Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 44

DWCS 44 winner Jonny Parsons not surprised with UFC deal after split: ‘This is where I belong’

Despite earning a hard-fought win on Dana White’s Contender Series 44, Jonny Parsons expected to walk away with a UFC contract.

LAS VEGAS – Despite earning a hard-fought win on Dana White’s Contender Series 44, [autotag]Jonny Parsons[/autotag] expected to walk away with a UFC contract.

In the featured bout Tuesday night, Parsons (8-2) defeated Solomon Renfro by split decision in a fight in which he overcame an early barrage to get his hand raised. It’s been a long journey for the 30-year-old, who knew his performance was enough to impress Dana White.

“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” Parsons said during the DWCS 44 post-fight news conference. “This is where I belong.”

He continued, “I thought I put on an exciting fight, the kind of fight that Dana wants to see, and I feel like I got the good reaction out of him and the things he said when he told me I earned a contract, I knew I gave him what he was looking for.”

Although Parsons thought all three judges should have awarded him the win, the split decision call somehow assured him that he was the victor.

“When they said split, I knew for sure it was going to me,” Parsons said. “I was a little worried, it kind of got me thinking how the first round went, but after thinking about it and when they said split, that’s when it clicked in my head, ‘Man, Rounds 2 and 3 were all me, let’s go.”

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

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Dana White’s Contender Series 44: Grading the winners

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the DWCS 44 winners.

Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2021) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the fivs-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders whom the UFC matchmakers can use for future events. So, with that trend in mind, I will once again be taking a look at the winning fighters regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, grading their performances in regards to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

Video: Armen Petrosyan scores incredible KO of Kaloyan Kolev at DWCS 44

Armen Petrosyan scored one of the best knockouts on this season of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday.

[autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag] scored one of the best knockouts on this season of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday when he put [autotag]Kaloyan Kolev[/autotag] to sleep.

Petrosyan (6-1) was forced to fend off the grappling advances of Kolev (10-1) for nearly an entire round in their light heavyweight bout. With just 33 seconds remaining in the frame, though, he connected with a perfect left head kick that sent his opponent flying back in the cage wall for the finish.

UFC president Dana White was ecstatic by the outcome, and appeared to elude to Petrosyan as he walked past his seat that a UFC contract was on the way.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

After the fight, Petrosyan said he was happy with performance and felt good about his chances of getting a contract offer.

“I’m very happy,” Petrosyan told Laura Sanko post-fight through an interpreter. “This was a hard road, but we did everything perfect.”

Dana White’s Contender Series 44 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streamed on ESPN+.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 44 live results (8 p.m. ET)

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 44 event, 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 44 event, 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, Syndicate MMA welterweight Jonny Parsons (7-2) takes on eight-time CFFC veteran Solomon Renfro (8-1).

The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

Dana White’s Contender Series 44 includes:

  • Jonny Parsons vs. Solomon Renfro
  • Valesca Machado vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Caio Borralho vs. Jesse Murray
  • Kaloyan Kolev vs. Armen Petrosyan
  • James Barnes vs. Pedro Falcao

Dana White’s Contender Series 44 official weigh-in results, live video stream (12 p.m. ET)

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 44 fighter weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 44 fighter weigh-ins, and you can catch a live video stream of the action, beginning at noon 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, Syndicate MMA welterweight [autotag]Jonny Parsons[/autotag] (7-2) takes on eight-time CFFC veteran [autotag]Solomon Renfro[/autotag] (8-1).

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 44 weigh-in results include:

  • Jonny Parsons () vs. Solomon Renfro ()
  • Valesca Machado () vs. Piera Rodriguez ()
  • Caio Borralho () vs. Jesse Murray ()
  • Kaloyan Kolev () vs. Armen Petrosyan ()
  • James Barnes () vs. Pedro Falcao ()