Dana White's Contender Series
Welcome To The UFC | DWCS, Season 10, Week 3
Five Fights Delivered Five New UFC Contracts As Week 3 Of Dana White’s Contender Series Delivered A Fistful Of New Signings At Meta APEX
The third week of Season 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series produced a night packed with finishes, plus the biggest upset in Contender Series history, as five more fighters punched their ticket to the big stage at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
CFFC stars Nick Galanti and Ronald Humphrey, Cage Warriors champion Sean Clancy Jr and LFA vet Guilherme Uriel each scored crowd-pleasing finishes before Alex Apodaca upset the odds by defeating -6000 favorite Bella Mir on the scorecards in the featured bout of the night.
Alex Apodaca: The parlay buster
Alex Apodaca’s performance in the main event was the ultimate underdog story. Drafted in as a replacement opponent, Apodaca faced the highly-touted super-prospect Bella Mir, who is chasing sporting glory on multiple fronts, including in UFC BJJ and Olympic wrestling.
But inside the Contender Series Octagon, it was Apodaca who proved the better fighter on the night as she had an answer to everything Mir could throw at her during their 15-minute bantamweight battle.
After a remarkable performance earned her scores of 29-28 across the board to secure the biggest underdog victory in Contender Series history, Apodaca sat in the Octagon and listened as UFC president Dana White gave his assessment of her performance.
“So, Alex, what you had to face tonight…. Now, I'm very proud of myself in that, in 10 years of doing this, I have never had any bias. I don't know anything about anybody coming in. I was overly biased on this fight,” he admitted.
“I've known Bella for a long time. Four years ago, we started mapping out her plan and who she was going to be, and you came in tonight.
“Michael Bisping, I got to give it to Bisping, [he] has turned into an incredible analyst in this sport. And Bisping said, when you were walking in, ‘She might be … the biggest underdog in the history of the UFC, but you know what experience she has that Bella doesn't? Deep water. Bella's never been in the deep water. Alex has, and I think that's a factor in this fight.’
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Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 3
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“Bisping nailed it on the head. Unbelievable upset. Congratulations, you're in the UFC!”
White later added, “The other thing that Bisping kept saying about her when she was walking in – she was smiling. She seemed very calm and composed, knowing what she was walking into, and she literally couldn't have fought any better, smarter, calmer. And, you know, she did it.
DWCS WEEK 3 REWIND: Results + Scorecards | Contract Winner Announcement | Presser
“I always say this, whether you're in the UFC or not in the UFC, you want everybody talking about you on Monday after a fight. Let me tell you what: everybody's going to be talking about Alex for a long time. Congratulations!”
And as Apodaca revisited with Laura Sanko after confirmation of her UFC contract, she admitted it’s going to take some time for the reality of it all to set in.
“It probably won't set in for like another week,” she laughed.
“Yeah. I'm gonna wake up every day and be like, ‘Whoa! I feel like it's a fever dream. That happened?’ Like that's how I'm gonna feel for a long time.”
Guilherme Uriel: The second time’s the charm
After losing out to Josh Hokit on his first Contender Series appearance, Guilherme Uriel returned to Meta APEX and choked out compatriot Mario Piazzon inside the opening minute of their heavyweight bout to earn himself a UFC contract at the second time of asking.
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His victory came as a big shock to White, who initially questioned Uriel’s decision to pursue the submission. But he persisted and got his reward as he picked up the 50-second victory, as well as a UFC contract.
Guilherme Uriel Scores Standing Guillotine Submission | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 3
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Guilherme Uriel Scores Standing Guillotine Submission | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 3
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“This was a weird fight. It was very fast,” admitted White.
“I was surprised. I literally kept saying, ‘Why does he keep going for this choke? He's not getting the choke. What's he doing?’ I was wrong!
“He got the choke, finished it quickly. And one of the things that I want to point out: your record is 7-2, but when you look at the opponents' records that you lost to, everybody was 9-0. You only fought real guys.
“Your opponent, whose record is 12-1, his opponent's records were 15-39. Yours are 9-0. Welcome to the UFC!”
Sean Clancy Jr: Only just scratching the surface
Cage Warriors welterweight champion Sean Clancy Jr. gave us a glimpse of his immense potential with a performance full of rare maturity for a 23-year-old in such a high-pressure situation as he calmly broke down, then finished, Gary Balletto make himself a slam-dunk pick for a UFC contract.
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White was clearly impressed with what he saw from the Scotsman, who extended his perfect record and his 100 percent finish rate with the ninth victory of his pro career.
“All right Sean, you're only 23-years-old, and you're 9-0. It's incredible,” he said.
“I love how technical and composed you are for such a young guy. I saw a lot of great things from you in less than two rounds.
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“I'm really excited about your future in the UFC.”
Clancy admitted that hearing White being so vocal in his praise was a surreal experience, as he tried to get his head around the whirlwind evening he’d just experienced at Meta APEX.
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“I've heard him since I was literally like four years old. I've been watching the UFC and stuff like that,” he explained.
“So now, hearing him on computer games, hearing him on television, then actually hearing him in real life, is just something I… I don't know. It's just surreal!”
Clancy may have been a little lost for words over White’s reaction to his performance, but he was word-perfect when he stated his goals for his UFC career, and how far he thinks he can take his skills inside the Octagon.
When asked how long it would take for him to earn some custom tartan shorts to match the ones he’s been famous for fighting in during his time in Cage Warriors, Clancy responded, “Oh, I don't think it'll be very long at all. I think it'll be very, very, very, very soon.
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“I think I'd hold very well in the top five right now, to be perfectly honest. So I think it's just a matter of time. The correct opportunities will arise. When they do, I’ll grab them with both hands.”
Ronald Humphrey: Welterweight wrecking machine
In terms of sheer aggression, Ronald Humphrey topped the charts on Tuesday night with a performance full of ferocity as he beat up, then submitted, Mexico’s Alexis Miranda in just over four minutes in their welterweight matchup.
Ronald Humphrey Submits Miranda | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 3
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Ronald Humphrey Submits Miranda | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 3
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“Ronald, you are an animal. An absolute animal!” said White, who said that the biggest problem with Humphrey belongs to the UFC matchmakers, who will have to find opponents for their new welterweight signing.
“I said to Sean [Shelby, UFC matchmaker], ‘This guy's so well-rounded for only having four fights,’ and Sean said, ‘They couldn't get anyone to fight him!’
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“I said, ‘You're not going to be able to get anyone to fight him, either!’
“Congratulations! Welcome to the UFC!”
Humphrey was all business inside the Octagon, and while he was equally to the point in his post-fight interviews with Laura Sanko, his personality did shine through, too, as he showed that there’s some character to go with his vicious fighting style.
When Sanko asked him what he plans on bringing to the UFC welterweight division, his answer was short and to the point.
“War, chaos, violence, and a whole bunch of fun!”
Nick Galanti: One-shot assassin
Nick Galanti’s Contender Series appearance was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair, as he knocked out Carlos Petruzzella in just 35 seconds to get the night off to an explosive start and earn himself a UFC contract in the process.
Galanti has impressed fighting for Cage Fury Fighting Championships on the East Coast, where he became the promotion’s middleweight champion. And the Dante Rivera BJJ product showed that he has hands as well as wrestling as he starched Petruzzella with a huge right hook from close range to leave White suitably impressed.
Nick Galanti Gets Huge First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series, Week 3, Season 10
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Nick Galanti Gets Huge First Round KO | Dana White's Contender Series, Week 3, Season 10
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“Obviously, you couldn't possibly open a show better than you did, and you couldn't perform on this show any better than you did,” he said.
“Congratulations! You're in the UFC!
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It was the fastest finish of Galanti’s career, on the biggest night of his career to date. But now the door is open for the New Jersey native to join his teammates Sean Brady and Joe Pyfer in the UFC, where even bigger nights await.
“I've been visualizing it for so long, so for it to finally come to fruition feels incredible,” said a delighted Galanti.
“Even on my best night, I didn't think it was gonna be a one-shot KO in 30 seconds, but I'll take it any day!”
DWCS Season 10, Week 3 Results:
Alex Apodaca defeats Bella Mir via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Guilherme Uriel defeats Mario Piazzon via submission (standing guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:50
Official Results & Scorecards From Week 3 Here
Sean Clancy Jr. defeats Gary Balletto via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 2, 3:54
Ronald Humphrey defeats Alexis Miranda via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:03
Nick Galanti defeats Carlos Petruzzella via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:35
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