Dana White's Contender Series
Results
Week 8 Results + Scorecards | Dana White's Contender Series Season 8
Contract Winners, Scorecards, Recaps And More From The Newest Round Of UFC Hopefuls
Seven weeks down, three to go, and 29 contracts awarded to date; that’s where we stand so far in Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 8
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Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 8
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As with every previous season, this year has already produced a number of impressive finishes, and surprising upsets, while graduating a host of intriguing talents onto the UFC roster, with some of the winners from the early weeks this season already starting to get booked onto fight cards in the final quarter of 2024.
This week, five sets of fighters head into the cage looking to impress UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers, including returning competitor Torrez Finney, who seeks his second win of the season, his third DWCS win to date, and hopefully that elusive UFC contract.
With bouts across five different weight classes from light heavyweight to bantamweight, Tuesday’s slate offered a high potential for excitement, and when the action hit the cage, the fights exceeded expectations, making it an easy night of decisions for the UFC CEO.
For the second straight week, all five victorious fighters were awarded contracts, including Finney, whose second victory of the season and third DWCS win finally punched his ticket to the UFC. Joining the undefeated “Punisher” were welterweight Jacobe Smith, bantamweight David Martinez, featherweight Alberto Montes, and undefeated light heavyweight Diyar Nurgozhay.
This was the best night of action so far this season, and we have all the details on how things played out collected for you below.
Dana White's Contender Series Season 8, Week 8 Results
- Diyar Nurgozhay defeats Bartosz Szewczyk by KO (head kick) at 3:32 of Round 2
- Alberto Montes defeats Carlos Calderon by submission (anaconda choke) at 2:38 of Round 2
- David Martinez defeats Xavier Franklin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Torrez Finney defeats Abdellah Er-Ramy by TKO (strikes) at 4:10 of Round 1
- Jacobe Smith defeats Christien Savoie by TKO (strikes) at 2:55 of Round 2
Dana White's Contender Series Season 8, Week 8 Fight Card
Jacobe Smith defeats Christien Savoie by TKO (strikes) at 2:55 of Round 2
Jacobe Smith became the latest member of the Fortis MMA crew to venture to Las Vegas and deliver a standout effort on Dana White’s Contender Series, earning a second-round stoppage win over Christien Savoie in Tuesday’s opener.
The Oklahoma State wrestling product battered Savoie from the opening second of the contest, posting a dominant round in the first that left the Canadian busted up, bleeding, and struggling to find answers for the onslaught he just endured. Though he slowed a little at the outset of the second, as soon as Smith put Savoie back on the canvas, he got back down to business, putting the Maritimes native away just after the midway point of the round.
With the victory, the 28-year-old moves to 9-0 overall, and appears like he could very well be the next member of the Dallas, Texas gym to reach the UFC stage and make an impact. What an impressive way to open the show for Smith!
Torrez Finney defeats Abdellah Er-Ramy by TKO (strikes) at 4:10 of Round 1
Torrez Finney picked up his second win of the season and third victory on Dana White’s Contender Series, quickly putting Abdellah Er-Ramy on the canvas and pounding out the first-round finish, right in front of UFC CEO Dana White.
This was one-away traffic from the outset, with Finney depositing Er-Ramy on the mat in seconds before clamping onto an arm-triangle choke attempt that left the Spain resident fighting to breathe. While he was able to escape, Finney never let off the gas, eventually flattening him back out and pounding out the finish.
White was critical of Finney’s efforts in his first two outings, but he was forced to smile and laugh when the Agoge Combatives representative earned the stoppage and instantly started chatting with him and the rest of the UFC brass. Now 10-0 as a professional, the 25-year-old has now earned eight of those 10 victories inside the distance.
David Martinez defeats Xavier Franklin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
David Martinez and Xavier Franklin went toe-to-toe at a frenetic pace in the middle of Tuesday night’s fight card, battling right through to the final horn.
Martinez came out aggressively and with a clear target in mind, attacking the lead leg of Franklin early and often. The unbeaten American started to warm back into the fight in the second, finding a home for some sharp counters that slowed Martinez’ output, only to have the Mexican bantamweight smash home more leg kicks and start to pull away in the boxing exchanges as well.
For the first time on the evening, the judges were called upon to determine a victor, and when the scores were all added up, it was Martinez that came out ahead, claiming a unanimous decision victory while handing Franklin the first loss of his career in the process.
Alberto Montes defeats Carlos Calderon by submission (anaconda choke) at 2:38 of Round 2
The featherweight fight between Alberto Montes and Carlos Calderon was absolutely ridiculous, and I mean that in the best way possible.
It was all-action, all over the place from the jump with these two, as each had moments in the opening round where they had success, with Montes chasing submissions and Calderon showing a varied offensive game of his own. It was more of the same in the second, with Montes once again finding a way to snap Calderon down to the canvas, where he transitioned from attacking a Peruvian necktie to his signature anaconda choke, eventually cinching it up and securing the tap.
This victory was a long time coming for the 30-year-old Montes, who was scheduled to compete against Steve Garcia five years ago on Dana White’s Contender Series. Five years and five fights later, he made his way to Vegas and wrapped up his fourth straight by submission win and third straight by anaconda choke.
Diyar Nurgozhay defeats Bartosz Szewczyk by KO (head kick) at 3:32 of Round 2
How about a head kick knockout to close out Week 8?
Diyar Nurgozhay and Bartosz Swezczyk were engaged in a competitive, if slightly low-paced clash in the final bout of this evening’s fight card, but late in the second round, the Kazakh launched a left high kick that got all of Szewczyk’s temple and sent the Polish fighter crashing to the canvas in a heap.
From meandering along to over and done with, this was an outstanding way to punctuate a tremendous night of action inside the UFC APEX.
