After two weight cuts in a month for DWCS, Kody Steele is a new UFC fighter, who admits his best version is still a few years down the road.
As a part of [autotag]Kody Steele[/autotag]’s UFC job interview process, he had to endure back-to-back weight cuts in a month’s time.
It wasn’t a planned scenario, and it certainly wasn’t what Steele (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) envisioned, but it happened when his first Dana White’s Contender Series opponent pulled out just minutes before their fight.
Steele was primed to impress Dana White and the UFC matchmakers at DWCS 71 on Sept. 10 , but his scheduled opponent, Quemuel Ottoni, didn’t allow him to fight for a contract.
Steele was invited back a month later to compete at DWCS 75 against Chasen Blair, so all hope was not lost for his shot at the UFC. But it meant a second weight cut to 155 pounds in a month, which is never ideal. However, Steele made the weight, and impressed with a second-round finish to earn a UFC contract.
It wasn’t easy, but worth it.
“It just wasn’t fun, you know?” Steele told MMA Junkie. “I feel fine. I think I lost a little bit of weight, so now I’m just going to try to lift some weights and get myself back up a little bit. Honestly, it was all mental. I went to go fight, the fight didn’t happen, and then the next day I took a break. The day after that, I was back in the gym, back in the classes, back in the grinding, back to drilling, back to diet.
“So, that was a little rough, but I was just like, it’s just mental. I’ve just got to stay strong and it’ll be good. Then, the fact that I did it, and I handled it just gives me more confidence that I can do these things. If they need me on two weeks’ notice, I’m the guy to call.”
Steele is still very young in his pro MMA career. He’s a grappler who has competed at Submission Underground, Subversiv, ADCC, and the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, among other events, but he knew fighting was in his future.
While living in Austin, Texas, Steele says he didn’t even have an MMA coach. Now, after living in Las Vegas for a few months, he’s around all of the tools he needs to become a full-fledged MMA fighter.
Even though he’s a new addition to the UFC’s roster, Steele believes we won’t see the best version of himself for a few years. As a part of that growth process, he wants to be incredibly active to the tune of three or four fights in 2025.
“I feel like I’ve gotten so much better just being out here in a short amount of time,” Steele said. “I’m still a baby in this sport. I’m only 7-0. It’s not that many fights, and I’m still learning a lot every day. I’m learning on the job. Every fight I do, I pick something new up. I say in like two more years, that’s when you’re really going to start seeing me really start to shine.”
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the five winners from Dana White’s Contender Series 75.
Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2024) 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.
Summary: Setting the tone for the night was a technical scrap between [autotag]Sean Gauci[/autotag] and Anthony Drilich.
I’m not beyond rewarding fighters who go to a decision with an A, but there wasn’t enough output and action to get there for me. That said, it was a shame that Gauci didn’t get consideration come contract time given that he was one of the most complete fighters to compete on the entire card.
I know Dana White has gotten everyone (including myself when it comes to winner grades) to associate quick finishes with good performances, but those two things are far from mutually exclusive.
Unfortunately for Gauci, he claimed to have broken his hand early in the second frame and couldn’t make a case as strong as he would like.
It’s a shame that the UFC flew out two Australian talents who could’ve just fought on the regionals (especially given the flyweight grading curb), but I hope that Gauci and Drilich get serious consideration from the UFC matchmakers down the road.
Summary: After turning the cage into a cartoon dust storm, it was hard to deny [autotag]Islam Dulatov[/autotag] anything short of an A for his knockout over Vanilto Antunes.
As his record indicates, Dulatov is a fighter accustomed to getting things done early.
Dulatov, like other fast starters, such as Conor McGregor, appears to have the ability to lock in straight out of the gate regarding his reads on distance and openings.
Although it can be hard to tell given his enthusiasm and work rate, Dulatov appears to have solid technique and a diverse striking arsenal from which to draw. Dulatov also owns multiple submissions on his record, so I’m curious to see more of him against stiffer competition.
Signing the Chechnya-born German was a no-brainer for Dana White, so don’t be surprised to see Dulatov featured on an international card early next year.
I’m not sure who they’ll book Dulatov with, but I suspect he’d be the perfect dance partner for someone like Danny Barlow.
Summary: Even though it was a quick outing, it’s difficult to deny [autotag]Mario Pinto[/autotag] an easy A for his knockout over Lucas Comacho.
Both men seemed to be somewhat shakey at first given the height and length parity at play, but Pinto was able to be the more composed of the two by staying behind his lead hand. And once Pinto was able to establish his range, the native of Portugal smartly hooked off his jab to catch Camacho coming in.
I obviously want to see way more of Pinto before making any bold declarations, but not even I can argue with a heavyweight who actually jabs.
Considering Dane White’s Vince McMahon-like adulation for huge men, seeing Pinto get promptly signed came as no surprise to me. As far as his first assignment goes, I think Thomas “Jefferson” Peterson would be the perfect matchup to test Pinto in his promotional debut.
Summary: Bodyshot stoppages equal instant A’s for me, so it should be no surprise that [autotag]Kody Steele[/autotag] gets the proverbial rubber stamp from myself and the UFC brass alike.
Looking like the second coming of Rick Story, Steele – who comes from a grappling base – showed steady pressure and bodywork en route to wearing down Blair.
In Blair’s defense, he did take the fight on a short turnaround from a fight he won in late September, so I hope to see him again on a full camp.
Steele appears ready to meet the usual standard signed for this show, but I can’t help but worry about his propensity to keep his head upright and on center in exchanges. That said, I expect solid fight-to-fight improvements from Steele, given his age and the camp he trains at.
I’m happy to see Steele get signed considering the fallout he endured during this season and wouldn’t be shocked to see him paired with someone like Mitch Ramirez for his first UFC assignment.
Summary: Despite starting off a bit shaky, I felt like [autotag]Artem Vakhitov[/autotag] showed enough in his first-round finish over Islem Masraf to earn an A from me.
When you consider that Vakhitov only recently came over from kickboxing (only having two professional MMA fights prior to this), then I feel like we should temper our expectations when it comes to both the Russian’s style and ceiling.
The clinch is quietly the most important space for strikers coming into this sport, so seeing Vakhitov gravitate toward this phase of the fight isn’t the worst thing in the world (although I suspect he was only doing it to quiet the chaos and reduce win conditions for his opponent).
So long as Vakhitov can avoid pulling his opponent on top of him like he briefly did in this bout, then I expect his competence in closed quarters to only improve from fight to fight. That said, I suspect that the UFC will be careful with how they book Vakhitov, considering his history with Alex Pereira (who apparently played a role in his former foe’s signing).
I feel bad for Yousri Belgouri, who now trains with Pereira and still didn’t get this treatment in his two swings at bat on the Contender Series, but I wasn’t surprised to see Vakhitov get the nod from Dana White and company. For my money, don’t be shocked to see Vakhitov paired up with someone like Ivan Erslan for his UFC debut.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 75.
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 ninth week of the eighth season saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. In the feature bout at light heavyweight, former kickboxing standout Artem Vakhitov (3-1), who holds a September 2021 victory over UFC champion Alex Pereira under the GLORY banner, took on Islem Masraf (3-1).
The UFC Apex hosted the card, which streamed live on ESPN+.
DWCS 75 full results
Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:23
Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:43
Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 2:44
Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
DWCS 75 round-by-round updates
Islem Masraf vs. Artem Vakhitov
Round 1 – They touch ’em up, and Masraf comes in swinging heavy hooks! Vakhitov gets clipped by one, and backs into the fence. Masraf gets a clinch and a takedown, but Vakhitov gets up and exits quickly. Vakhitov is on the clinch now. They separate and Masraf comes forward with punches, right into a takedown. Vakhitov gets down to a knee, but pops back to his feet and reverses the clinch. Masraf goes for a trip, but gets reversed, and eats clean punches on his way up. Back in space now with just over a minute left. Vakhitov gets a clinch and lands a knee before they separate. Vakhitov rips a right to the body and BANG! A huge right hand stuns Masraf in his tracks. Vakhitov pours it on for the finish!
Round 1 – Both study the range as they bounce around the cage. Blair looks for a head kick in the opening moments, but it’s blocked. Steele comes forward with punches and looks for a takedown, but gets shucked away. The striking exchanges start to heat up as Blair lands a stiff left hand. Steele rips a hard kick to the body and a right hand not far behind it. Steele looks for a single leg, but can’t get it. Blair stings with a left now. Steele answers with a solid right a few moments later. Steele with a combination now. Blair sneaks in a counter shot before circling. Steele keeps coming forward with huge hooks. Blair connects with a sharp counter as Steele swings. Steele keeps offering hooks and looks for a takedown. Blair keeps things standing. Steele goes for a head kick right at the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Steele.
Round 2 – Blair doubles up the jab and looks for a head kick. Steele comes forward and blocks another head kick. Blair lands a body-head combo. They exchange punches upstairs, and Steele adds one to the body. Steele comes forward again, staying aware of the counter. He rips another punch to the body as Blair circles away. Steele misses with a head kick and Blair charges forward with a left hand. They’re trading punches close to the fence now. Both land clean. Blair circles to reset and Steele closes in to land more punches. Another nice combo for Steele. Ripping to the body now is Steele. Blair answers, but Steele keeps landing. A big left hand to the body from Steele! Blair goes down! It’s a delayed reaction, but Steele swarms, and it’s over!
Round 1 – They get into striking range and begin feeling out each other with quick strikes. Camacho offers kicks and punches while Pinto keeps his guard high, looking for an opening. BANG! There’s a sharp counter left hook! Camacho goes down and Pinto swarms! Big follow-up punches to the head on the ground and the referee stops it. What a finish!
Round 1 – Antunes opens up with a powerful leg kick. Dulatov responds with a fast combination. They reset, and Dulatov darts forward, unloading punches. He’s just throwing bombs at Antunes right now! Not everything is landing, but the punches keep coming! Antunes finally gets a hold of him to stop the storm. Dulatov exits the clinch, and steps right back in with another furious combination. Antunes attempts to answer, but Dulatov charges forward with another combo. Antunes starts to fire back with big strikes. Dulatov steps out of danger, but steps back in with a huge right elbow! Antunes folds to the canvas! He’s out cold!
Round 1 – Gauci comes out to control the center of the cage, keeping his hands high and tight. Drilich circles on the outside and offers a few punches. Gauci shoots in but is easily denied. Drilich fires off a fast combo as Gauci closes in. Drilich continues to circle and work behind a right jab. Another takedown attempt from Gauci is shucked off. More quick punches from Drilich find the mark as Gauci stalks forward. Gauci gets in on a single leg, but is pushed away. Drilich keeps the striking volume high. One minute left. Gauci finally lands meaningful offense with a pair of solid right hands. He connects again in the final exchange.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Drilich.
Round 2 – Drilich fires in a hard kick to the body, followed by quick punches as he circles on the outside. Gauci sits on a right hand, finding the target upstairs. More punches offered from Drilich. Gauci shoots in, completing a takedown, but Drilich is right back up to his feet. Drilich gets back to working behind his right jab as his circles. Gauci lands a solid right elbow. Drilich shoots in a moment later, but is easily stuffed. Gauci gets a double leg, but can’t keep the fight on the mat. He lands a nice strike on the exit. Drilich lands a nice inside kick to punches combo. Gauci lands a trio of hard punches before the horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Gauci.
Round 3 – Drilich comes out firing quick strikes from the outside. Gauci charges in with strong punches. A knee strike from Drilich appears to land low, but Gauci waves the ref away. Gauci stays on the heavy forward pressure, landing solid punches before shooting for a takedown. It’s successful, but Drilich gets up quickly. Gauci lands a hard right hook. The punching exchanges continue at a high clip, with Drilich offering more volume, but Gauci more power. Another takedown threat from Gauci goes nowhere, but he lands an elbow on the exit. Drilich keeps touching with punches. Gauci gets a takedown, this time keeping the fight on the ground in guard. Big ground and pound from the top for Gauci until the final horn.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Gauci, giving him the fight 29-28.
Result: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 75: Best photos Records: Drilich (8-2), Gauci (10-1) Division: Flyweight Broadcast: ESPN+ Referee: Mike Beltran
DWCS 75 faceoffs
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 75.
UFC hopeful Kody Steele ripped Chasen Blair and then landed a punch Dan Henderson would be proud of.
[autotag]Kody Steele[/autotag] finally got his opportunity to fight in front of the UFC brass and he made the most of it.
At Dana White’s Contender Series 75, Steele (7-0) finished [autotag]Chasen Blair[/autotag] (6-3) with a body shot to end the fight at 4:07 of Round 2. The lightweight bout took place Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The fight was somewhat competitive while it lasted. Blair landed some strikes, but Steele’s seemed to go a lot further in the damage department. That proved to be the case when a short left punch caused a delayed shutdown on Blair, who crumpled to the canvas. Steele then landed a big bomb of a punch that Dan Henderson would be proud of, and pummeled away until the referee dove in.
Steele, 29, was supposed to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 24. However, opponent Quemuel Ottoni decided he no longer wanted to fight Steele, and during much confusion, withdrew from the bout (twice). Steele was then rebooked for Tuesday’s bout.
Steele is a decorated grappler, but has four knockouts in his pro MMA career.
A Cage Warriors staple, Blair stepped into the opening after a Sept. 20 win over Florin Pirtea.
Take a look inside the minds of the fighters involved in a bizarre last-second DWCS cancellation.
[autotag]Kody Steele[/autotag] just about had it when Sean Shelby told him to remove his hand wraps. It was the second time he received such instructions within the hour.
Constant peaks and dips of adrenaline and focus resulted in frustration followed by a crash and then acceptance that, frankly, there wasn’t anything he could do about things.
Scheduled to fight [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] (12-3) in a lightweight bout Tuesday, Steele (6-0) arrived to the locker room and was notified the fight was canceled shortly after. His hand wraps were removed.
That’s when the UFC’s lightweight matchmaker appeared in the locker room.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, the fight is back on.’ I’m like, ‘F*ck.’ I went from feeling like I’m not going to go, to like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to jack myself back up again,'” Steele said. “Thinking like, ‘This guy is playing mind games or doing tricks.’ I got all jacked up, ready to go. The cutman does a super fast hand wrap, and I just started cracking pads and warming up. Boom, boom, boom. The fight is getting closer. I’m like 10 minutes before I’m about to make my walk. I’m like, ‘F*cking a. It’s my turn. My turn. Let’s go.'”
That’s when he was notified once again the fight was off – this time, for good.
“Dude, what the f*ck?” Steele remembers he exclaimed.
Less than 48 hours after he dropped that expletive, the situation still hurts. He’s $10,000 richer, but Steele wishes instead he took home the “trophy” he envisioned the entire training camp.
“I thought I’d have a frickin’ contract in hand right now at this point,” Steele told MMA Junkie on Thursday.
The withdrawal didn’t come to Steele as a total surprise, particularly considering five of Ottoni’s previous six scheduled bookings fell through. Steele sensed something was up from the moment the two fighters faced off at weigh-ins Monday.
“I have competed so much in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, sometimes it’s just like crossing paths with someone or the way they step on the mat when they approach the mat, I feel like I can sense this person’s energy and I can sense how confident they are,” Steele said. “This guy was just giving me a lot of craziness. Right after we did faceoffs, I walked right over to my friends and said, ‘That dude knows he’s going to lose. He’s literally here for 15 minutes of fame. After I’m done with him, he’s going to be done with this. He ain’t coming back after this. He knows he’s going to lose.'”
Who knows what Ottoni thought or knew, but Steele’s instinct was somewhat correct. Ottoni, in the other locker room, was having issues.
“It is not up to me to try to define the size of the monster that lives in Quemuel’s head and make any value judgment,” Ottoni’s coach Bruno Murata wrote on Instagram in Portuguese after the cancellation. “… It was a whole day of lots of talking and with great difficulty I managed to convince him to go to the gym. He actually put on and took off the gloves twice. In the last one we almost came to blows. Of course I’m frustrated too. It took months of hard work, a lot of dedication and financial expenses. But I understand that Quemuel’s mental health must come first now. As important as this fight was, this is just a sport. Life and well-being his is the most important.”
For nearly a day, Ottoni didn’t comment on the sudden cancellation. However, on Wednesday, he detailed a fight with anxiety outside the cage nixed his fight inside the cage.
“I ended up not fighting yesterday after really having an anxiety crisis, adrenaline, freezing a bit after seeing all that,” Ottoni said in Portuguese (translated by MMA Fighting). “Watching it from the other side of the screen is one thing, but being there and seeing the cameras, cars, and even people – It was a mix of everything, the anxiety, seeing the camera, seeing the cut man doing my hands, people I’ve seen the most, and that’s it.”
UFC CEO Dana White was not peeved at Ottoni, as many frequent viewers might expect. He actually half-complimented Ottoni’s realization that UFC-level fights might not be for him.
“I’m not sh*tting on the kid at all,” White said. “Listen, it happens. You show up here, and it’s real. You come here and you’re 9-0 or this and that, then the guy you’re fighting is also 9-0, a lot of these kids have hype on them already. You get here, and you realize it’s not for you. I’d rather have that happen here than in a UFC event.”
While he doesn’t begrudge Ottoni as a person, Steele admits the missed opportunity – totally due to circumstances outside his control – is an unnecessary hassle. He also thinks the reputation Ottoni will have going forward makes it unnecessary for him to pile on.
“Honestly, I just feel a little bad for the guy,” Steele said. “He’s going to have to frickin’ live with this for the rest of his life. Any time this dude wants to think about competing in anything, any time he wants to put on boxing gloves, any time he goes to the gym again, any time he watches UFC, any time he sees me on TV, it’s always going to remind him of the day he got here and quit and didn’t do it. I don’t know if he’s got kids, but it’s not good.”
Steele, 29, has made quite the amount of noise during his first six MMA fights, following a standout career in the world of grappling. One of the most anticipated DWCS competitors scheduled to fight this season, Steele will try to maintain that momentum Oct. 8 when he gets another crack on the show against an opponent yet to be determined.
“My game plan for this fight will probably be the same this time around,” Steele said. “I’ve just got to focus on myself and me and my game and whoever the opponent is, I’ll adjust a little bit to him. It’s a little extra motivation. The only thing I’m thinking about is that I’ve got to make this damn weight cut again. I just want my body to be OK.”
For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC gloves.
Every champion in MMA history started somewhere.
For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.
This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.
A proud representative of Mongolia has two belts for UFC Fight Pass promotions and hopes his first CFFC title defense will propel him to the big show.
One of the best regional flyweights in North America continues his evolution and crosses his fingers the UFC takes a liking.
An action-forward Canadian thinks it’s just a matter of time until the UFC call comes – and this could be the one.
Highly-touted on the Texas regional scene, an undefeated welterweight aims to show off his abilities in the international spotlight soon.
A Kevin Holland protege, an exciting flyweight fighter promises to impress the UFC matchmakers in his first LFA main event.
