choke as the American lay dazed on the canvas trying to gather his wits. Voievodkin locked up the finish without inserting any hooks, securing the tap and the biggest victory of his career.
Now 7-0 as a professional with all of his wins coming inside the distance, the 24-year-old looks like a quality prospect and one to track as he continues to gain experience and hone his skills.
