Modestino
Rodrigues' hard work and sacrifices paid off on
Dana White's Contender Series.

Rodrigues (8-1) took on Brandon
Holmes (6-2) in a middleweight outing in
Week 4 of DWCS 2026. Rodrigues took just 15 seconds to drop
Holmes and finish him with follow-up shots. However, the stoppage
was not without controversy, as referee Chris Tognoni stepped in
while Holmes was still conscious and actively defending.

While Dana
White called it one of the most controversial stoppages in DWCS
history, he saw enough to give Rodrigues an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Modestino Rodrigues stopped Brandon Holmes in 15 seconds at
DWCS Week 4

Rodrigues says he never imagined he would be on the biggest stage
in MMA. “The Slanderman†thanks the sport for changing his life and
credits sheer hard work for his success. The 22-year-old has been
away from his family for nine months to train for his DWCS
bout.

“This team, we train so hard. Coaches are always pushing us, ‘That
1-2 is gonna get it, make sure that you're quick.' MMA changed my
life,†Rodrigues said. “I'm ready to die out there… I live for
this. I can't even say that I had dreams about it because I never
imagined I would be in this position. I worked so hard every day
for this to happen.â€

Rodrigues is known for quick nights inside the cage. The Brazilian
has finished all eight of his pro wins so far, six of them within
two minutes.

RIGHT FROM THE START â°

Modestino
Rodrigues earns the knockout in 15 seconds!!!!

[ #DWCS
| LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/rArESSvLEY

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
September 2, 2026

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€

5 new faces to the UFC!

All 5 winners from #DWCS
tonight are getting signed to the big show! ðŸ‘

[ #DWCS
| LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/cs8tSLBKH8

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
September 2, 2026

Bella
Mir says her mother was simply overwhelmed following her loss
on
Dana White's Contender Series.

Mir (4-1) was a -6000 favorite, the biggest in DWCS history, going
into her fight against Alex
Apodaca (5-1) on
Week 3 of Season 10. However, Apodaca earned a closely
contested unanimous decision win over Mir in one of the biggest
upsets ever to earn an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Mir's mother, Jennifer Mir, lashed out at Apodaca and the judges
over social media following her daughter's loss. Jennifer later
apologized to everyone while saying that her reaction was in
defense of the hate Bella was facing on social media after the
loss.

Bella Mir says emotions and drinking fueled Jennifer Mir's
reaction to Alex Apodaca loss

Addressing her mother's comments, Bella says that it was just her
protective instinct. Bella further jokes that her mother made it
slightly easier by diverting all the hate onto herself.

“My mom commenting on stuff obviously didn't really help the
situation, but she honestly kind of took the fire off of me,†Bella
told Ariel Helwani. “Everyone started hating on her more than
hating on me. It's crazy. It's like, ‘Mom, you literally protect me
in every situation I've ever lived in and you literally protected
me more in this one.' I don't even know how she could have done
that, but she did.â€

According to Bella, it was just her mother being overwhelmed by
emotions, which were fueled by alcohol.

“I think it was just the heat of the moment,†Bella added. “My mom
is very emotional… And obviously drinking that night didn't
really help. I think she was just raging out. She obviously
apologized to everyone and admitted that she made a mistake and
that's the best anyone can do after making a mistake: own up to
it.â€

Bella Mir
addresses her mom's social media comments after her Contender
Series loss:

“My mom commenting on stuff obviously didn't really help the
situation, but she honestly kind of took the fire off of me.

It's crazy. It's like, ‘Mom, you literally protect me in every…
pic.twitter.com/Rej2kiZ1iJ

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
September 1, 2026