All five winners once again earned
Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts on
Week 4, Season 10 of
Dana White's Contender Series.
Dana White signs Adam Livingston, Gabriel Lourenco, Silvestre
Sanchez, Modestino Rodrigues and Adam Darby
Week 4 of DWCS 2026 went down on Sept. 1 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Adam
Livingston (8-1) and Hunter
Smith (8-2) kicked off the action in a lightweight bout.
Livingston edged out a split decision victory after a
back-and-forth slugfest, earning a UFC contract in his second DWCS
appearance after a failed attempt last year. Dana
White said that he had no idea who won the fight before the
result was announced.
“Great fight. I had it 1-1 going into the last round,†White said.
“Me and the matchmakers had no idea who won. Split decision
announced. Congratulations, we're bringing you [Livingston] into
the UFC.â€
Gabriel
Lourenco (8-1) took on Charlie
Cleveland (6-2) in a heavyweight matchup on Week 4 of DWCS
2026. Lourenco looked flawless, dropping Cleveland with a right
hand and finishing him with hammer-fists in the first round. White
hailed Lourenco as a new threat in the heavyweight division,
awarding him a UFC contract.
“Gabriel, all I can say to you is incredible performance,†White
said. “UFC has a new 26-year-old heavyweight beast. Welcome,
Gabriel.â€
Silvestre
Sanchez (10-1) and Liam
McCracken (8-2) delivered a barnburner in their lightweight
tilt. Sanchez found momentum in the second round before knocking
McCracken out cold in the final round. White gave Sanchez a UFC
contract while admitting that he initially thought the Mexican was
too green for the big stage.
“Sanchez, this was a tough one for me,†White said. “I swear to
God, there was like 2:15 left in the round, and I was sitting there
thinking, ‘This is a great fight, Liam's a tough kid. But Sanchez
is only 24 years old. Maybe he needs some more experience.' And
then boom! When you come on this show, don't let me say. ‘Maybe he
is too young, maybe he is this, that.' Get your a** over here,
you're in the UFC.â€
Modestino
Rodrigues (8-1) came out all guns blazing from the opening bell
of his middleweight bout against Brandon
Holmes (6-2). Rodrigues took just 15 seconds to drop Holmes
with a right hand before referee Chris Tognoni called a highly
controversial stop to the fight. While White called it one of the
worst stoppages in DWCS history, he gave Rodrigues a UFC contract
for doing his job perfectly.
“Rodrigues, one of the worst stoppages I've ever seen on the
Contender Series,†White said. “Horrible stoppage by the ref. Not
your fault. You were doing your job and doing what you were
supposed to do. You were all over this guy. Come on over here.â€
Adam
Darby (8-1) and Patrick
Rivera (13-5) met in a welterweight clash in the main event.
Darby brutally beat Rivera down, leaving him damaged enough for the
cageside doctor to stop the fight midway into the final round.
White acknowledged Rivera's grit while awarding Darby a contract
for his destructive masterclass.
The UFC CEO admitted that he had predicted Darby would finish the
fight with leg kicks before he saw Rivera absorbing them without
any reaction. White believes Rivera's corner should have thrown in
the towel.
“Patrick Rivera, you're one of the toughest human beings that I've
ever seen in my life,†White said. “And Adam, I told the
matchmakers in the first round, ‘This guy is gonna finish this
fight with leg kicks.' An absolute masterclass with leg kicks. And
setting up other ways to do damage off the leg kicks. That was
before I realized Patrick Rivera was a cyborg. The guy never
limped, he never flinched; he didn't switch stances. Thank God the
ref stopped that fight; his corner should have stopped that fight.
But you systematically just broke this guy down. Absolutely
surgical. Welcome to the UFC.â€
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