Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 46

Dana White’s Contender Series 46: Grading the winners

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the DWCS 46 winners.

Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2021) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-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.

Despite slow start, DWCS 46 winner Maheshate experienced ‘no nerves’ before earning UFC deal

It took a while for Maheshate to get into his flow at Dana White’s Contender Series 46, but when he did, he displayed his full striking arsenal.

LAS VEGAS – It took a while for [autotag]Maheshate[/autotag] to get into his flow Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 46, but when he did, he was able to display his full striking arsenal.

Maheshate (6-1) became the first Chinese fighter to secure a UFC contract on the Contender Series when he defeated Achilles Estremadura in the featured bout at the UFC Apex.

In what was a wild affair to cap off the night, Maheshate got into his groove in Rounds 2 and 3 by throwing an array of strikes, from flying knees to elbows. The 21-year-old showed maturity by making the necessary adjustments to win the fight, and there were no signs of being affected by the big stage.

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“Definitely no pressure on me,” Maheshate said during the DWCS 46 post-fight news conference. “When I landed in Las Vegas, I was definitely very pumped up, I was very excited, and I wanted to get into the cage as soon as possible. No pressure at all.”

He continued, “There were no nerves. Just like I said I was very excited and pumped up when I landed in Las Vegas. … I was just a slow starter, so in the first round I still didn’t get into my rhythm as soon as possible.”

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

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UFC contract winner Yohan Lainesse after first-round knockout at DWCS 46: ‘You’ve seen nothing’

Yohan Lainesse didn’t get to show off much at Dana White’s Contender Series 46, but his performance said enough.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Yohan Lainesse[/autotag] didn’t get to show off much at Dana White’s Contender Series 46, but his performance said enough.

That’s because Lainesse (8-0) needed less than two minutes to knock out Justin Burlinson with an emphatic left hook on Tuesday, impressing the UFC brass for a contract.

Lainesse, the former CFFC champion, remained unbeaten and although the two tussled a bit on the ground before the fight-ending sequence, Lainesse is excited for the world to see what he has to offer.

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“I want to be undefeated,” Lainesse said during the DWCS 46 post-fight news conference. “I’m a winner. A winner wins, that’s what they do. I don’t want to go there and brawl like a Viking, but that’s my style. I don’t back up; I go forward. When the fight started, my game plan was distance control, but when I came into the cage, I said, ‘Oh, the cage is a little bit smaller than I thought, so we’re going to war tonight.’

“So that’s what I did. I’m going in there for a war, put my feet on the ground, throw some bombs, and one of those bombs landed, so I’m very happy, I’m very excited, but you’ve seen nothing. I’m a well rounded fighter, and you’re gonna see me evolve very fast.”

To watch the full interview with Lainesse, check out the video above.

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Dana White explains not signing Jonas Bilharinho after ‘spectacular’ spinning wheel kick at DWCS 46

Dana White contemplated giving Jonas Bilharinho a UFC contract after his highlight-reel finish but ultimately decided against it.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White contemplated giving [autotag]Jonas Bilharinho[/autotag] a UFC contract after his spinning wheel kick finish on Tuesda but ultimately decided against it.

The decision wasn’t an easy one for the UFC president, who loves nothing more than a highlight-reel knockout. But leading up to Bilharinho’s third-round TKO of Canaan Kawaihae at Dana White’s Contender Series 46, the fight didn’t gauge White’s interest a whole lot.

However, Bilharinho, who once served as Jose Aldo’s training partner for the Conor McGregor fight, is certainly on White’s radar moving forward.

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“I literally looked at Mick and Sean and said, ‘I was 100 percent not interested until right now. Now I don’t know what I am,'” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC Apex. “Now I’m confused because obviously you saw the kid has speed, he has hands, he’s a talented guy. The spinning kick was a spectacular finish, plus you can tell he’s fighting a guy who has a great chin because he took some big shots in there and even the spinning wheel kick didn’t knock him out, but it hurt him and had him on crazy legs.

“The kid’s stock went up tonight. He’s 9-1, maybe one of these other organizations pick him up, which we talked about before, they’re not very bright so they probably won’t. He’ll pick up a couple of fights in LFA or one of those type of shows, and we’ll take a look at him again. He definitely – landing that kick tonight put him in a good spot. He’s a free agent right now, he can do what he wants, and we’ll look at him again.”

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

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Video: Double low blow leaves DWCS fighters rolling on canvas in agony

An extremely rare double low blow paused the action at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series.

History was made on more than one occasion during the final Dana White’s Contender Series event of the season.

A few minutes prior to the show seeing its first spinning wheel kick TKO occur, something else unique went down during the same fight that caused pain to both combatants.

In the second round of [autotag]Jonah Bilharinho[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Canaan Kawaihae[/autotag], which was a very close fight between two UFC hopefuls, both fighters succeeded in leaving an impression on each other.

While clinched along the fence, both featherweights had the idea to throw a knee to the body at the exact same time. There was only one problem – neither of the fighter’s strikes found the target, and both landed south of the border.

Behold the first double low blow in DWCS history:

As former UFC champ and DWCS commentator Michael Bisping noted on the mic, the moment looked like a double knockout from a fighting video game, as both fighters simultaneously folded over and crashed to the canvas, writhing in pain.

Usually, when one fighter is on the receiving end of a low blow or any other foul, the referee will send the other fighter to a neutral side of the cage. In this case, referee Herb Dean seemed a little unsure how to react to the situation and just stood close by as both fighters were next to each other tending to their lower regions.

Apparently, Kawaihae (6-2) took the harder of the two knees, as he remained on the canvas longer than Bilharinho (9-1-1). After a short break in the action, the fight would continue and go on to the third round.

As if being on the stiff end of the double low blow wasn’t bad enough, Kawaihae would go on to find himself on the wrong end of a spinning wheel kick TKO with a minute remaining in the fight. It was a brutal night at the office for the 24-year-old Hawaiian who obviously did not receive a UFC contract offer from UFC president Dana White.

This wasn’t the first time a double low blow occurred in a fight. At UFC Fight Night 122, Alex Caceres and Wang Guan traded low knees in the clinch, but both were glancing and they were able to walk it off relatively quickly.

Take a look at this one between Clifford Starks and Jake Heun from WSOF 19:

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While it’s certainly not the first instance, Bilharinho and Kawaihae are current leaders in the clubhouse for the most devastating double low blow in MMA.

Congratulations!

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Video: Jonas Bilharinho scores first spinning wheel kick TKO in DWCS history

Watch UFC hopeful Jonah Bilharinho’s spectacular wheel kick KO from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series.

The final episode of the 2021 season, Dana White’s Contender Series 46, produced a first in the history of the show.

In the second bout of the evening, UFC hopefuls [autotag]Jonas Bilharino[/autotag] (9-1-1) and Canaan Kawaihae (6-2) faced off in front of UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard.

The featherweight bout took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN+.

After two very close rounds of action that could have left the judges scratching their heads as they determined the winner of the contest, Bilharino decided to take matters into his own hands – or feet.

Just ahead of the 4:00 mark of the final round, Bilharinho landed a spinning wheel kick out of nowhere that caught Kawaihae flush, ending the fight almost instantly.

Check out the highlight below via Twitter:

Bilharinho did not follow up with more strikes after the kick landed, as he watched his opponent struggle to maintain balance until the referee stopped the contest.

It was the first spinning wheel kick in DWCS history, and certainly gave the UFC boss something to think about before he issues contracts at the end of the event.

Up-to-the-moment DWCS results include:

  • Jonas Bilharinho def. Canaan Kawaihae via TKO (spinning wheel kick) – Round 3, 4:00
  • Juan Puerta def. Shang Zhifa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Dana White’s Contender Series 46 live results

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 46 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 46 event.

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, 21-year-old Chinese lightweight Maheshate (5-1) takes on undefeated Canadian prospect Achilles Estremadura (7-0).

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

The full lineup includes:

  • Maheshate vs. Achilles Estremadura
  • Justin Burlinson vs. Yohan Lainesse
  • Qiu Lun vs. Erisson Ferreira da Silva
  • Jonas Bilharinho vs. Canaan Kawaihae
  • Juan Puerta vs. Shang Zhifa

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Dana White’s Contender Series 46 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 46 fighter weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 46 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, 21-year-old Chinese lightweight Maheshate (5-1) takes on undefeated Canadian prospect Achilles Estremadura (7-0).

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 46 weigh-in results include:

  • Maheshate () vs. Achilles Estremadura ()
  • Justin Burlinson () vs. Yohan Lainesse ()
  • Erisson Ferreira da Silva () vs. Qiu Lun ()
  • Jonas Bilharinho () vs. Canaan Kawaihae ()
  • Juan Puerta () vs. Zhifa Shang ()