Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 55

Dana White raves about success of this season’s Contender Series, says plan is to air on ESPN

It sounds like this has been the most successful of Dana White’s Contender Series six seasons.

LAS VEGAS – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is looking to take the Contender Series to the next level.

This season introduced the likes of Joe Pyfer, standout wrestler Bo Nickal and 17-year-old sensation Raul Rosas Jr., who was just signed to the UFC on Tuesday after dominating Mando Gutierrez at Dana White’s Contender Series 55 at the UFC Apex.

The level of talent and incredible storylines have translated to numbers, as White dubbed this season the most successful of the show’s six-season run.

“This is the first season that, when we put on fights now, these fights start trending worldwide,” White told reporters at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference. “Like our pay-per-views do or our big fights. So it’s never happened until this season where like, tonight during that fight, we were trending No. 4. We got up to No. 4 tonight worldwide. This just started this season.”

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With the interest surrounding the show increasing, White plans on expanding the platform and have the Contender Series air on ESPN.

“It should be, and it’ll eventually be on ESPN, and it will be,” White said. “On ESPN the network.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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DWCS 55 winner Brunno Ferreira eyes UFC 283 card in Brazil but ready to fight before

Brunno Ferreira is ready to get his UFC career rolling whenever the promotion calls on him first.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag] spoke to the media after inking a UFC deal at Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

Ferreira (9-0) needed just 95 seconds to dispatch Leon Aliu in the featured bout of Dana White’s Contender Series 55 on Tuesday. The Brazilian is ready for a quick turnaround and likes the idea of debuting at home on the UFC 283 card in Rio.

But if an opportunity comes earlier, the unbeaten middleweight will take it.

“I don’t do camps,” Ferreira told reporters through an interpreter at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference. “I don’t have any camps, all the training has been the same, I continue to train. It doesn’t change the dynamic of my training. We do the same things, and the preparation never ends. So I could take a fight in a week, I could take a fight in 10 days, I could take a fight in 20 days. Yes, Brazil on the 21st January, that sounds great. But if they call me before, why not? I’m prepared.”

Watch the video of Ferreira’s complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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DWCS 55 winner Austen Lane ‘feels justified’ after earning UFC contract: ‘It has been a long journey’

Austen Lane failed in a previous Dana White’s Contender Series appearance but never gave up on his UFC dream.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] never gave up on his UFC dream.

Lane (12-3) fell short in his first opportunity at Dana White’s Contender Series when he was quickly stopped by fellow ex-NFL player Greg Hardy in 2018. He was finished once again in the first round in his next bout before turning his career around.

Lane won seven of his next eight fights, including five straight to earn another crack at a UFC contract at DWCS 55. And this time, he fully capitalized when he scored a first-round TKO of Richard Jacobi on Tuesday.

“It has been a long journey. It just feels justified,” Lane told reporters at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference. “I said this all the time until I’m blue in the face: It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. Bad things will happen, you will face adversity, but if you overcome that adversity, it’s all good. It’s my second opportunity here. I made good on it. I think people get second chances. People love that story. I made good tonight.”

He continued, “There was never a moment where I doubted myself, because I surrounded myself with people that always push me, that always inspire me. I keep a very tight circle, and I let very few people in, but the people that are here are in my circle, they kept pushing me. So it was never an option to walk away from this sport. I had to make good on it. I made a promise to my coach that I’ll make it here, so I had to make good on that promise, and now we’re here.”

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Lane doesn’t have a name in mind for his octagon debut but would one day like to fight in Jacksonville, Fla., which has hosted numerous UFC events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t specialize in perfect,” Lane said. “I specialize in the tenacity and adversity, so you can put me wherever. Put me against whoever, I’ll show you. I’ll show you what’s up, so it doesn’t really matter. Eventually fighting in Jacksonville would be fun. A lot of Duval chants going on, trying to put Jacksonville on the map. I have a lot of pride for that city because that city took me in.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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Tajikistan’s first UFC fighter, Nurullo Aliev, plans to ‘smash’ lightweight division

Nurullo Aliev doesn’t want to waste any time after securing a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nurullo Aliev[/autotag] doesn’t want to waste any time after securing a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

Aliev (8-0), Tajikistan’s first UFC fighter, remained unbeaten when he stopped Josh Wick by first-round TKO on Tuesday at the UFC Apex. It was a dominant performance for the 22-year-old, who is aiming straight for the top of the division.

“I smash you, lightweight division,” Aliev told reporters through an interpreter at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference.

He continued, “I already said to Dana give me right away. You can give me even top 15 if you wanted.”

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Born in Tajikistan, Aliev is feeling the love from his home country, which he says pulled an all-nighter to watch him compete.

“For the past two days since I made weight, nobody was sleeping,” Aliev said. “Starting from young people to old people. It’s 7 a.m. in the morning in our country; people are celebrating. I mean, it’s just crazy.”

He continued, “Of course, I do want to put my country on the map. I do want to make it famous and hopefully by signing in the UFC, it will open a lot of doors, because I do know that there is a lot of perspective fighters from our country.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. sets high career expectations: ‘I will become the youngest UFC champion’

17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. intends to break Jon Jones’ record as youngest champion in UFC history.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] is not short of confidence. Not at all.

The 17-year-old impressed many with his dominant showing on Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 55 at the UFC Apex. Rosas (6-0) defeated 25-year-old Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision with clean 30-27 scorecards from all three judges.

The victory added to his unbeaten record, but also caught the attention of UFC president Dana White, who gave Rosas a UFC contract for the win. Many weren’t sure if Rosas was going to get a contract given his young age, but the Mexican prospect had no doubts it was coming his way.

“Hell no, I’m here for a reason,” Rosas told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight when asked if there was fear of not being signed to the UFC roster. “I knew he was going to give me that contract, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I’m 17, and I’m 6-0.

“I know what I can do, and (White) knows what I can do. Well, he really doesn’t, but he will know what I can do out there. I would fight this Saturday, but I heard there’s no event this Saturday, so I’ll fight when they have another event. I’m just ready to go out there and get the kill.”

Rosas might be young, but his goals don’t stop merely at joining the UFC. “El Niño Problema” is out to make history in the octagon and that’s becoming the youngest champion in UFC history – a record that is currently held by Jon Jones, who first claimed gold at 23.

“I’m just ready to fight like every week, every month – I don’t even care,” Rosas said. “I’m all gas, no breaks. Like I said, I’ll rest when I’ll retire, when I’m old. You know, now we’re just getting started, so there’s no reason to take a break.

“I know it won’t be easy, but nothing is easy in this life. I will become the youngest UFC champion. I don’t care what it takes, nobody is going to take this away from me. If I could fight a top five in my UFC debut, I would, but I have to work my way up there, and I will be up there soon. I will become the youngest UFC champion when I’m like 19, 20, 21. It doesn’t matter.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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Best photos: Raul Rosas Jr. earns UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 55

Check out these photos from 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr.’s dominant unanimous decision win over Mando Gutierrez at DWCS 55.

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Check out these photos from 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr.’s dominant unanimous decision win over Mando Gutierrez at Dana White’s Contender Series 55 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Hedges, UFC)

Dana White doesn’t think 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. is too green for UFC: ‘This kid is legit’

Dana White amazed by 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] is too green for the UFC.

Despite just being 17-years-old, the UFC president had no hesitation in giving Rosas (6-0) a contract with the UFC after his dominant showing at Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

Rosas dominated Mando Gutierrez (7-2) to win a clean 30-27 scoring across all three judges’ scorecards. The bout took place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex.

Like most, White was impressed with what he saw from Rosas.

“What a war, what a technical fight it was,” White told reporters at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference. “Both guys pushed themselves as hard as they could. And for a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it. Blown away.”

Rosas has just six professional fights under his belt, and he just made his pro debut a year ago in August 2021. Many online wondered if Rosas was too young and inexperienced for the UFC. White disagrees with the skeptics.

“Not off what I just saw, not off what I just saw,” White said regarding Rosas being too young for the UFC. “After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC.

“I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special. The amount of fighter that were blowing me up going, ‘Oh my God. This kid is for real. This kid is legit. Impressive.'”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. dominates at DWCS 55, dazzles MMA world for UFC contract

17-year-old prospect Raul Rosas Jr. dominates Mando Gutierrez and impressed the MMA world at Tuesday’s DWCS 55.

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] left the MMA world in awe, and it got him a UFC contract.

The 17-year-old bantamweight dominated his opponent [autotag]Mando Gutierrez[/autotag] at Dana White’s Contender Series 55, which took place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Rosas (6-0) dominated Gutierrez (7-2) to win a clean 30-27 scoring across all three judges’ scorecards, and as a results UFC president Dana White made him the youngest fighter in company history to earn a deal.

“He is absolutely, positively talented. He’s special,” White told Laura Sanko at the post-event decision announcement. “He’s different. At 17 years old you just don’t see kids handling themselves like that.”

In the first round, Rosas closed the distance early and took down Gutierrez. He dominated Gutierrez for the majority of the round – and even threatened with a suloev-stretch. In the very final seconds, Rosas got caught in a guillotine choke, but he was able to defend the submission until the bell.

The second was very similar to the first. Rosas took down Gutierrez and dominated the action. Gutierrez had a couple of reversals and also had back-mount briefly, but Rosas was in control for the majority of the round. The 17-year-old was very dominant.

In the final round, Gutierrez corner was imploring him to finish the fight. He switched the roles and took down Rosas, but not long after he was reversed. From there it was, again, a one-way street for Rosas until the final bell.

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Rosas remains unbeaten in his young professional MMA career. He’s been fighting professionally since October 2021, picking up four submission finishes and one TKO. His win at DWCS 55 was the first time he went to a decision. Rosas also fought amateur prior to turning pro, going 2-0.

Rosas performance caught the attention of many in the MMA community, including former UFC title challenger and decorated grappler Gilbert Burns.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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DWCS 55 video: Nurullo Aliev mauls way to TKO, then hounds Dana White: ‘Next week, I’m ready’

Nurullo Aliev had a speech for Dana White ready after his TKO win at DWCS 55.

[autotag]Nurullo Aliev[/autotag] wants a UFC contract, bad.

The 22-year-old unbeaten prospect dominated and finished [autotag]Josh Wick[/autotag] in first-round TKO win at Dana White Contender Series 55. The event took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

It was a flawless showing by Aliev (7-0). He took down Wick (12-6) mid-round and then landed ground-and-pound on Wick until he got the stoppage victory.

Below, you can watch Aliev’s finish:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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DWCS 55 video: Jafel Filho lands clean left hook in TKO win over Roybert Echeverria

Jafel Cavalcante Filho landed clean.

[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag] made sure to not go to the judges in his Dana White Contender Series debut.

The Brazilian flyweight prospect put away [autotag]Roybert Echeverria[/autotag] in the opening bout of Dana White Contender Series 55. Filho (14-2) had a competitive fight with Echeverria (7-1), but a clean left hook in the third round closed the show and kept it from going to the scorecards.

Dana White Contender Series 55 took place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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With this win, Filho is now on a five-fight wining streak. The 29-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2012. He’s a former Shooto Brasil title challenger.

Below, you can watch Filho’s finish:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.

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