Week 7 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026 despite few finishes.

Dana White awards UFC contracts to Damian Piwowarczyk, Piero
Guaylupo, Callum Connor, Marcos Degli, Alvi Dasuyev and Jaden
Ortega

Damian
Piwowarczyk (12-4) and Emilio
Quissua (8-1) started the action with a light heavyweight
clash. While Quissua came out strong, Piwowarczyk handed him his
first pro loss late in the first round with a vicious flurry. UFC
CEO Dana
White awarded Piwowarczyk a UFC contract for the finish.

“Damian, great first round,†White said. “Emilio is a tough guy. He
was putting it on you in that first round. And what did you do?
Knock him out with less than 10 seconds left in the first round.
Congratulations, you're in the UFC.â€

Piero
Guaylupo (13-0) and Callum
Connor (8-1) put on a barnburner in their lightweight tilt. The
bout would have broke the UFC lightweight record for the most
significant strikes landed in a three-round fight had it not been
under the DWCS banner. While Guaylupo defeated Connor via unanimous
decision, White awarded both fighters UFC contracts while hailing
the bout as a Fight of the Year contender.

“Both of these guys are in the hospital right now, Callum and
Piero, as they should be,†White said. “One of the greatest fights
you'll ever see on Tuesdays or Saturdays or any other day. This
fight could be up for Fight of the Year contender. For Piero to be
21 years old and fight the way he did, the fight was incredible.
But takes two guys to make a great fight; I'm taking them both…
Hopefully they're watching it on their phones.â€

Carlos
Prates' highly touted teammate, Marcos
Degli (15-3), lived up to his hype in a flyweight clash against
Joshua
Van's teammate, Paris Moran
(14-4). Degli, whom Prates used to consider the best flyweight
outside the UFC, finished Moran with a standing one-arm rear-naked
choke.

“Marcos, what a nasty, incredible sub you pulled off tonight,â€
White said while awarding Degli a contract. “13-fight win streak,
how can I say no to you? I can't. Get over here.â€

Alvi
Dasuyev (10-0) and Jaden
Ortega (6-1) also delivered an instant classic in their
welterweight matchup. While Ortega was dropped by Dasuyev in the
first round, he showed immense heart in going the distance despite
losing via unanimous decision. White awarded both fighters UFC
contracts, emphasizing that it takes two to tango.

“Alvi and Jaden, incredible fight,†White said. “[Alvi], it is only
the second time that you've ever gone three rounds in 10 fights.
Young guy, 24-years-old, I look very forward to seeing you grow in
the UFC and see what you're able to do. But like I just said a
minute ago, Jaden showed up here to fight. Takes two guys to make a
great fight; I want [Jaden] too.â€

White also revealed that promotional matchmaker Mick Maynard
insisted on signing Ortega.

Norbert
Novenyi Jr. (11-1) and Theo Haig
(7-2) failed to deliver in the main event of the card. Both
fighters were visibly exhausted by the second round, leading to
clinch positions marked with inactivity. Novenyi Jr. earned a
unanimous decision win, handing Haig his second DWCS loss after a
failed bid last year. However, White did not see enough from
Novenyi Jr. to want him in the UFC.

“Norbert, both of you guys have great records; you came in, fought
a good fight,†White said. “Unfortunately, my friend, I didn't see
anything tonight that makes me say, ‘I got to have this guy in the
UFC.' Whatever you decide to do here, we would like to take another
look at you. But tonight's not your night, my friend.â€

Sharaf was a massive underdog going into his
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout against
Steveson at UFC
331. He knocked Steveson out cold in 12 seconds in a monumental
upset and has since revealed that he knew the Olympian was
underestimating him, which only motivated him further.

Sharaf says Steveson’s RAF 12 wrestling match during UFC camp
lit a fire under him

Sharaf recently revealed that a specific moment made it certain
that Steveson was looking past him. Steveson (4-1) defeated Anthony
Cassioppi in a wrestling match at RAF 12, less than a month before
his fight against Sharaf. When Sharaf saw Steveson doing side
quests during fight camp, he knew that the Olympic gold medalist
was overconfident.

“He did a [Real American Freestyle] match,†Sharaf told TMZ Sports.
“He did a wrestling match like the month prior, and that's when I
knew. He's in fight camp and he's going to do another event.â€

Meanwhile, it was a do-or-die matchup for Sharaf (5-2), having been
knocked out in both of his previous UFC bouts. While he knew that
he was being considered a stepping stone for Steveson, the former
U.S. Marine was determined to win.

“I was on the chopping block,†Sharaf added. “Literally, everyone
was just like, he even said in his interview, ‘He’s a sacrificial
lamb, he’s a coward, he’s looking for a way out,' and I’m like,
‘Bro, I signed up for this, brother. I signed the contract.' I am
definitely going to show up on fight night and I’m definitely here
to f*cking win.â€

Sharaf then doubled down on his advice to never underestimate an
opponent, especially at the highest level.

“That’s another lesson, like, bro, you can’t underestimate anyone.
Like I said, he has two hands, he has two legs, he bleeds red and
you can get touched, especially in the UFC.”

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder was recently
involved in yet another accident. Strickland claims his friend was
driving when their ATV flipped over and rolled six times. He wasn't
wearing a helmet, leading to minor scratches on his head and
shoulders.

Sean Strickland escapes major injury after six-roll ATV
accident

While the two-time champ didn't suffer any major injuries, he
admitted he was in a “bad place†after the accident.

“Guys, I'm in a real bad place,†Strickland said on Instagram. “Aw,
f*ck. I let my buddy drive; he rolled us going, like, 60. We
rolled, like, six times. That was from my head smacking the ground
while going 60; I did not have a helmet on. I'm an idiot. [Shows
scrapes on shoulder and head] That was just from rolling and
smacking the concrete and the dirt. F*ck, I'm in a real bad place
right now. I think I'm just going to lay here and take a nap for a
little bit. Just a little shuteye. A little shuteye will do right.
Just sleep it off.â€

Strickland (31-7) revealed in a follow-up post that his friend lost
consciousness after the incident and was taken to the hospital. He
says he was having the most fun he has had in a long time before
meeting with the accident. While the accident cost Strickland quite
a bit, his sponsor, Rainbet, has promised to cover the cost.

“I think I'm OK,†Strickland said. “Chris Cornell went unconscious
for a little bit, so he's in the hospital, but I think he's going
to be alright. He just went asleep for a little bit, but honestly,
the most f*cking fun I've had in a very, very long time. My
wallet's a little sore. Rainbet did say they'd cover it, so that
was nice. That was the most fun thing I've done in a very long
time. I hope Chris is OK. I've never seen anybody go unconscious
before; that was interesting.â€

This was Strickland's second accident within a week, after he fell
off his dirt bike a few days earlier. Strickland also had a major
motorcycle accident in 2018 that left him inactive for nearly two
years. Notably, he's rumored to be defending his title in December
in a rematch against Nassourdine
Imavov, but his latest accident might force a change.