WEEK 7 PREVIEW | DANA WHITE'S CONTENDER SERIES SEASON 7

We're Back At The UFC Apex Tuesday. Here's A Look At The Latest Round Of UFC Hopefuls.

By E Spencer Kyte, On Twitter: @spencerekyte • Sep. 18, 2023

Every year since its inception, the number of contracts handed out each season on Dana White’s Contender Series has climbed each successive year.

After 16 competitors graduated to the Octagon from Season 1, 23 made the jump from Season 2, followed by 30, 37, and 39 respectively in Seasons 3-5 before last year’s sixth season saw 43 athletes make the leap from competing at the UFC APEX to plying their trade on the UFC roster.

However that streak might be in jeopardy this season, as through six weeks, UFC President Dana White has passed out 26 contracts, meaning that over the final four weeks of the season, 18 competitors need to impress the boss enough on Tuesday night in order for that trend to continue for one more year.

It’s a tall task, but fortunately, the talent booked over these last four shows appears up for the challenge, starting with the 10-pack of UFC hopefuls that will make the walk to the cage on Week 7.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s matchups.

Shamil Gaziev vs. Greg Velasco

Shamil Gaziev vs Greg Velasco Preview | DWCS Season 7, Week 7

Undefeated heavyweights get the call to close out the show as Shamil Gaziev faces off with Greg Velasco.

Gaziev has collected 10 straight wins and nine stoppages to begin his professional career, initially building that impressive record against lesser competition. But three fights back he edged out Kirill Kornilov in his lone fight to go the distance, and earlier this year, he stopped UFC veteran Darko Stošić in the opening round to keep his pristine record intact.

DWCS Week 7 Weigh-In Results

The 29-year-old Velasco has competed exclusively under the CFFC banner since turning pro, collecting six straight victories, including winning and successfully defending the promotion’s heavyweight title. A former NCAA wrestler at Rider University, “The Viking King” has finished five of his six career wins, and his only career MMA loss came by split decision against current UFC heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab.

White is always on the lookout for new names to add to the heavyweight division, so Tuesday’s main event combatants should be dialled in from the outset as they look to show the boss that they have what it takes to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.

JaCobi Jones vs. Daniel Allen

We're Back At The UFC Apex Tuesday. Here's A Look At The Latest Round Of UFC Hopefuls.

It’s an all-American battle at lightweight in the penultimate spot on the call sheet this week, as once-beaten JaCobi Jones faces off with undefeated Daniel Allen.

A Factory X Muay Thai representative, Jones has bounced back from his lone defeat with three straight finishes, most recently claiming the LFA lightweight belt with a second-round stoppage win over highly regarded Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani in May. The 31-year-old Allen has been perfect through four appearances, though the American Kickboxing Academy representative has yet to face an opponent with a winning record.

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Will Jones keep it rolling and join his teammates on the UFC roster or can Allen pass this step up in competition and become the latest member of the vaunted Bay Area outfit to compete inside the Octagon?

Talita Alencar vs. Stephanie Luciano

We're Back At The UFC Apex Tuesday. Here's A Look At The Latest Round Of UFC Hopefuls.

Wednesday’s middle bout features Talita Alencar taking on Stephanie Luciano as we move from Americans facing off at lightweight to Brazilians competing against one another at strawweight.

Alencar is decorated jiu jitsu practitioner, having earned several world championships. She’s 4-0 so far in her MMA career, finishing her first three bouts by submission before earning a unanimous decision win in her last appearance at LFA 156 in April.

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The 23-year-old Luciano represents the Gordin Fight Team in Belo Horizonte, and arrives in Las Vegas with a 5-1 record and back-to-back victories. Nicknamed “Rondinha,” which translates to “Little Ronda,” Luciano is another of these young fighters that has shown flashes, but has yet to share the cage with anyone with considerable experience, making her a complete wild card heading into this week’s matchup with Alencar.

Given Alencar’s credentials, expect grappling early and often in this one, with the outcome hinging on Luciano’s ability to contend with the former world champion once the fight reaches the canvas.

Kaynan Kruschewsky vs. Dylan Mantello

Dylan Mantello vs Kaynan Kruschewsky Preview | DWCS Season 7, Week 7

Lightweights lock horns in the second fight of the night, as well, as Brazilian Kaynan Kruschewsky faces off with Serra-Longo representative Dylan Mantello.

In his last two outings, the 32-year-old Kruschewsky won and successfully defended the Jungle Fights lightweight title, going deep into each contest to get the job done. He’s 14-1 overall, including a win over the only man to defeat current UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, Adriano Martins, at the end of 2019.

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Fighters from Serra-Longo on Long Island have had mixed results on the Contender Series over the years, but after Nazim Sadykhov made it through last season, Mantello looks to do the same here. The 30-year-old is 7-2 overall and has earned three straight victories, including avenging one of those defeats, but is facing his most experienced opponent to date on Tuesday night.

Will Kruschewsky become the 11th Brazilian to earn a contract this season or will Mantello get his hand raised and join Sadykhov and Matt Frevola as DWCS graduates representing his team?

Igor da Silva vs. Jhonata Silva

Igor da Silva vs Jhonata Silva Preview | DWCS Season 7, Week 7

Igor da Silva takes on Jhonata Silva in a battle of young, talented flyweights to open the show this week at the UFC APEX.

Just 20 years old, da Silva is already 7-0 as a professional, with all of his victories coming inside the distance. Last time out, the Chute Boxe Joao Emilio representative won the Jungle Fight flyweight title with a second-round finish of once-beaten Manoel Rodrigues, paving the way for this week’s opportunity in Las Vegas.

Free Fight: MATEUSZ GAMROT VS ARMAN TSARUKYAN

Born in Rio de Janiero and fighting out of Rome, Italy, while representing Nova Uniao, Silva brings an 8-1 record into Tuesday’s opener. He ended a nearly four-year absence in March with a third-round stoppage win over former Cage Warriors title challenger Stipe Brčič.

Someone’s run of success has to end and the process of figuring out who that will be should make for a wildly entertaining way to kick off the action this week on Dana White’s Contender Series.