Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 58

Fueled by ‘Turkish power,’ DWCS 58 winner Ibo Aslan puts UFC light heavyweights on notice

“I am coming for all of you,” Turkish knockout artist Ibo Aslan said after securing a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

LAS VEGAS – What we saw Tuesday from [autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag] was a display of what he likes to call “Turkish power.”

Aslan made quick work of Paulo Renato Jr. in their Dana White’s Contender Series 58 fight, winning by knockout with punches at the 2:22 mark of the first round to secure a UFC contract.

So, about that “Turkish power,” what is it exactly? That was a question one reporter asked Aslan after his win.

“Do you eat Turkish food?” Aslan responded.

“No,” the reporter said.

“Bro, you must eat, because if you eat Turkish food, you will get this knockout power,” Aslan said. “… I eat Turkish food every day, and they give me energy, they give me power. It’s something from my power.”

Well then.

Aslan, 27, pushed his winning streak to four and improved his overall record to 12-1, with all 12 of his wins coming by way of knockout. In due time – or perhaps sooner than later – this “Turkish power” could be a problem for the UFC light heavyweight division.

Not that Aslan has any particular names in mind, although that could be simply because he has everyone in mind.

“I don’t think about other fighters,” Aslan said. “I have my team, my management, Ali Abdelaziz. I talk to him, and step by step to the top.”

His message to the UFC’s 205-pound division?

“I am coming for all of you, all of you,” he said.

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For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

DWCS 58 winner Charalampos Grigoriou warns bantamweight division of his striking

It didn’t take long for Charalampos Grigoriou to announce his arrival in the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – It didn’t take long for [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag] to announce his arrival in the UFC.

Grigoriou (8-3) needed just one minute to take out Cameron Smotherman (8-4) by TKO Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 58, yielding a contract from UFC boss Dana White.

The stoppage marked the Serra Longo fighter’s fourth straight, and he plans on using that momentum to tear through the UFC bantamweight division.

“I’m a very good striker,” Grigoriou told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 58. “I want them to know who I am and my skills. So, they have to be aware.”

Grigoriou became the first Cyprus-born fighter to sign with the UFC, and he is honored to represent his country on the biggest stage.

“All of them they are drunk right now in Cyprus because they had the parties,” Grigoriou said. “To be the only one in the UFC now from Cyprus, it’s amazing. We put Cyprus on the map, we put Cyprus in the UFC. It’s amazing for me, amazing for my people in Cyprus, and the whole of Cyprus in general.”

Training out of Long Island alongside the likes of UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and top contender Merab Dvalishvili, Grigoriou is looking to make his promotional debut at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in New York.

“I was thinking to fight in Madison Square Garden because I live in New York,” Grigoriou said. “It will be amazing, so yes, I would love to.”

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For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

DWCS 58 winner Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady reflects on long ride to the UFC: ‘I deserved to be here since forever’

After watching numerous teammates get the UFC call, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady finally got his time to shine.

LAS VEGAS – After watching numerous teammates receive the UFC call, [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] finally got his time to shine.

A big underdog against highly touted Cage Warriors champion George Hardwick, Fury FC champ Al-Selwady (15-3) upset the oddsmakers Tuesday with an impressive unanimous decision win to win a UFC contract in the featured bout of Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

The Fortis MMA fighter has helped his teammates prep and even cornered him during their UFC fights, as he patiently waited for his turn. He finally got it, and was handed no layup when he drew Hardwick – but Al-Selwady had other plans.

“It feels great,” Al-Selwady told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 58. “It feels great and as crazy as it sounds, from what I’ve been hearing, all the media hype that I’ve been seeing, that this is the biggest Contender fight, like non-UFC, how could these two be fighting on the Contenders? Right now, I’m just listening to coach’s (Sayif Saud) words, man it’s been such a long ride to get in here. I believed that I deserved to be in here since forever.

“But that doesn’t matter because we’re here today, we’re here now, and I believe that God put me through everything, through the trials, through the losses, through the wins, through the injuries. Everything I went through, the good and the bad, to make this moment count as my moment. The hype, everything. I’m just blessed right now to be a UFC fighter, and I just can’t wait to bring this performance on the biggest stage in the world because now I’m motivated more than ever to get even better and better.”

UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi would be nice for Al-Selwady to make his promotional debut, but “The Pride of Palestine” is just ready to continue riding the momentum he built from an impressive showing at DWCS 58.

“I’ll just be excited to fight and build my way up,” Al-Selwady said. “I want to build a nice name for myself, I want to collect performance bonuses each event because my style I believe is very exciting, and I just want to win in nice, dominant fashion.”

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For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

Dana White’s Contender Series 58: 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 58.

Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) 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 the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster 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 58 results: 5-for-5 on contracts for second week in a row

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

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reported live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 58 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 second episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. A lightweight contest between George Hardwick (12-1) and Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (14-3) served as the featured bout of the five-bout lineup.

Although there were two decisions, all five winners received UFC contracts from White for the second week in a row.

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 58 below:

  • Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. George Hardwick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ibo Aslan def. Paulo Renato Jr. via knockout (punches) –  Round 1, 2:22
  • Hyder Amil def. Emrah Sonmez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Eduarda Moura def. Janaina Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:00
  • Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:00

Continue reading below for more details about each fight.

Dana White’s Contender Series 58 video: Turkey’s Ibo Aslan blitzes for first-round knockout

Ibo Aslan is a proven finisher, and got the job done with a crushing knockout in the first round at Dana White’s Contender Series 58.

The UFC’s light heavyweight division may have a new addition in [autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag].

A Turkish light heavyweight with serious power, Aslan (12-1) stepped into the octagon at the UFC Apex to face Paulo Renato Jr. (12-3) for a shot at a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series 58. It didn’t take long for Aslan to show off his fight-finishing ability, as he blitzed forward with punches, putting Renato Jr. down and out at 2:22 of Round 1.

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

Aslan is a heavy-handed knockout artist who has won every fight of his professional career by stoppage. Tuesday’s result not only marked his fourth-straight victory, but also his fourth-straight first-round stoppage.

Up-to-the-minute results of DWCS 58 include:

  • Ibo Aslan def. Paulo Renato Jr. via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:22
  • Hyder Amil def. Emrah Sonmez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Eduarda Moura def. Janaina Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:00
  • Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:00

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Dana White’s Contender Series 58: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from Dana White’s Contender Series 58, which took place at the UFC Apex.

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 58, which featured fighters trying to earn a UFC contract at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Hedges, UFC)

Dana White’s Contender Series 58 video: Charalampos Grigoriou rips through opponent in one minute

Teammate of UFC champion Aljamain Sterling, Charalampos Grigoriou may have secured a UFC contract in just 60 seconds.

Leaving a lasting impression is key when performing at Dana White’s Contender Series, and that’s exactly what [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag] did Tuesday evening.

The first fight of DWCS 58 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was a bantamweight bout that saw Grigoriou (8-3) take on Cameron Smotherman (8-4). With a shot at entering the UFC on the line, Grigoriou left little doubt that he’s ready for the next level by throttling Smotherman in just 60 seconds.

Grigoriou blitzed forward with a fast combination punctuated with a sharp right hand that sent Smotherman to the mat. From there, the swarm for the finish was on, and Grigoriou didn’t let up until the referee saw enough for the TKO stoppage at exactly 1:00 of Round 1.

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

Teammate of UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Grigoriou improved his current winning streak to four, all victories that have come by stoppage due to his damaging strikes.

Up-to-the-minute DWCS 58 results include:

  • Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:00

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Dana White’s Contender Series 58 weigh-in results: Lightweight headliners set in Las Vegas

Check out the results from the official Dana White’s Contender Series 58 fighter weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 58 weigh-ins, where all but one fighter on the card hit their marks for the season premiere.

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. Hardwick was 155 pounds on the nose; Al-Selwady came in at 155.5.

Turkish fighter Emrah Sonmez (14-4) was the only one to miss weight. The Cage Warriors veteran came in at 147 pounds. He was not cleared by the Nevada commission to cut additional weight, so will be fined a percentage of his purse.

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 58 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • George Hardwick (155) vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (155.5)
  • Eduarda Moura (115.5) vs. Janaina Silva (114.5)
  • Hyder Amil (146) vs. Emrah Sonmez (147)*
  • Ibo Aslan (205.5) vs. Paulo Renato Jr. (205)
  • Charalampos Grigoriou (136) vs. Cameron Smotherman (136)

*Sonmez missed the featherweight limit and was not cleared by the commission to attempt an additional cut. He will be fined a percentage of his purse.

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