Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 57

Dana White’s Contender Series 58 faceoff highlights video, photo gallery from Las Vegas

Check out the weigh-in and faceoff video highlights and photos from Dana White’s Contender Series 58 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The pre-fight activities are in the books for Dana White’s Contender Series 58 following Monday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including lightweights George Hardwick (12-1) and Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (14-3), who headline the show at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery from the weigh-ins and faceoffs below.

Dana White’s Contender Series 58 takes place Tuesday and streams on ESPN+.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 57: Grading the winners

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the five winners from Dana White’s Contender Series 57.

Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place 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 the UFC matchmakers can use for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

Dana White’s Contender Series 57 results: All winners get contracts, including 35-year-old kickboxing standout

Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series debuts Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reported from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 57 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.

The debut episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a contract at the UFC Apex. The series continues every Tuesday through Oct. 10, with 90 of the 100 athletes revealed.

Although there were four decisions across the five fights, White elected to sign all the winners, including former Glory Kickboxing standout [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]. Also signed was Australia’s [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag], who secured a nasty first-round knockout.

Heavyweight [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag], bantamweight [autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag], and flyweight [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] also received UFC deals for their unanimous decision wins.

The full DWCS 57 results include:

  • Cesar Almeida def. Lucas Fernando via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
  • Tom Nolan def. Bogdan Grad via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:23
  • Caio Machado def. Kevin Szaflarski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Payton Talbott def. Reyes Cortez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kevin Borjas def. Victor Dias via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Dana White’s Contender Series 57 video: Tom Nolan lands brutal left hook to knock out opponent

Tom Nolan scored the first knockout of Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, and it was vicious.

One minute and 23 seconds is all [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag] needed to make a statement.

Nolan (6-0) scored the first knockout of the new season at Dana White’s Contender Series 57 to remain undefeated, and it was a finish that definitely caught the attention of the promotion’s boss cageside at the UFC Apex.

A sharp left hook from Nolan caught Bogdan Grad flush, sending him to the mat. Nolan’s follow-up punches were equally vicious, the final of which knocked out his opponent’s mouthpiece as Grad was out cold on the canvas.

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

“It felt awesome, and to do it against an opponent that was trash-talking me for weeks, it couldn’t have been better,” Nolan told Laura Sanko during his post-fight interview.

Nolan said it was his first true clean knockout, and it couldn’t have come on a bigger stage, with a shot at a UFC contract on the line. With a performance like that, he’s likely a lock to earn a contract by the end of the evening.

Up-to-the-minute DWCS 57 results include:

  • Tom Nolan def. Bogdan Grad via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:23
  • Caio Machado def. Kevin Szaflarski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Payton Talbott def. Reyes Cortez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kevin Borjas def. Victor Dias via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Dana White’s Contender Series 57: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 57 in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 57 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Hedges, UFC)

(Gallery updated throughout the event.)

Video: What’s the excitement level for Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series?

Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series kicks off Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but does this year have as much hype as the past?

It’s that time of year again. Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series kicks off Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the series that has produced a plethora of UFC notables will look to do it again.

Notable prospects from around the globe are set to step in the cage and have their performances assessed by UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag]. Are they worthy of a UFC contract? Are they special? Or is more work needed before officially stepping in the octagon?

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The season does not lack the potential star power of some past years, but should that matter? Is there still interest there?

That’s what the “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Farah Hannoun discussed with host George Garcia ahead of DWCS 57 tonight, which begins at 7 p.m. ET and streams on ESPN+.

Watch the segment above, and Monday’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.

Dana White’s Contender Series 57 faceoff highlights video, photo gallery from Las Vegas

Check out the weigh-in and faceoff video highlights and photos from the season premiere of Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The pre-fight activities are in the books for Dana White’s Contender Series 57 following Monday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including middleweights Cesar Almeida (3-0) and Lucas Fernando (9-1), who headline the show at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery from the weigh-ins and faceoffs below.

Dana White’s Contender Series 57 takes place Tuesday and streams on ESPN+.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 57 weigh-in results: Perfect session in Las Vegas for season premiere

Check out results and a live video stream from the official Dana White’s Contender Series 57 fighter weigh-ins in Las Vegs.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 57 weigh-ins, where all 10 fighters on the card hit their marks for the season premiere.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including Brazilian middleweights Cesar Almeida (3-0) and Lucas Fernando (9-1), who headline the show. Fernando came in at 186 pounds. His fellow Brazilian Almeida was 185.5.

The weigh-ins took 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 57 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. Lucas Fernando (186)
  • Bogdan Grad (156) vs. Tom Nolan (155)
  • Caio Machado (256) vs. Kevin Szaflarski (260.5)
  • Junior Cortez (135.5) vs. Payton Talbott (135.5)
  • Kevin Borjas (125.5) vs. Victor Dias (126)

Bo Nickal gets opponent for second Dana White’s Contender Series fight on Sept. 27

Bo Nickal will return to action on the Season 6 finale of Dana White’s Contender Series.

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] will return to action on the Season 6 finale of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Nickal, the highly touted three-time NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champion, is set for his third professional fight at Dana White’s Contender Series 57, which takes place Sept. 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Standing across the octagon from Nickal (2-0) will be [autotag]Donovan Beard[/autotag] (6-1), who will attempt to pull off a monumental upset over arguably the top prospect in the sport.

The UFC announced the matchup during Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 41 broadcast.

Many believed Nickal, 27, should’ve been shoehorned immediately into the UFC after a 62-second submission win at DWCS 49 this past week.

UFC boss White, however, said he felt it was best to get Nickal another fight on this season of his series.

“I don’t know what else he could have done to look any better,” White said. “He looked incredible. The only reason I didn’t sign him tonight is because he’s 2-0 now. … We got eight more weeks of this. Why not have him fight here again, you know what I mean? It just makes sense.”

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