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Dana White rips 2 DWCS winners, then awards both with UFC contracts

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Dana White rips 2 DWCS winners, then awards both with UFC contracts

Week 8 of
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10 featured just four
fights due to a last-minute cancellation.

Ilias
Bulaid and Erick
Visconde were scheduled to kick off the card in a featherweight
bout Tuesday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. However, the bout fell
through at the 11th hour after Bulaid fell ill despite making
weight. The matchup has been postponed to
Week 10 of DWCS 2026.

Dana White blasted Adama Diop's performance before awarding him
a UFC contract at DWCS Week 8

Aieza
Ramos Bertolso (8-0) took on Camila
Reynoso (9-2) in a strawweight matchup. Bertolso dominated
Reynoso in all aspects before forcing her to tap to a Brabo choke
in the first round.

While she was a -500 favorite going into the fight,
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White initially didn't believe the odds. However, White
admitted that Bertolso proved the oddsmakers correct with her
dominant showing.

“Let's start with Aieza… So, you looked great on your feet, you
looked great on the ground,†White said while awarding Bertolso a
UFC contract. “You're 8-0, 25 years old; you were a 5-1 favorite. I
don't believe anybody is a 5-1 favorite, especially here at the
Contender Series. You were definitely a 5-1 favorite. You looked
amazing. And I think you're gonna be a great addition to the
115-pound division. Welcome to the UFC.â€

Ian
Escuza (8-0) earned a controversial stoppage victory in his
featherweight bout against Luca
Borando (9-2). Escuza dropped Borando with a knee and followed
with a flurry to secure the stoppage in just 32 seconds. During the
finishing sequence, Escuza landed another knee to a grounded
Borando.

White said he believed the fight should have been ruled a no
contest. While he was reluctant to give Escuza a contract, UFC
matchmaker Sean Shelby went to bat for the undefeated Peruvian.

“Ian, unfortunately for you, I disagree with the athletic
commission,†White said. “I think this fight should have been a no
contest. It was an illegal knee. I don't think it was intentional.
But not the way it should have played out. I don't know how you get
in here on a DQ or a no contest. But let me tell you this: Sean
Shelby just fought hard for you in the back. Sean Shelby said,
‘This guy is great; he is very talented.' Don't make Sean regret
this. Welcome to the UFC.â€

White handed out UFC contracts to all four winners Tuesday night.
Adama
Diop (7-1) failed to impress the UFC boss despite scoring a
stoppage victory over Zaurbek
Sabanov (5-1). White said he believes Diop will get knocked out
by UFC heavyweights if he fights the way he did Tuesday. However,
he gave the 31-year-old Senegalese a UFC contract with a stern
warning.

“Alright, big guy [Adama Diop], your fight was horrible, sloppy and
one of the worst fights I have ever seen on the Contender Series,â€
White said. “Your stand-up is horrible; you tried to wrestle your
way to a win till the crowd started booing you out of this place.
And if you fought in the UFC, a UFC heavyweight will knock your *ss
out the way this kid didn't and get the win. And here's the even
bigger problem: you're 31 years old. If you don't get this
opportunity tonight, what are you gonna do? Where are you gonna end
up? How's it gonna go? Don't f*cking make me regret this.â€

Paddy
Pimblett's teammate, George
Staines (9-0), scored a slam knockout against Loai
Abushaar (7-2) in the main event. White was impressed with
Staines' dominant performance against his 6-foot-4 lightweight
opponent.

“George, you were up against a massive guy at 155 pounds and you
absolutely destroyed him,†White said. “One of the greatest
finishes ever; you made it look easy. Congratulations and welcome
to the UFC.â€

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MMA

10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style

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10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style
Movsar
Evloev rejects the notion that fans only want bloody
fights.

Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Russian
challenger has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision but believes
fans appreciate his fighting style.

Movsar Evloev argues wrestling can entertain UFC fans ahead of
Volkanovski title fight

The recent departures of Michael
Page and Farid
Basharat have fueled debate about whether winning is enough to
secure a new UFC contract. Neither fighter was re-signed despite a
winning streak, though a lack of finishes has not been established
as the reason for either departure.

Evloev believes finishes are not the only measure of a fighter's
value. He says fans also appreciate tactics, skill and
wrestling.

“I have zero finishes in UFC, but I'm still in the UFC and I'm
fighting for the title,†Evloev told MMA Fighting. “That means only
finishes are not important. To show a good fight is also important.
If you have no finish, you can still show a good fight, an exciting
fight; you can show the beauty of wrestling. There are not just
fans of MMA who just wait for blood. There are so many good fans
who know MMA, and they understand, and maybe because of them I'm
still in the UFC.â€

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MMA

Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

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Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

What’s up best community in sports? Hope you’re having a great start to the week.

Tomorrow (later than usual), we’re going LIVE with a special Between the Links episode. I’ll be in Las Vegas, and joining me will be the great José Youngs to answer your questions about UFC 333, the two title fights, RAF 14, and much more.

Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

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MMA

Alexander Volkanovski predicts wild finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev

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Alexander Volkanovski predicts 'wild' finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.

Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.

Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.

“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€

Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.

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