Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 62

Jean Matsumoto’s childhood UFC dream materialized on Dana White’s Contender Series

Since age 8, Jean Matsumoto has been dreaming of becoming a UFC fighter, and it became reality at Dana White’s Contender Series.

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LAS VEGAS – A childhood dream for [autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag] became reality Tuesday at the UFC Apex.

Undefeated lightweight Matsumoto (14-0) stepped into the cage for the first fight of Dana White’s Contender Series 62 to face Kasey Tanner. After a 15-minute thriller, UFC CEO Dana White entered the cage to greet both fighters – something that has only happened once before in the history of the show.

Matsumoto won the contest by unanimous decision, and considering White’s reaction to the bout, didn’t have to worry the rest of the evening to know if he would win a UFC contract too. White showed his cards, and rightfully so for the incredible fight. It all became official four fights later: Matsumoto realized a dream he had as a young child and became a UFC fighter.

“I started training at six years old, and I decided to move on to MMA at eight years old,” Matsumoto explained to MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a post-fight news conference. “Ever since that happened, I set my goals and said that I was going to be in the UFC. Obviously, being so young and having all that experience is very important. I feel ready to be in the UFC.”

Now that he’s in, the 24-year-old Brazilian is ready to get to work, and appears eager to please the UFC brass. If he gets his next wish, he wants his third fight of the year to take place on a rumored card expected to take place in Florida.

“I came here to work. Whatever Dana says, I’m ready to go,” Matsumoto said. “I want to be the employee of the month, and whatever they say, I’ll be ready to fight. It’s what I love. I train all the time. If I could, I’d train 24 hours a day, I’d never stop. I heard there’s a card in Orlando at the end of the year, and I would love to see Disney.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

UFC newcomer James Llontop explains signficance of regional promotion neck tattoo

Dana White called out James Llontop for his neck tattoo featuring FFC, but the Peruvian UFC newcomer explains why it means so much to him.

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LAS VEGAS – Peru’s [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] impressed with his skills at Dana White’s Contender Series 62, but his neck tattoo also became a talking point for the UFC CEO.

Llontop (14-2) defeated Malik Lewis (6-2) by unanimous decision in the feature bout of DWCS 62 Tuesday evening, earning a UFC contract at the conclusion of the show, along with every other winner on the card.

But Llontop had something else that stood out to Dana White, and that was the “FFC” tattoo on his neck, which pays homage to the regional promotion Fusion Fighting Championship. Llontop fought under the promotion’s banner on 10 occasions, including a stoppage victory in May which led to his opportunity to fight for a UFC contract on DWCS.

While discussing Llontop’s performance with Laura Sanko before announcing he was being extended a contract, White joked about the tattoo, saying that it should have to be changed to read “UFC” now.

Llontop appreciated the humor, but has no plans to make any adjustments to the ink as he prepares to embark on the next chapter of his professional career.

“No, it’s impossible because this marks a moment in my life of a before and after of my career,” Llontop told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a post-fight news conference. “I’m very grateful to them (FFC), so I wouldn’t change it. I’m not thinking of any new tattoos. Not for now, but I haven’t really thought about it yet.”

Llontop, 24, was born in Peru, which is a country with a budding MMA scene. As the latest product from the South American region to enter the UFC, Llontop says there are many more on their way.

“I think the Peruvian fight scene is growing and evolving,” Llontop said. “I think there’s a lot of fighters in Peru that will give you something to talk about. I think you will see more and more there’s a high level of fighting in Peru, and I think you should be seeing more fighters coming up in the future.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

DWCS 62 winner Julia Polastri: ‘I needed to show all my potential’ to get UFC contract

After falling short once on Dana White’s Contender Series, Julia Polastri knew she had to perform.

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LAS VEGAS – After falling short once on Dana White’s Contender Series, [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag] knew she had to perform.

That’s exactly what Polastri (12-3) did when she submitted Patricia Alujas (9-3) in Round 2 of their strawweight bout to earn a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 62.

Polastri’s first opportunity at a UFC contract came against Jasmine Jasudavicius in September 2021, but she lost the fight by unanimous decision. She rebounded with three straight wins before getting another shot at DWCS, and she wasn’t about to waste it.

“I think I grew a lot in my personal life since the fight, and I needed to learn many things that I hadn’t an idea in that time,” Polastri told reporters during the DWCS 62 post-fight news conference. “Learning all those things clearly made all the difference right now, because I think I’m a person with the mind in the right place now. I got in there, and I knew I needed to show all my potential, all I’ve got to get the contract, and that’s what I did.”

For her UFC debut, Brazil’s Polastri hopes to make a quick turnaround and squeeze in a fight before the end of the year.

“I’d really like to fight this year yet, but now I’m going to have a break of about one or two weeks to relax a little,” Polastri said. “I came to a very long camp since the beginning of the year, and I’m going to take that break. But I’m ready to, when they need me, I’m here, and I hope I can fight before the year is finished.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

DWCS 62 winner Jhonata Diniz issues warning to UFC heavyweight division: ‘The bad dreams is coming’

Jhonata Diniz could soon make some noise in the UFC heavyweight division given his kickboxing experience.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag] has a stern warning for the UFC heavyweight division.

Brazil’s Diniz (6-0) punched his ticket to the UFC on Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 62 after he knocked out Eduardo Neves (7-2) in the first round at the UFC Apex. The undefeated former kickboxer has finished all his professional fights in the first round and is ready to continue taking people out in the octagon.

“I just have one message to all heavyweights in my division: The bad dreams is coming,” Diniz told reporters during the DWCS 62 post-fight news conference. “I’m the most dangerous heavyweight, and I’m coming to this division.”

Diniz may be inexperienced in MMA, but he has over a decade’s worth of experience competing in kickboxing against the likes of Glory champion Rico Verhoeven and Hesdy Gerges, which has given him confidence as he embarks into his MMA career.

“I don’t care against who, I will fight,” Diniz said. “If they give me a top guy to fight, I will face him because my whole life in kickboxing, I’m fighting tough guys. I don’t care against who I will fight. If the UFC gives me an easy fight, I will do it. If they give me a hard fight, I will also do it. I’m here for work, and I don’t care against who I will fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

DWCS 62 winner Steven Nguyen relieved to earn UFC contract on third try: ‘It’s been a very long road’

A Fortis MMA product, Steven Nguyen was starting to lose hope he’d never get into the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – The third time was the charm for [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag] to finally realize his UFC dream.

Nguyen (9-1) earned a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 62 after he finished A.J. Cunningham (10-3) in their featherweight bout by Round 2 TKO.

Nguyen had already competed twice on DWCS, getting knocked out by Aalon Cruz in July 2019 then defeating Theo Rlayang by unanimous decision in September 2021. After getting his third opportunity at a contract on Tuesday, Nguyen knew winning wasn’t enough.

“The contract aspect, it’s been a very long road for me,” Nguyen told reporters during the DWCS 62 post-fight news conference. “It’s been, I think, four years since my first Contender Series fight, so I just had to keep going. That was the main thing. I knew there was a lot of pressure coming into this fight. I had to finish this fight. It was my third time around, so I went in there with that mindset: Kill or be killed.”

Like recent contract winner Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, Nguyen watched numerous of his Fortis MMA teammates make it to the UFC. After two failed attempts on DWCS, Nguyen admits he was starting to lose hope but credits those around him for always believing in him.

“Obviously I’ve seen my teammates. Everybody’s in the UFC at Fortis. And being on Contender’s twice and winning and still not getting the contract, I was in a dark, dark space for a little bit,” Nguyen said. “I didn’t really know where to go at that point, but I have the best coach, I have the best manager, Jason House, coach Sayif, my family, my girlfriend. Everybody that has supported me and said, ‘Just keep going.’ Because of them, I’m where I’m at now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

Dana White clarifies stance on Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya rematch, admits ‘lots of options’

Dana White won’t 100 percent commit to Israel Adesanya getting an immediate rematch vs. new UFC champ Sean Strickland.

LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] won’t 100 percent commit to a [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] rematch.

Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) upset middleweight champion Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s UFC 293 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. In the post-fight news conference, White said a rematch should be next. But when asked about other contenders such as Dricus Du Plessis and Jared Cannonier, White said he never meant a rematch was set in stone.

“If you remember that night, people said, ‘Well, what do you think? You think there’s a rematch?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, the rematch sounds great,'” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters following Dana White’s Contender Series 62 at the UFC Apex. “I saw the stupid f*cking sh*t that was written by all these stupid f*cking websites.

“Never once did I say, ‘Yes, we’re going to f*cking do this rematch.’ I said, ‘Yeah, rematch sounds – you know, we’ll see what happens.’ There’s obviously lots of options out there, and we’ll see what happens. But, yes, I’m still not opposed to an Israel rematch. We’ll see how it goes.”

Strickland has options for his first title defense. If not an immediate rematch with Adesanya, original title challenger Du Plessis is waiting in the wings. There’s also Cannonier, who weighed in as a backup for Strickland vs. Adesanya and recently holds a close main event win over the champion.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 62.

Dana White’s Contender Series 62: 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 62.

Week 6 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 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 62 results: Five UFC contracts awarded on all-time episode

Season 7, Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series may have been one of the best in history. Five fighters will join the UFC as a result.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 62 event at the UFC Apex.

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 sixth episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shots at UFC contracts. When the dust settled, UFC CEO White offered contracts to all five winners: bantamweight Jean Matsumoto, strawweight Julia Polastri, featherweight Steven Nguyen, heavyweight Jhonata Diniz, and lightweight James Llontop.

The action, particularly through the first three fights, had White and the matchmakers on their feet. White even entered the cage following the conclusion of the opening bout between JeaMatsumoto and Tanner, which was a three-round striking war.

Two losing fighters, Tanner and A.J. Cunningham, were paid their win bonuses for their efforts, according to White.

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 62 include:

  • James Llontop def. Malik Lewis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Jhonata Diniz def. Eduardo Neves via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 3:15
  • Steven Nguyen def. A.J. Cunningham via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:06
  • Julia Polastri def. Patricia Alujas via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:05
  • Jean Matsumoto def. Kasey Tanner via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Dana White’s Contender Series 62 faceoff highlights video, photo gallery from Las Vegas

Check out the video highlights and a photo gallery from the UFC weigh-ins and faceoffs for Dana White’s Contender Series 62 in Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS – The pre-fight activities are in the books for Dana White’s Contender Series 62 following Monday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including lightweights [autotag]Malik Lewis[/autotag] (5-1) and [autotag]James Llantop[/autotag] (13-2), 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 60 takes place Tuesday and streams on ESPN+.

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