Dana White's Contender Series
Week 8 Preview | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 8
Setting The Table For What Is Set To Transpire At The UFC APEX On Tuesday Night
The energy and expectations feel high heading into the eighth week of the eighth season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
For the second time this year, we head into a fresh week after all five victorious combatants were awarded contracts, with last week’s last of graduates including returning standout Kevin Vallejos and heavyweight underdog Danylo Voievodkin, who closed out the show with a rapid first-round submission win.
With UFC CEO Dana White awarding contracts to all five winning fighters last week, that brings the Season 8 total number of graduates to 29 through seven weeks, meaning that unless a couple athletes really shine in losing efforts, there will be fewer competitors matriculating to the Octagon this season than there were in the previous season for the first time in the show’s history.
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But as Voievodkin proved yet again last week, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to Dana White’s Contender Series and even the unexpected occasionally comes to pass, so only time will tell how many hopefuls get to shake the boss’ hand at the end of the evening and officially call themselves a UFC fighter as we head towards the end of the season.
Here’s a closer look at the five sets of fighters slated to compete this week in hopes of getting that call.
Diyar Nurgozhay vs Bartosz Szewczyk
Light heavyweights close out the show for the second time this season, with Diyar Nurgozhay and Bartosz Szewczyk each hoping to replicate the success Navajo Stirling had to wrap up Week 5.
Hailing from Kazakhstan, Nurgozhay is unbeaten in nine professional outings, having earned all but two of those victories inside the distance. He’s made four appearances under the Eagle FC banner, claiming the promotion’s vacant light heavyweight title in August 2022, and made a successful return to action for the first time since that victory with a first-round stoppage win over DWCS alum and former PFL tournament champ Emiliano Sordi at UAE Warriors 50 back in May.
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Training out of Ankos MMA in Warsaw, Szewczyk is surrounded by excellent training partners and coaches, and arrives in Las Vegas on a three-fight winning streak. Last time out, he avenged a previous split decision loss to Marcin Lazarz, marking the third consecutive outing where he’s collected a finish.
Alberto Montes vs Carlos Calderon
Alberto Montes and Carlos Calderon face off in a short notice pairing in the featherweight division on Tuesday’s fight card.
The 30-year-old Montes fights out of The Goat Shed in Miami under the watchful eye of “President Awesome,” Asim Zaidi, alongside UFC talents Gillian Robertson, Francisco Prado, and Ailin Perez. He’s earned submission finishes in each of his last two starts, and victories in nine of his 10 professional bouts to date, though he’s largely faced inexperienced competition, with his most noteworthy opponent to date being Season 3 alum Richie Santiago.
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Calderon steps in for Season 7 contestant Robbie Ring, who was forced out of the contest for undisclosed reasons. Sporting a 6-2 record with finishes in each of his last five victories and a two-fight run of success, the Denver-based Calderon looks to parlay his experience in tough rooms with good training partners into success when he makes the walk to the cage on Tuesday evening.
David Martinez vs Xavier Franklin
David Martinez and Xavier Franklin occupy the middle spot on this week’s fight card, squaring off in an intriguing battle of solid bantamweight prospects.
The 26-year-old Martinez carries a six-fight winning streak into this one, though he hasn’t fought since successfully defending his Combate Global title in May of last year. He’s earned finishes in all but one of his wins thus far, and an impressive showing here could allow him to join his younger sister, strawweight Melissa “Super Mely” Martinez, on the UFC roster.
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Franklin posted a 5-0 mark as an amateur and has replicated that record as a pro after beginning his career with a no contest verdict. He’s claimed the Peak Fighting bantamweight title in each of his last two outings, most recently registering a third-round stoppage win over Isaiah Gutierrez back in July.
Torrez Finney vs Abdellah Er-Ramy
Torrez Finney make his second appearance of the year and third foray into the cage in hopes of impressing the UFC CEO, this time taking on Abdellah Er-Ramy.
After scoring a second-round stoppage win over Yuri Panferov last season, Finney returned to the APEX earlier in Season 8 and scored a unanimous decision victory over Cam Rowston.
A pro since 2019, Er-Ramy has logged just a single appearance since early October 2022, collecting a first-round stoppage win under the PFL Europe banner towards the end of March last year. The 28-year-old is 7-1 overall, has won six straight, and earned first-round finishes in three of his last four, which should mean he will come out looking to take the fight to Finney on Tuesday.
Christien Savoie vs Jacobe Smith
Welterweights man the opening position on this week’s slate, as Canadian Christien Savoie faces off with American Jacobe Smith.
The 32-year-old Savoie trains alongside a host of UFC competitors at House of Champions in Stoney Creek, Ontario, and touches down in Las Vegas having earned back-to-back stoppage wins under the Fight League Atlantic banner. The lone loss of his career came in the main event of CFFC 89 against current UFC fighter Bassil Hafez, and if he can procure the first Canadian victory of the season, he could potentially join him on the roster starting Tuesday evening.
Smith trains out of Fortis MMA in Dallas, Texas, which has produced a host of DWCS graduates dating back to the Geoff Neal’s win on the third episode of the series. Unbeaten in eight pro bouts and coming off consecutive rapid finishes, you can be sure “The General” Sayif Saud will have his latest charge dialed in when he makes the walk to face off with Savoie.
