The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with another night of memorable 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 in 2017, a couple 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 42 fighters earn a contract with the world's leading MMA organization across 10 events, slightly down from the 46 handed out in 2023. Episode five of season nine this week saw five prospects earn the opportunity to taste the Octagon's bright lights.
The night started with a banger, as Carol Foro pulled off a victory over Shanelle Dyer. Foro's fists got going in the opening round, dropping Dyer twice and opening up a bad cut around one of her eyes. Dyer tried to get more volume with her strikes during the second round, but she was knocked down by Foro once again. Dyer picked things up in the third round but was unable to get the finish, as Foro took the decision in an action-packed battle. The fight impressed White so much that he awarded both women a UFC contract.
Samuel Sanches followed that up with a brutal first-round knockout of Chasen Blair. Blair attempted to bring the pressure to Sanches with power and pressing him up against the fence. After some in close fighting, Sanches landed a hard-hitting boxing combination, which ended with a left hook that slumped Blair out cold against the cage for the victory and the UFC contract.
Lerryann Douglas would pull off what White considered one of the best knockouts he's seen in the evening's co-main event, defeating Cam Teague in under a minute. Douglas did a number on Teague with leg kicks in the opening 25 seconds before connecting on a right hand that wobbled Teague. As Teague scrambled, Douglas nailed him with a left hand that faceplanted him, earning Douglas a UFC contract.
The heavyweight main event saw another sub-minute finish, as Steven Asplund took care of business against Anthony Guarascio. The two brought out their power right away, with Vasplund quickly dropping Guarascio with an uppercut, followed by some brief ground-and-pound before the referee stopped the match. In less than 20 seconds, Vasplund had a performance worthy of a UFC contract.
The evening also featured a light heavyweight bout that saw Freddy Vidal score a comeback victory over Felipe Franco. Franco looked to control the action early with grappling, but Vidal made him pay with strikes. On the ground, Vidal landed some strong ground-and-pound to trouble Franco. Franco would turn things around in the second, using his positioning to pin and pressure Vidal while matching him in striking this time around.
Vidal's energy appeared drained in the third round and Franco controlled him with his pressuring. The fight would go to the ground, however, and Vidal managed to turn things around, looking for submissions. Vidal would get to the back and under the neck for a choke, and Franco went out, scoring the submission with just 12 seconds remaining.
While the fight was considered "horrible" by White, combined with Vidal missing weight, the finish and circumstances (Vidal taking the fight on six days' notice) allowed White and the matchmakers to give him a fight on the final episode of the season to give him another shot at a contract.
Shanelle Dyer vs. Carol Foro
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Chasen Blair vs. Samuel Sanches
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Felipe Franco vs. Freddy Vidal
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Cam Teague vs. Lerryan Douglas
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Anthony Guarascio vs. Steven Asplund
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