Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 47

How Sean Shelby had to convince Dana White to book Sean O’Malley against Petr Yan at UFC 280

“I said, ‘Are you out of your mind? You don’t make that fight now.'”

LAS VEGAS – It took some convincing to get [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] on board for [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s next fight.

O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) meets former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi in what arguably will be the biggest test of his career.

But when matchmaker Sean Shelby proposed the O’Malley-Yan fight for Oct. 22, he had to really pitch it to White, who wasn’t immediately sold. The UFC president initially thought it was too soon for “The Suga Show.”

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“We were in matchmaking and Sean Shelby actually came up with that fight,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 47 on Tuesday. “Sean Shelby wanted that fight. I said, ‘Are you out of your mind? You don’t make that fight now.’ He told me why you make it, and O’Malley’s ready.

“O’Malley’s about to be 28 years old in October, in his absolute prime right now. (He) hits like a truck. He ended up selling me on it. And more importantly, both guys wanted it. And even more importantly than that, when we announced it, everyone went crazy and loves it. And even more important than that, it should be a f*cking really good fight.”

The matchup comes after O’Malley’s most recent fight with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 earlier this month was ruled a no contest after an accidental eye poke rendered Munhoz unable to continue at the 3:09 mark of Round 2. Yan will be looking to rebound from a UFC 273 title loss to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who has handed him his only two octagon setbacks.

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DWCS 47 winner Joe Pyfer would love to run things back with Dustin Stoltzfus: ‘That’s not a win’

“That’s not a win. I know he knows that in his heart. He felt bad.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] got his redemption moment at Dana White’s Contender Series 47.

Pyfer (9-2) earned a UFC contract when he finished Ozzy Diaz in the main event Tuesday. He was the only fighter to ink a deal.

The 25-year-old made good on his second opportunity at the Contender Series after an arm injury resulted in a TKO loss to [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag] in August 2020. Now that he’s a UFC fighter, Pyfer wants the opportunity to right his wrong against Stoltzfus (14-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

“I would love that fight,” Pyfer told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 47. “Nothing but respect to that man – he’s a gentleman. I’ve actually wished him well. We’ve talked about training before. Look, I’m not going to chase him. I’m more emotional because I didn’t get my shot the first time, but yeah, he goes and beats this kid, whoever he’s fighting, let’s run it back. That’s not a win. I know he knows that in his heart. He felt bad – like I feel for Ozzy Diaz in his personal life now.

“The fight’s over, our business is done, but I whooped his ass. Let’s be honest: I whooped his ass. I knocked him out. That’s a win. Dustin mat returned me and part of it was an error on my part, making a mistake instinctually, and it dislocated. I’ve landed that way a thousand f*cking times in training throughout my life – we all have. And mine dislocated. … Going and taking two surgeries man, that sh*t hurt. So I have a little bit of animosity for the fight. I don’t hate him as a person.”

After beating Pyfer to get his UFC deal, Stoltzfus dropped his first three octagon bouts. He notched his first UFC win when he defeated Dwight Grant at UFC on ABC 3 earlier this month and is booked to face Abusupiyan Magomedov on Sept. 3 in Paris.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 47: Grading the winners

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the UFC hopeful DWCS 47 winners.

Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2022) took place Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the four-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.

Dana White’s Contender Series 47: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the first event of the sixth of DWCS.

Check out these photos from Dana White’s Contender Series 47 which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Josh Hedges, UFC)

Dana White’s Contender Series 47 live results

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 47 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 47 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, Ozzy Diaz (5-1) takes on Joe Pyfer (8-2) in a middleweight clash to cap off the four-fight card. The event lost a bout on the scale Monday, when Willian Souza weighed in 10 pounds over the bantamweight limit, causing his bout against Farid Basharat to be canceled.

The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+. The full Dana White’s Contender Series 42 lineup includes:

  • Ozzy Diaz vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Anton Turkalj vs. Acacio dos Santos
  • Dennis Buzukja vs. Kaleio Romero
  • Alessandro Costa vs. Andres Luna Martinetti