Dana White's Contender Series
Season 7 Week 2 Results & Scorecards | Dana White's Contender Series
Contract Winners, Scorecards, Recaps And More From The Newest Round Of UFC Hopefuls
The seventh season of Dana White’s Contender Series kicked off with five contracts being awarded, with Australian Tom Nolan standing out thanks to his first-round knockout win over Bogdan Grad and bantamweight Payton Talbott remaining unbeaten with a building, dominant win over returning competitor Reyes Cortez Jr..
Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 Week 2
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Contract Winners And Interviews | Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 Week 2
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In each of the last three seasons, the second episode of the season has seen all the victorious competitors graduate to the UFC, while the second episode of Season 1 produced once of the top talents to emerging from the show thus far — “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who challenges for the bantamweight title this weekend at UFC 292 in Boston.
Before the action shifts to “The Hub” and TD Garden, the APEX played host to five more sets of hopefuls eager to make their case for a call to the Octagon, and the action did not disappoint.
For the second straight week, UFC President Dana White was extremely happy and in a giving mood, handing out contracts to all five winners, adding Charalampos Grigoriou to the bantamweight ranks, Eduarda Moura at strawweight, Hyder Amil at featherweight, Ibo Aslan at light heavyweight, and Abdul-Kerim Al-Selwady at lightweight.
Two weeks, 10 contracts, and quality action across the board — Season 7 is going hard out of the gates!
Dana White's Contender Series Season 7 Week 2 Results
- Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady defeats George Hardwick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ibo Aslan defeats Paulo Renato Jr. by KO (strikes) at 2:22 of Round 1
- Hyder Amil defeats Emrah Sonmez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Eduarda Moura defeats Janaina Silva by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:00 of Round 1
- Charalampos Grigoriou defeats Cameron Smotherman by TKO (strikes) at 1:00 of Round 1
Dana White's Contender Series Season 7 Week 2 Fight Card
Charalampos Grigoriou defeats Cameron Smotherman by TKO (strikes) at 1:00 of Round 1
Time to learn how to pronounce the name Charalampos Grigoriou!
The LAW MMA bantamweight stood in the pocket with Cameron Smotherman and made a statement, dropping the prospect from Houston with a right hand down the middle and sealed the rapid first-round finish with a torrent of follow-up blows along the fence.
What a massive effort for the New Yorker just a few days ahead of his teammate and training partner Aljamain Sterling stepping into the Octagon. He’s now won four straight since his loss to UFC prospect and DWCS alum Christian Rodriguez, and probably punched his ticket to the UFC with this performance.
Eduarda Moura defeats Janaina Silva by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:00 of Round 1
Eduarda Moura ran through Janaina Silva in an all-Brazilian battle of undefeated fighters, drawing out the tap in the final minute of the opening round.
As soon as Silva reached on a right hand at the start of the fight, Moura smoothly changed levels and tripped her compatriot to the canvas, never allowing her back to her feet. She worked constantly from the top, landing strikes and advancing positions before forcing Silva to give up her back. From there, Moura locked in the choke, drew out the tap, and erupted in celebration.
Just an absolutely dominant effort from the Galpāo da Luca representative, who styles herself as a miniature version of her teammate, heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida, and looked the part on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, just as “Malhadinho” did two seasons ago.
Hyder Amil defeats Emrah Sonmez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Just an absolutely exhausting fight in the middle of the card between Emrah Sonmez and Hyder Amil.
The featherweights sprinted through the opening five minutes, Sonmez deploying an awkward wrestling approach that produced several takedowns and quality scrambles, but also appeared to drain the gas tank of the Turkish fighter. Amil seemed to be the fresher of the two in the second, taking the fight to Sonmez with greater success, wearing on the flagging GB Top Team representative with short, cumulative shots. With each man running on fumes in the third and the fight hanging in the balance, Sonmez continued to pressure with takedown attempts and forcing scramblings, but at every turn, Amil was the one landing more shots.
The judges were called upon to render a verdict and when the tens and nines were added up, it was Amil that emerged victorious. With the win, the 33-year-old El Niño Training Center representative remains unbeaten, moving to 8-0 overall.
Ibo Aslan defeats Paulo Renato Jr. by KO (strikes) at 2:22 of Round 1
When Ibo Aslan decided to let loose with his hands, Paulo Renato Junior didn’t remain standing for too long.
The light heavyweight finishers were tentative to engage early on, neither wanting to wade in and deal with the power of the other. But just after the two-minute point of the opening round, the two men met in the center and began swinging, with Aslan landing clean and backing up Renato Junior. The Turkish fighter continued to swarm, leaving Renato Junior crumpled against the fence, sending Aslan into celebration mode.
Another outstanding performance and with light heavyweight always in need of fresh, exciting new names, it’s highly likely that we’ll see Aslan in the Octagon before the year is out.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady defeats George Hardwick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
On paper, the headlining lightweight clash between George Hardwick and Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady profiled as one of the best, most high-level fights in Dana White’s Contender Series history, and when the two men stepped into the cage, they delivered.
Al-Selwady started quickly, stinging Hardwick with a couple sharp right hands as the former Cage Warriors champ looked to find his range and settle in. The British fighter grew into the contest, having greater success late in the first and throughout the second, but Al-Selwady remained sharp, continuing to land with greater speed and frequency. In the third, the pace, movement, and variety from the Fortis MMA representative continued to hold the upper hand, keeping Hardwick guessing while banging home good shots that stymied the Brit’s advances.
All three judges scored the fight the same, awarding Al-Selwady the unanimous decision win that pushed his record to 15-3 overall and could very well punch his ticket to the UFC roster.
