Dana White's Contender Series 2026.

Joseph Kropschot, Tom Pagliarulo, Bilal Hasan and Anthony Wint
earn UFC contracts at DWCS 2026 Week 1

Joseph
Kropschot (9-3) opened the action in a middleweight outing
against Jonathan
Kunneman (10-1). Kropschot dislocated Kunneman's elbow with an
armbar in the final seconds of the fight. He earned a unanimous
decision win after his opponent refused to tap. Kropschot's intent
to finish was enough for White to give him a UFC contract.

“When he got that armbar, I said, ‘I'm gonna give him a shot.' 31
years old, he went for the finish. I'm always looking for guys to
finish,†White said. “That fight should have been finished… Joseph,
you went for it and you swayed me and changed my mind.
Congratulations.â€

Tom
Pagliarulo (11-2) was the second fighter to earn a contract on
Week 1. The featherweight prospect finished Ananias
Mulumba (10-4) with vicious ground-and-pound in the final
seconds of the fight.

“Thomas, you were in a dog fight; turned it on in the third round,
and finished a really tough kid,†White said. “Congratulations,
you're in.â€

Former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships flyweight champion Bilal Hasan
(9-0) was a -5000 favorite going into his matchup against Mridul
Saikia (9-2). Hassan absolutely justified the odds by
dispatching Saikia in 45 seconds to earn his UFC contract. White
can't wait for Hasan's first UFC bout.

“This is an absolute no-brainer. Even with the ton of hype,
absolutely lived up to it,†the UFC CEO said. “When you're the
biggest favorite in the history of the Contender Series, 10 years.
That's how you treat somebody, and you absolutely did. I'm excited
to see your future. I'm really pumped for your first fight in the
UFC.â€

Abe
Alsaghir (9-0) earned a split decision win in a lightweight
tilt against Fabrizio
Escarrega (9-2). While both fighters went toe-to-toe, White
believes neither fighter stood out to earn a contract. The UFC head
honcho also disagreed with the judges' scorecards on this one.

“I actually thought this was a dog fight between two tough guys
with great records,†White recalled. “And the third round was where
I was looking to see who was going to be my guy, and it never
happened. And I don't agree with the judges. I don't think you won
that fight. I think the judges absolutely blew that decision. And I
just didn't see anything that I was looking for.â€

Anthony
Wint (7-0) earned the final contract of the night with a
first-round stoppage win over Matthew
Adams (6-3). The heavyweight powerhouse took hardly over 30
seconds to reverse a takedown and rain brutal ground-and-pound to
secure the stoppage.

“Anthony, you're a f*cking tank, my friend… Holy sh*t!†White said.
“I didn't get to see much, but what I got to see was pretty nasty.
And I have a long history with your coach, who has nothing but good
things to say about you. Welcome to the UFC.â€

Pagliarulo (11-2) took on Ananias
Mulumba in a featherweight clash on Week 1 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026. “The Phenom†left it all in
the cage, finishing Mulumba with ground-and-pound in the final
seconds of the fight, earning an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his efforts.

‘Most afraid I've ever been': Tom Pagliarulo details how his
team helped him stay focused ahead of DWCS Week 1

Pagliarulo admits that he was very nervous throughout fight week.
However, his coaches and teammate, UFC bantamweight Cory
Sandhagen, helped him stay dialed in. The 29-year-old is glad
to have finally made it to the biggest stage in MMA, even if it
came a little later than he expected.

“This is the most afraid I've ever been in my life, all week,â€
Pagliarulo said in his post-fight interview. “My coaches and Cory
Sandhagen back home kept me locked in. Just reminded me to go be
me, and that will always be enough. I'm like a cockroach; you got
to kill me if you want to put me away… I was never the most
talented or naturally gifted kid. Growing up, doing all these
sports, I fell short of all my goals. I was never the starter in
all of those team sports. But I was always the hardest worker in
the room; I kept showing up. My coaches back home told me, ‘You've
always had that fire.'â€

UFC CEO Dana
White later commended Pagliarulo's performance before awarding
him a contract.

“Thomas, you were in a dog fight, turned it on in the third round,
and finished a really tough kid,†White said. “Congratulations,
you're in.â€

Thompson (17-9-1) recently revealed that he has one fight left in
his current UFC contract. “Wonderboy†is looking to fight out his
deal at the UFC's annual New York City card in November at Madison
Square Garden, which will likely be UFC 334.

Stephen Thompson targets Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden with
one fight remaining on his UFC contract

Thompson is going through the welterweight roster to scout an
opponent who can deliver a potential banger with him.

“Madison Square Garden, Nov. 14, got to make it happen,†the former
title challenger told Home of Fight. “I've actually got one fight
left in my contract. We're looking at November… We'll see who we
get. We're kind of looking at the roster, trying to find out a good
fight. A good barnburner, if you will, for that card.â€

While Thompson never tasted UFC gold despite two attempts against
Tyron
Woodley, the former kickboxer has endeared himself to the
fanbase with his flashy striking style and well-mannered nature.
The 43-year-old is currently on a three-fight slump, losing to
Gabriel
Bonfim, Joaquin
Buckley and Shavkat
Rakhmonov in his recent bouts.