As Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series hits the half way mark, nine new faces and one returning athlete are set to try and impress the UFC boss tonight (September 10).
In what could very well be considered as one of the best seasons so far, 17 contracts have been handed out, with some of the biggest performances in the shows history also on display.
The first female bout of the season went down last week and delivered one of the biggest knock outs of the series so far when Yuneisy Duben knocked out Shannon Clark in the very first round. Corinne Laframboise and Nicolle Caliari will open tonight’s card with a Flyweight contest. Laframboise comes into the contest in the best form of her career, riding a three fight week streak, with all three wins coming by way of stoppage. Similarly, Caliari also comes into the fight with three wins her last three outings and just like Laframboise, all three have came inside the distance.
Unbeaten prospects will then collide at Bantamweight as Otar Tanzilov and Josias Musasa meet in the next bout of the night. Tanzilov joined the professional scene in 2018 and has built an impressive 9-0-0 record. Of his nine wins, the 26-year-old has only been to the scorecards twice, with seven of his wins coming by way of strikes. Musasa only turned professional in 2022 and has been on a tear ever since. ‘The K.O Wizard’ is an extremely apt alias for the Congolese athlete, who has only been out of the first round once, and all of his wins coming by KO/TKO stoppage.
It is then the turn of the Middleweights to battle it out with Yousri Belgaroui taking on Taiga Iwasaki. Belgaroui returns to the Contender Series after losing by way of unanimous decision to Marco Tulio on last year’s show. Since picking up the loss, the Dutchman has made the walk twice, and won both bouts against tough opposition on Levels Fight League. The 32-year-old will be hoping he can right the wrongs of his maiden bout on the Contender Series and collect a UFC contract. In his way, will be Iwasaki. Having received the call up on relatively short notice, the Japanese athlete enters the bout with a 7-1 record. The only blemish on his record is a loss to former Bellator Middleweight World Champion, Rafael Lovato Jr.
Kody Steele and Quemuel Ottoni will then fight it out in the co-main event, in a Lightweight contest. The unbeaten Steele has a extensive wrestling and grappling background, having competed at the likes of the Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds, Submission Underground, Polaris and the UFC Fight Pass Invitational. However, his strikes are just as lethal as his submission game with half of his six wins coming by strikes. Ottoni will be the most experienced man to compete tonight, with 15 professional bouts under his belt. The bout will see the Brazilian return to competition for the first time since 2022 and although his activity hasn’t been vast, his form has been consistent as he is unbeaten in his last 5.
In just his fifth professional mixed martial arts bout, Navajo Stirling has the chance to add himself to the UFC roster if he can beat Philip Latu in the main event. After competing in several striking dominant disciplines, Stirling made his professional debut in 2022 and took him his first win by way of unanimous decision. The New Zealand man has already fought twice this year, picking up back to back stoppage wins in the space of six weeks. Latu was originally set to face Francesco Mazzeo but the Cage Warriors athlete was forced to withdraw. In his last 5, ‘The Doctor’ has amassed a 4-1 record, with all four wins coming within the distance.
