Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 39

DWCS 39 winner Jasmine Jasudavicius eager ‘to fight right away’ in UFC

Jasmine Jasudavicius wasn’t joking when she told Dana White that she’s keen to get back in the octagon.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag] wasn’t joking when she told UFC president Dana White that she’s keen to get back in there.

Jasudavicius (6-1) earned a decision win in a hard-fought battle against Julia Polastri at Dana White’s Contender Series 39 and although she walked out with several bumps and bruises, she plans on staying in Las Vegas for the next two weeks.

Now a UFC fighter, the 32-year-old wants to get right back to work and is ready to go as soon as next week if the UFC needs her.

“One hundred percent,” Jasudavicius told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39 event. “My weight is good. This (points to face) will heal up super fast. My face marks up so easily, my whole body marks up so easy. Literally a gust of wind, and I get a bruise. It’s ridiculous. All my fights, you look at my face after, I look trash.

“But no, 100 percent I want to fight right away. I’m ready, I’m good. I know obviously I always have things to work on, and I want to be better going into every fight. I want to be better than my last fight, but why not? We’re here for a reason, let’s fight, let’s fight, let’s fight. I’m older. I want to get as many fights as I can in and reach the pinnacle of this sport.”

To see the full interview with Jasudavicius, check out the video above.

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Albert Duraev targets top UFC middleweights, eyes winner of Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori

After his dominant win at Dana White’s Contender Series 39, Albert Duraev is shooting straight for the top.

LAS VEGAS – After his dominant win at Dana White’s Contender Series 39, [autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag] is shooting straight for the top.

The former ACB middleweight champion made quick work of Caio Bittencourt with a first-round submission to punch his ticket to the UFC on Tuesday and isn’t looking to waste any time.

Duraev (14-3) wants the winner of the Oct. 23 main event fight between former title challengers Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori, and White seems open to the idea of giving him a top contender right off the bat.

“Hearing Dana White say that makes me very, very happy,” Duraev told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39 event. “I know in a month there will be a big fight between Paulo Costa and Vettori, and I’m ready to fight with the winner of that fight. Like I said, I’m ready for any opponent the UFC would give me.”

To see the full interview with Duraev, check out the video above.

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Dana White: ‘I f*cking guarantee you’ Jake Paul won’t call out Anderson Silva

UFC president Dana White practically dared Jake Paul to call out Anderson Silva.

LAS VEGAS – With Anderson Silva’s recent success in boxing, UFC president Dana White doubts [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] would want any part of him.

Silva, the former longtime UFC middleweight champion, is already 2-0 since returning to the boxing ring, picking up a big upset over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and a first-round knockout of former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz.

With Paul continuing to target MMA fighters and already beating former champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, White doesn’t believe there’s any way he considers boxing Silva next.

“Anderson Silva might actually be the GOAT of combat sports,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39 event. “It’ll be interesting to see what he does next.

“I f*cking guarantee you this: You ain’t gonna see Jake Paul calling Anderson Silva out. That I f*cking promise you. (Silva is) his size, and he’s actually good. He’s old, which is what Jake Paul likes to fight old guys. He likes to fight old guys that are too small and that are absolutely, positively washed up.”

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In a recent interview on “The MMA Hour,” Paul said he’d be honored to fight Silva, but only if he was tested multiple times to see if he was “actually good to get into the ring.” He expressed concern at the age gap between them and claimed that he wouldn’t want to take out the old guy and have something similar to what happened in the Vitor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield fight.

Paul also recently turned his attention to Jorge Masvidal, challenging White to let Masvidal box even though he’s currently under a UFC contract.

But a dismissive White had a simple response to Paul’s request.

“Hey, Jake, Anderson’s out (of a UFC contract),” White said. “Anderson Silva’s out, Jake. Jake? Jake?”

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Dana White lauds Anderson Silva’s boxing success: He ‘might actually be the GOAT of combat sports’

Dana White is in awe of Anderson Silva’s post-UFC career resurgence.

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White is in awe of [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag]’s career resurgence.

Following his departure from MMA, the former longtime UFC middleweight champion returned to boxing this year and already has won two bouts in a span of less than three months.

Silva upset former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June, followed by last week’s quick knockout of former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in the co-main event of Triller Fight Club Legends II, which has reminded White of Silva’s greatness.

“Anderson Silva, we honestly need to start talking again about this guy as the GOAT,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters in attendance at the UFC Apex following Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39 event. “Not Tito because he knocked Tito out in 40 f*cking seconds, but you know what, he did to Tito exactly what should be done to Tito. Knocking Tito out in 40 seconds is what should have happened in that fight. Anderson Silva beat Chavez Jr. at 46 years old.

“He now left this sport, which he was considered one of the greatest of all time, possibly even the greatest of all time, goes out, beats Chavez Jr. in a boxing match, and knocks Tito out in 40 seconds. And you know what I think of Tito personally, and Tito can’t box. Tito’s a horrible boxer. That’s why I said I would box him. Do you ever see me saying I’ll fight any other f*cking guy in the UFC? No, and I never will. I never would, and 10 years ago I wouldn’t, but I would Tito all day long.”

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Although White doesn’t view the win over Ortiz as anything to write home about, it’s the fashion in which Silva put him away that he finds remarkable.

“The other thing is when Tito fought here, Tito had a good chin,” White said. “Tito took big shots from a lot of guys who hit hard. Anderson Silva knocked him out in 40 seconds. Anderson Silva might actually be the GOAT of combat sports. It’ll be interesting to see what he does next.”

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Video: Dana White’s Contender Series 39 post-fight press conference

Watch the post-fight press conference live from the UFC Apex following Dana White’s Contender Series 39.

After the action concludes in Las Vegas, hear from the winners of Tuesday’s event.

Following Dana White’s Contender Series 39, winners of the event will speak MMA Junkie and other media in attendance. The event took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN+.

Expected to attend are the contract winners from the event and UFC president Dana White.

You can watch the press conference in the video above.

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DWCS 39 Results: Albert Duraev impresses with dominant first-round submission, calls for top UFC middleweights

UFC hopeful Albert Duraev looked like a seasoned veteran ready to take on the best in the UFC at Dana White’s Contender Series.

[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag] may have stolen the show on Tuesday night.

In perhaps the most dominant performance on this season of Dana White’s Contender Series thus far, Duraev showed all off a smothering grappling game and relentless pressure that Caio Bittencourt could not handle.

At 3:29 of the first round, Duraev forced his opponent to tap from a neck crack submission, after dominating all aspects of the fight up until that moment.

The fight was the fourth of six bouts on Dana White’s Contender Series 39 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which aired on ESPN+.

Immediately after his victory, he called out to Dana White to let him know he was ready for his UFC contract and was willing to take on anyone and everyone in the promotion, including mentioning the champion Israel Adesanya.

“Hello Dana, you like that one? Duraev asked. “Give me very good contract. I smash anybody.”

Tuesday’s performance marked nine wins in a row for the Russian middleweight, who exuded confidence, before, during, and after his fight.

“Give me (Paulo) Costa, gime me (Marvin) Vettori, no problem,” Duraev said during his post-fight interview with Laura Sanko. “I smash anybody.”

After his outing, it is very likely that Duraev will receive a UFC contract at the end of the show, as he showed glimpses of everything White looks for on the show.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 39 live results (8 p.m. ET)

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 39, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

In the featured bout, Brazilian light heavyweight [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (13-2) brings a seven-fight winning streak into a matchup with undefeated Russian prospect [autotag]Nasrudin Nasrudinov[/autotag] (9-0).

The early weigh-ins take place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

The complete Dana White’s Contender Series 39 lineup includes:

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Nasrudin Nasrudinov
  • Brandon Lewis vs. Mo Miller
  • Caio Bittencourt vs. Albert Duraev
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Dylan Potter
  • Ange Loosa vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Julia Polastri

Dana White’s Contender Series 39 weigh-in results, live video stream (12 p.m. ET)

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 39 fighter weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 39 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 12 p.m. ET.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions. While there are normally five bouts each week, Dana White’s Contender Series 39 is currently slated to have six contests.

In the featured bout, Brazilian light heavyweight [autotag]Jailton Junior[/autotag] (13-2) brings a seven-fight winning streak into a matchup with undefeated Russian prospect [autotag]Nasrudin Nasrudinov[/autotag] (9-0).

The early weigh-ins take place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

The full Dana White’s Contender Series 39 weigh-in results include:

    • Jailton Junior () vs. Nasrudin Nasrudinov ()
    • Brandon Lewis () vs. Mo Miller ()
    • Caio Bittencourt () vs. Albert Duraev ()
    • Lukasz Brzeski () vs. Dylan Potter ()
    • Ange Loosa () vs. Jack Della Maddalena ()
    • Jasmine Jasudavicius () vs. Julia Polastri ()