The 10th annual season of Dana White’s Contender Series kicked off with plenty of action in Las Vegas.
DWCS began in 2017 and has produced a notable number of fighters currently on the UFC’s roster. Since the show’s inception, four have even gone on to claim UFC championships. Known as “The ultimate job interview,” DWCS features five fights weekly, over the course of 10 weeks, as combatants compete to impress UFC CEO and President Dana White and earn a UFC contract.
Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters earn a contract with the world’s leading MMA organization across 10 events, slightly up from the 42 handed out in 2024. Episode two of season 10 this week saw five prospects earn the opportunity to taste the Octagon’s bright lights.
Bella Mir vs Alexa Apodaca
Mir landed a stunning left hand in the opening exchange, followed by a knee. Both women landed left hands, then another knee from Mir. Mir looked for a takedown after catching a kick from Apodaca, but Apodaca was able to fight out of Mir’s grasp.
Mir looked for a throw halfway through the round, but Apodaca countered and pressed Mir into the fence. Apodaca landed several kicks to the body, and one to the head, but Mir caught another kick and fought for the takedown. Mir got it and took the back, hunting for a choke, but Apodaca reversed and got on top, raining down strong shots before the horn.
Apodaca controlled the center to start round two, pushing Mir back and working combinations after stuffing a takedown attempt. Mir picked things up with some strong right hands, but Apodaca was not deterred. The two exchanged throughout the rest of round two, with Apodaca busting Mir’s nose up.
Apodaca, who completely flipped the odds and was a favorite entering round three, continued to perform well in the first half of round three. Apodaca stuffed a takedown and landed a strong shot to Mir’s stomach, overwhelming her with strikes. Mir was able to get to Apodaca’s back, however, with about two-and-a-half minutes left and controlled most of the action. She, however, was unable to find a choke.
Apodaca was an underdog with odds ranging from +800 to +1200 entering the fight, against Mir, who was a favorite that ranged from -1600 to -3000. Apodaca, who took this fight on short notice, is the biggest underdog victory in the history of Dana White’s Contender Series — and one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA.
RESULT: Alex Apodaca def. Bella Mir via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) — CONTRACT AWARDED
Mario Piazzon vs Guilherme Uriel
Piazzon straight away put Uriel’s back to the fence with a single-leg takedown attempt. Uriel, however, countered with a standing guillotine choke. After some confusion over one potential tap, Uriel scored a tap for good seconds later, locking up a submission in under a minute.
RESULT: Guilherme Uriel def. Mario Piazzon via submission (standing guillotine choke) (Rd. 1, 0:50) — CONTRACT AWARDED
Gary Balletto vs Sean Clancy Jr.
The two threw sharp single shots through the first couple of minutes. While Balletto was the forward fighter for the first minute or so, Clancy started to answer back, pressuring with some power shots and kicks to the body. Balletto then took momentum back with his own striking.
Clancy took to the ground almost right away in round two, looking to make his mark in top control. Clancy got into mount and looked to land strong ground-and-pound or a choke, succeeding with the former and finding the finish with solid elbows.
RESULT: Sean Clancy Jr. def. Gary Bellato via TKO (Rd. 2, 3:54) — CONTRACT AWARDED
Ronald Humphrey vs Alexis Miranda
Humphrey immediately dumped Miranda to the mat, landing some ground-and-pound as Miranda looked to defend and get back to his feet. Miranda got out of it and traded with Humphrey, getting rocked by one right hand before shaking it off. Humphrey landed another powerful shot, only for Miranda to shrug it off and swing back.
Humphrey landed another rocking shot that busted up Miranda on the right side of his face. Humphrey stuffed Miranda, laying in some nasty ground-and-pound before working his way to the back and locking up a choke, scoring a submission victory in a wild encounter.
RESULT: Ronald Humphrey def. Alexis Miranda via submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 1, 4:10) — CONTRACT AWARDED
Carlos Petruzzella vs Nick Galanti
After a couple of early shots from Petruzzella, Galanti pressured him to the fence, looking for the takedown seconds into the fight. While Petruzzella showed good takedown defense, Galanti threw a right hand that put Petruzzella out, giving Galanti a highlight knockout win in less than 30 seconds.
RESULT: Nick Galanti def. Carlos Petruzzella via KO (Rd. 1, 0:35) — CONTRACT AWARDED
