Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.
Dana White’s Contender Series will return this summer. Check out the fighters and fights that have been booked thus far.
Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 is in the works.
DWCS debuted in 2017 with an eight-episode inaugural season. Season 2 was held in 2018 with eight episodes, followed by a three-episode DWCS: Brasil. In 2019, DWCS was extended to 10 episodes for its third season. The length was repeated in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Each season, the number of fighters signed has increased. Thus far, the show has produced UFC notables including Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Sodiq Yusuff, Jamahal Hill, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Alex Perez, Bo Nickal, Jailton Almeida, Jack Della Maddalena, and Marina Rodriguez among others.
In recent weeks, the UFC matchmakers have been gearing up for a summer DWCS return, expected to launch Aug. 8. Athletes and matchups have slowly but surely been booked. The number of episodes for Season 7 is not yet known.
Scroll below to see the latest athletes and fights booked, which have been confirmed by MMA Junkie or posted about by the fighters involved. This list will be updated as more fighters and matchups come to light.
Kevin Borjas came up big as an underdog at Dana White’s Contender Series 57.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] came up big as an underdog at Dana White’s Contender Series 57.
Borjas (9-1) defeated Titan FC flyweight champion Victor Dias (11-3) by unanimous decision on Tuesday. He was able to avoid any significant damage on the ground, and outstrike Dias to earn a UFC contract.
Borjas saw multiple opponent changes before landing Dias, and was happy to defy all odds.
“There were some things ,obviously,” Borjas told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “The first time they changed my opponent, I was like, OK. The second time, I was like, wow. But things happen for a reason, and if you’re telling me now I was also an underdog? I mean hey, I’m going against all forecasts and predictions. So with me, there’s no problem.”
Borjas plans on getting right back to training, and is looking to return before the end of the year.
“I’m going to keep working. You don’t stop,” Borjas said. “I’m going to keep working on it and try to improve things and all these small mistakes that I think I made … No names to be said here, but December would be great. December would be awesome.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 57.
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.
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:
