Tag: Dana White’s Contender Series 63

DWCS 63 winner Shamil Gaziev wants debut on UFC 295 with Jon Jones

Shamil Gaziev hopes to make his UFC debut on the same card as Jon Jones.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag] hopes to make his UFC debut on the same card as [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Gaziev (11-0) remained unbeaten when he submitted Greg Velasco (6-1) in the first round to earn a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 63.

Heavyweight champion Jones headlines UFC 295 on Nov. 11 when he defends his title against Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York, and Gaziev wants the opportunity to introduce himself on the same card.

“I would like to ask the UFC if it’s possible to give me a fight where Jon Jones will fight,” Gaziev said through an interpreter at the DWCS 63 post-fight press conference. “To open the card and to announce that today I’m opening the card, but my goal is to fight the guy that will win in the main event. If the UFC gives me the chance, I will be happy to open this historical fight card.”

With an extensive amateur background, Gaziev thinks he has enough experience to take on top-level competition right off the bat but is willing to fight whoever the UFC gives him.

“Since I started my career in amateur in IMMAF, I was fighting high-level guys, world championship in Asia, European championships,” Gaziev said. “I won a gold medal, and best fighters from each country coming from amateur national teams so, in UFC as well, I’m ready to fight top guys. But, if UFC will not give me top guys, I will not be upset. I will fight anyone as soon as possible.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 63.

DWCS 63 winner Kaynan Kruschewsky loves hearing Dana White’s praise: ‘I like to get in bangers’

Dana White isn’t usually keen on signing older fighters on DWCS, but he saw something in Kaynan Kruschewsky.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] isn’t usually keen on signing older contenders, but he saw something in [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag].

Kruschewsky (15-1) scored his fifth consecutive finish when he submitted Dylan Mantello (7-3) in the first round Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 63 to earn a UFC contract.

White raved about the Brazilian lightweight and showed no hesitancy in signing him despite his age.

“This kid came out and absolutely dominated,” White told Laura Sanko of the 32-year-old. “He’s 15-1. When I talk about guys that are too young or guys that are too old, what I like about this guy is I can throw this guy right in the mix today. He’s got a ton of experience.

“Here’s the other thing I love about him: He’s got 16 fights, he’s got 13 finishes. This guy doesn’t mess around. This guy comes in to finish you and what makes him even more interesting is he’s been in multiple five-round fights before. So, he’s a guy that can come right in and fight anybody at anytime.”

Kruschewsky was happy with the UFC CEO’s praise and is confident his experience will pull through. He pointed to his 2019 win over UFC veteran Adriano Martins, who handed current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev the lone loss of his career when he knocked him out in 2015.

“It’s sensational to hear that,” Kruschewsky said through an interpreter at the DWCS 63 post-fight press conference. “I’ve always been like this. I love to fight. If you think about it, in my experience, I fought Adriano Martins, somebody that came in and beat Islam Makhachev.

“He missed weight by more than 10 pounds and I still took him. I went at him and that’s what I like to do, I’m always ready. Clowns make people laugh at parties, dancers dance, I fight. That’s what I do. I like to get out there. I like to get in bangers. I like to get it on with people.”

Check out the full interview with Kruschewsky in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 63.

20-year-old Igor da Silva after DWCS 63 win: ‘I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew’ in UFC debut

At just 20, Igor da Silva is the newest addition to the UFC flyweight division.

LAS VEGAS – At just 20, [autotag]Igor da Silva[/autotag] is the newest addition to the UFC flyweight division.

Jungle Fight champion da Silva (8-0) earned his contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 63 when he finished Jhonata Silva (8-2) by second-round TKO at the UFC Apex.

Despite being so young, the undefeated Brazilian received high praise from UFC CEO Dana White, but da Silva isn’t looking to rush his way to the top. He wants to make his UFC debut against someone with similar experience as him.

“I want to start against someone who perhaps is debuting in the UFC, as well,” da Silva said through an interpreter at the DWCS 63 post-fight press conference. “Or someone who’s got some experience of a couple of fights but not many of them. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew, but I do feel that I want to start fighting as soon as possible because at the end, I want to be a champion as well.”

Da Silva is open to competing before the end of year and sees UFC Sao Paulo in November as an option.

“I’m going to go home, check if there’s any damage or anything,” da Silva said. “See if everything is alright. I’m going to go back home to training immediately and just recover, regroup a little bit, and if the UFC calls up December, January, I’m ready to go. Maybe UFC in Brazil? I’m ready. Why not?”

Check out the full interview with da Silva in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 63.

Dana White says Raul Rosas Jr. ‘destroyed’ Noche UFC in terms of views: Fans ‘love that kid’

Dana White is very high on Raul Rosas Jr. coming out of his Noche UFC victory.

LAS VEGAS – If numbers are any indicator, [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]’s hype is still alive and well.

Rosas (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) rebounded from his first-career loss to Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in April with a lightning quick TKO finish of Terrence Mitchell this past Saturday at Noche UFC.

Rosas was being called overhyped by many after his dominant loss to Rodriguez, but according to UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], the interest was still there to watch him compete – and the numbers prove it.

“It was incredible,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters following Dana White’s Contender Series 63 at the UFC Apex. “He came out and absolutely dominated a real guy, tough guy, and looked good doing it. He got the pop.

“I don’t know what it was like for you guys, but on my socials – I’ll give you an example: the faceoff between Valentina and Alexa did 1.5 million views in less than 24 hours. He did 3 million views in less than 24 hours. He doubled what the main event did and destroyed the rest of the card as far as views. They love that kid.”

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White doesn’t think 18-year-old Rosas is ready to headline an event just yet but plans on putting him on the UFC’s next Mexico card after seeing Noche UFC’s success.

“After what happened on Saturday night, we’re going to Mexico,” White said. “He won’t be headlining Mexico, but he’ll be there. So, we’re already in the works for a Mexico fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 63.

Dana White’s Contender Series 63: 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 63.

Week 7 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’s 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 63 results: Four contract winners, including one half of draw

Check out the results from the seventh episode of this season’s DWCS, where one half of a unanimous draw earned a contract.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 63 event at the UFC Apex.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC CEO Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

The seventh episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. When the action concluded, White offered contracts to three winners: flyweight Igor da Silva, lightweight Kaynan Kruschewsky, and heavyweight Shamil Gaziev.

In a rare occurrence for the series, a fight was ruled a unanimous draw. Stephanie Luciano and Talita Alencar fought hard for 15 minutes, but the scorecards had the fight even. Luciano came on strong in the third round to record a 10-8 round, and even earned a UFC contract for her late surge.

All three fighters who finished their fights earned a contract, while the lone winner by decision, Daniel James Allen, was snubbed by the UFC boss.

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 63 include:

  • Shamil Gaziev def. Greg Velasco via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:38
  • Daniel James Allen def. JaCobi Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Talita Alencar vs. Stephanie Luciano ends in a draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
  • Kaynan Kruschewsky def. Dylan Mantello via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
  • Igor da Silva def. Jhonata Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:37

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 63.

DWCS 63 video: Kaynan Kruschewsky puts Dylan Mantello to sleep with rear-naked choke

Kaynan Kruschewsky flexed his submission skills by choking out Dylan Mantello in front of Dana White at the UFC Apex.

More than half of [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]’s wins have come by submission, and he added another to his record on the biggest stage of his career thus far.

Kruschewsky (15-1) only needed half a round to get the job done at Dana White’s Contender Series 63 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The Brazilian lightweight gave Dylan Mantello a nap from a rear-naked choke at 2:52 of the first round.

Once Kruschewsky found his way onto Mantello’s back, it was a wrap – literally and figuratively. Kruschewsky latched on to Mantello and sunk in a deep rear naked choke close to the fence. The referee closely monitored the situation, and discovered Mantello went out after shaking his arm for a response.

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

The win extended Kruschewsky’s current winning streak to six, which includes five stoppage victories. After exiting the cage, he made sure to stop for a selfie with UFC CEO Dana White who appeared very pleased with the performance.

Up-to-the-minute results of DWCS 63 include:

    • Kaynan Kruschewsky def. Dylan Mantello via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
    • Igor da Silva def. Jhonata Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:37

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 63.

Dana White’s Contender Series 63 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 63 in Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS – The pre-fight activities are in the books for Dana White’s Contender Series 63 following Monday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including unbeaten heavyweights Shamil Gaziev (10-0) and Greg Velasco (6-0), who headline the show.

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 63 takes place Tuesday and streams on ESPN+.

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