Issue 207

July 2024

The Contender Series returns for season 8 on August 13th as more of the most exciting athletes in the sport look to secure a UFC contract. Before 2024’s installment gets underway, Kyle Dimond looks back at the previous year's class of fighters who graduated to the big show to pick out the star performers and compare how they have fared next to the previous year's contract winners. 

The introduction of the Contender Series in 2017 kickstarted a new and highly efficient way for the UFC to sign some of the best talents out there waiting for their opportunity. Through seven seasons and one exclusively Brazilian edition, the show has developed a reputation for delivering great fights and performances every week. Most importantly, each season has produced fighters that have gone on to have substantial success inside the Octagon. Season 7, which took place in 2023 from August 8th to October 10th, was no different. While the class of 2023 hasn’t even had a full year to show what they’re capable of, there have been some stand-out performers already.

THE UNRIVALLED STAR BOY 

Without a shadow of a doubt, Payton Talbott is the biggest success story so far to come through series seven of the Contender Series. Arriving at the Apex on episode one with an undefeated record of 5-0 at 24 years old, Talbott earned his contract following a dominant three-round display against Reyez Cortez Jr. While he didn’t get the finish like so many other contract winners, the Las Vegas native broke the record for significant strikes in the bantamweight division with his opponent’s toughness keeping him in the fight.

When announcing that Talbott is now a member of the UFC’s 135-pound division, Dana White described him as an “absolute predator,” stating that if he’s this good at 24, he can’t wait to see what he looks like at 27, providing he can “keep his head together.” 

White’s words were a perfect set-up for what was to come from Talbott in the following months because forget about 27. Wait until you see what he’s capable of at 25. He’s won three consecutive fights inside the Octagon in less than a year, stopping all three opponents. His second outing against another highly regarded rising contender, Cameron Saaiman, was when he truly announced himself as a future star in the promotion. This star quality was on full display last time at UFC 303, where he produced his most flawless performance, stopping Yanis Ghemmouri in under 20 seconds.

Providing that he can maintain his undefeated record throughout the rest of 2024, it will be hard to imagine anyone pipping him to the Best Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award. 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR BRAZILIANS

Whenever a Brazilian fighter puts in a good performance on the series, Dana White often talks about how he needs fighters from this country. Brazil has always been a massive part of the UFC and the sport. Four Brazilian fighters put on stand-out displays in the Apex and went on to make their mark inside the Octagon. Two of which also delivered big wins and statements on UFC 303 alongside Talbott.

Vinicius Oliveira set the tone for UFC 303 in the first Fight of the Night, where he picked up his second win in the bantamweight division against a very tough opponent in Ricky Simón. This fight showed much more of what he could do against the upper echelon in this weight class. In contrast, his UFC debut and Contender Series appearance were all about his ability to produce viral knockouts. His contract-winning one-shot left hook against Victor Madrigal on week eight was impressive enough but has been overshadowed by what he did after. On March 2nd at the Apex, he delivered one of the best flying knee knockouts in UFC history when he ran across the cage and flatlined Benardo Sopaj. You can expect to see this clip come the end of the year when it would have likely won an award had it not been for the efforts of Max Holloway at UFC 300. 

“The Fighting Nerds” team out of Brazil (which the next two fighters also train out of) has had a lot of success in the Contender Series, and Jean Silva added to that.

He earned his contract after going three rounds with the incredibly durable Kevin Vallejos as an underdog. Silva has earned three wins and three finishes inside the Octagon. He delivered another one of the stand-out performances at UFC 303, where he finished Charles Jourdain. Despite missing weight for that fight at featherweight, Silva would put this behind him by returning just two weeks later at lightweight. His third-round stoppage against Drew Dober in Denver puts him just behind Chas Skelly and Khamzat Chimaev as the joint-third record holder for quickest back-to-back wins in UFC history. Silva is another ruthless striker who will be a staple for some time and is already making a significant impact at 145 and 155 pounds.

Carlos Prates also secured back-to-back finishes inside the Octagon after he appeared in week four of series seven. His knockouts over Trevin Giles and Charles Radtke have put him on the radar in the welterweight division, where he’s living up to his nickname of “The Nightmare.” After he stopped Mitch Ramirez, to earn his UFC contract, Dana White made a bold comparison after being stunned by how impressive and efficient Prates’ striking was.

“In the first round, he landed 70% of his strikes. The UFC average is 44%. He came out in the second round and looked even better, finished the fight. This kid is 17-6 now. He’s 30 years old, we could throw him right in the mix. He could fight anybody. The way that he looked tonight, he looked like a prime, young, vintage Anderson Silva to me, and this dude is absolutely in the UFC.” 

Prates is now set to make his PPV debut when he takes on the returning Li Jingliang at UFC 305 on August 17th in Perth.

Last but not least, Mauricio Ruffy came into his Contender Series fight as the underdog against Raimond Magomedaliev. His contract-winning performance was not the instantly eye-catching display that tends to gather attention, but it was partly due to him coming out on top in a close fight against a formidable opponent. Where Ruffy announced himself in season seven via his Octagon debut in Brazil at UFC 301. His dominant win and first-round finish over Jamie Mullarkey instantly made him one to watch, and his slick and creative striking style earned him Conor McGregor comparisons. 

BY THE NUMBERS

The sample pool for season seven is obviously a lot smaller than previous seasons because most contract winners in 2023 have only had time to fight once or twice in this period. However, at least so far, the class of season seven appears to be on track for a robust winning percentage overall. When looking at statistics collected by Al Zullino (@phre on X), the first number to address is that more contracts have been awarded with each season. 

Season seven saw 46 new names added to the roster compared to 44 the season before, 39 in season 5, etc. Only one fighter signed in the past season is no longer under contract: Igor Severino, who was cut after being disqualified in his fight with Andre Lima for biting his opponent. At the time of writing, the highest overall winning percentage goes to 2022’s season 6. The likes of Joe Pyfer, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Mick Parkin, Vitor Petrino, Karl Williams, Farid Basharat, Daniel Marcos, Raul Rosas Jr., and Bo Nickal have all helped push this figure up to 59.71%. With a current winning percentage of 55.56%, season 7’s alums currently have the second-highest winning percentage, behind the two previous seasons and just above 2021’s season three (55.29%). 

This will indeed move up and down over time, but with the series' overall winning percentage coming in at 51.63%, it’s certainly a strong start for last year’s cast. The percentage is also split across an increasing number of fighters each year, and this will impact the way that the number changes over time. 

For example, just 16 contracts were given out across eight episodes in season one. Only seven of those fighters still compete in the UFC today, and overall, for that season, the alums have 57 wins and 58 losses. Upon closer inspection, a considerable contribution to these numbers comes from just two fighters. Sean O’Malley and Grant Dawson have only lost once inside the Octagon but have produced nineteen wins. Another example comes from Brendan Allen, who has the most UFC fights of anyone to appear on the Contender Series. The middleweight contender is currently 12-2 in the UFC, which will make up for some of his fellow fighters who competed in season three and struggled to make an impact.

RUNNING WITH THE TORCH

It certainly appears that the list of the most notable additions to the roster from the previous series will continue to boost the win percentage for the season seven cast. Four Brazilians have made themselves must-watch TV, and this group could have their breakaway star in Payton Talbott. Now, it is up to the fighters who are set to compete in season 8 to announce themselves on the global stage by winning a contract in the world’s most intense and public job interview. As the new crop of fighters gets ready to showcase their skills, we can only imagine the thrilling moments, viral knockouts, and unexpected heroes that will emerge. Each episode will bring new challenges, heart-stopping moments, and the kind of badassery that keeps fans glued to their screens. Whether it's a scrummy submission or a stonker of a knockout, one thing's for sure: these fighters are ready to leave it all in the cage. The Contender Series is more than just a platform; it's a proving ground for the next generation of UFC stars. And if last season is anything to go by, we're in for a blinding ride. So, pour yourself a drink, settle into your favorite chair, and get ready for the kind of action that proves that the only thing more exciting than the fights are the fighters themselves. 

Season 8 of the Contender Series debuts on August 13th, with episode 10 wrapping things up from the Apex on October 15th.