Trent
Miller earned an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with the first Von Flue
(shoulder) choke submission win of his career.

Miller (10-3) was a massive +280 underdog going into his
middleweight matchup against Douglas
Henrique Rodrigues on
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10. Miller controlled
Rodrigues on the ground in the first round before putting him to
sleep with a Von Flue choke in the second frame.

Trent Miller earns UFC deal with historic DWCS submission

Miller was awarded a UFC contract after securing the second-ever
Von Flue choke in DWCS history. “The Terminator†also revealed it
was the first time that he finished with a Von Flue choke in his
career.

“He hits hard; he has good striking,†Miller said in his post-fight
interview. “I'm definitely feeling him, my lips a little busted
open. But so thankful for the win. I knew in the first round, once
I got on top of him, I controlled. So that was the plan: second
round, get back on top, I felt the choke was there and I went for
it. I've never actually got it in a fight.â€

Miller had suffered a stoppage loss against Ryan Gandra
in his first Contender Series opportunity last year. The
30-year-old says it was the worst performance of his career and is
glad to have proven his doubters wrong.

“Last year's Contender Series, I had my worst performance of my
life, essentially,†he added. “I had so many doubters, so many
haters come at me. For me to be able to shut them up like that,
it's amazing.â€

Didn’t know if he had the choke until the
fight was over 🤣

Trent
Miller earned a gritty submission tonight at #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/hD6gPUFgj1

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 19, 2026

Cristian
Perez changed his game plan going into his second appearance on

Dana White's Contender Series.

Perez (15-2) came up short against Manoel
Sousa in his first DWCS opportunity last year. “Puas†rebounded
with a first-round knockout win on the regional circuit to earn
another shot at an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He took on Logan
Paxton in a lightweight bout at
Week 2 of DWCS 2026, putting on a striking clinic, knocking
down Paxton twice and finishing him the second time.

Cristian Perez changed his DWCS strategy before stopping Logan
Paxton for UFC deal

Perez had shown impressive grappling in his first DWCS bout against
Sousa. While he's still confident in his ground game, the
27-year-old knows that UFC CEO Dana
White is looking for highlight-reel finishes on Contender
Series. Perez knew he had to alter his game plan to put on a show
to earn a UFC contract.

“The last time the game plan was exactly that: take him down and
try to finish my opponent,†Perez said in a post-fight interview.
“I feel that I do have a very solid purple belt in jiu-jitsu. But
we needed to change the game plan. When you come here, Dana doesn't
want you to come here just to win the fight; he wants you to come
here and impress, to show a savage, that you're an animal. And
that's what we came here for: to fight and put on a show for
everyone.â€

Perez not only earned a UFC contract but also an offer from White
to compete at
Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale,
Arizona.

Cristian
Perez is ready to fight at #NocheUFC
🇲🇽

📺: #DWCS
on @paramountplus
pic.twitter.com/ffHsrlS4T8

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 19, 2026

Shavkat
Rakhmonov shouldn't be underestimated when he returns,
according to one of the Kazakh's former foes.

Rakhmonov (19-0) hasn't fought in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship since defeating Ian Garry in
December 2024. While Rakhmonov was expected to fight for the title
next, he suffered a knee injury, forcing a lengthy stint on the
sidelines. The welterweight title has since changed hands multiple
times, with Jack
Della Maddalena beating Belal
Muhammad to win it before losing the belt to Islam
Makhachev, who successfully defended it against Garry at
UFC
330.

Rakhmonov appears to be making progress with his recovery and
Stephen
Thompson claims “Nomad†will bounce back even better.

Shavkat Rakhmonov remains a major UFC welterweight threat
despite lengthy absence

The long layoff saw Rakhmonov get dropped from the official UFC
welterweight rankings, effectively removing him from discourse
regarding the title mix. However, Thompson, who suffered a
submission loss to Rakhmonov in 2023, warns that the latter
shouldn't be underestimated.

Thompson notes that just because Rakhmonov hasn't competed doesn't
mean he hasn't been training. “Wonderboy†believes he will return
from the injury with a stronger mindset.

“Huge threat,†Thompson told Home of Fight. “The guy is very
skillful everywhere. Just because you don't see this guy fighting,
a lot of people think he's not been training. This dude has been a
through-and-through martial artist since day one. That's all he
does is train. Don't underestimate this guy coming back. I feel
like he's gonna come back even better, a stronger mindset, stronger
fighter spirit. He's looking for blood.â€

👀 Stephen “Wonderboy†Thompson believes
Shavkat
Rakhmonov will return to the welterweight division more
dangerous than ever.

“People think because he was injured he wasn't training— don't get
it twisted. The longer he's been out, the more dangerous he's
becoming.

Don't be… pic.twitter.com/u4S6bBVlpm

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
August 18, 2026