Authors: James Colwell & Nicholas Holt
After 10 thrilling weeks, DWCS 2025 is finally wrapped up and has given us a massive crop of new UFC signings. Some have real star potential, others are guaranteed to put on exciting fights, while some signings are more questionable. What can’t be argued is that there were some incredibly memorable moments this year — so let’s look back at our favorites.
James Colwell’s Picks
Best Fight: Adrian Luna Martinetti vs. Mark Vologdin
This was the easiest category to select, as people were talking about this all-out war as an all-time great fight from the minute it ended. Not only was it the best fight this season, but it’s hard to pick anything over it as the greatest DWCS fight of all time, with round two particularly notable for a truly unbelievable output and durability from both fighters.
Best Prospect: Baisangur Susurkaev
With so many exciting fighters coming through this season, it was hard to pick just one, but Susurkaev’s ceiling is incredibly high with his polished striking and excellent grappling. He may have been slightly forgotten since he fought on week one, but it’s clear the UFC also has high expectations for him as they’re building his highlight reel by feeding him guys like Eric Nolan and Eric McConico. I expect him to start facing more established middleweights in 2026 and wouldn’t be surprised if he’s ranked by the end of the year.
Worst Signing: Luis Felipe Dias
Every season has a few matchups whose presence on DWCS is hard to explain, and Dias versus Donavon Hedrick was the most glaring of those this year. Neither fighter showed much technique in any aspect of MMA, with sloppy striking and weak top control that allowed them to reverse positions far too easily. Despite fighting at 170 pounds, both started gassing out in R2, and it somehow got even sloppier than R1. Dias managed to get the finish with an RNC, but it’s hard to see any good matchups for him on the UFC roster.
Best KO: Juan Díaz
This was an excellent season for KOs, with 27 of them across 51 fights and many highlight-reel contenders. It has been a year full of spinning elbow finishes across MMA, and Díaz added a brutal one to send Won Il Kwon crashing to the canvas unconscious in one of the final fights of DWCS 2025. There were several big overhands worth considering, and the crushing head kick by Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani was a close runner-up, but the timing, technique, and sheer brutality of Díaz’s finish put it over the top.
Best Submission: Wes Schultz
While there was an overabundance of KOs this year, that was balanced out by a surprising lack of submissions — only five total during the season. Three of those were rear-naked chokes, and while that’s the most effective way to tap someone out, it’s not exactly the most eye-catching. Schultz snatched the top honor in week 10 with a much less common Suloev stretch over Mario Mingaj, made even more impressive by the fact that he caught a BJJ specialist with this technique.
Biggest Upset: Mantas Kondratavičius vs. Đani Barbir
This fight wasn’t a crazy upset according to betting odds, but based on my tape study and everything I’d heard from trusted talent evaluators regarding Barbir, I expected him to win this one relatively easily. Instead, he came out wild and reckless with power shots that got him punished by the hard-hitting and athletic Kondratavičius, and the fight lasted barely longer than a minute. Both the winner and the style of the fight were big surprises to me, which makes it my biggest upset despite what the bookmakers had.
Best Comeback: Manoel Sousa vs. Cristian Pérez
Perez dominated the first two rounds of this fight with his grappling, and no one would have been surprised if Sousa was gassed in R3 given how much muscle he carries. Instead, he continued the sharp striking he’d shown earlier in the fight with dangerous power in both hands while improving his takedown defense as his tired opponent struggled to get back into a dominant position. Manoel was smart to work the body and ended up getting the TKO he needed to steal a win after clearly being down 18–20 going into the final round.
Honorable Mention: Imanol Rodriguez
Imanol was a strong contender in both my top prospect and best KO categories but didn’t quite make the cut in either. If you read my monthly Undefeated Update column featuring fighters with perfect records from around the world, you’ll know that I’ve been incredibly high on him since his appearance on TUF earlier this year. His unbelievable raw athleticism is now getting molded by Daniel Cormier, and he already has credible skills in all aspects of MMA, so he’s someone I expect to have a long and successful UFC career.
Nicholas Holt’s Picks
Best Fight: Adrian Luna Martinetti vs. Mark Vologdin
This was the best season of Dana White’s Contender Series in recent memory, and there were some seriously great fights, but I would turn myself into the police if I didn’t reward Adrian Luna Martinetti and Mark Vologdin with the best fight of the season. This fight was an all-out brawl — two fighters who did not care if they died in the octagon — and there was no better decision than awarding both men a contract.
At one point, Vologdin was in Martinetti’s clinch, just eating flush knees to the body and chin like he was the Terminator. I’ve never seen anyone eat shots like that and stay on their feet. It could have gone either way, and both fighters deserved the win. If you haven’t watched this bout, you definitely should.
Best Prospect: Magomed Zaynukov
I’ve been scouting Magomed Zaynukov for a while now, and it hasn’t been easy to find tape outside of UAE Warriors, so I was thrilled when I heard Wild Chanco getting the call for DWCS. Zaynukov is a unique Muay Thai-based striker from Dagestan, and his performance against Lucas Caldas was close to flawless. He didn’t find the finish, but I’d be extremely surprised if those knockouts don’t start stringing together in the UFC. He mixes up his strikes beautifully — from body shots to heavy leg kicks — and has one of the most visually pleasing styles among this year’s signings.
The only downside is his age: at 30, Zaynukov won’t have as much time to climb slowly, so he’ll need to get active quickly in the lightweight division. Still, I believe he could be the most UFC-ready signing this season.
Worst Signing: Tommy McMillen
Listen, I think Tommy McMillen is a fun acquisition. He showed a lot of toughness and heart, but I’m not sure that will lead to long-term success in the featherweight division. McMillen was almost finished three or four different times in this fight, and as much as I had picked him to beat Mgoyan by decision, the right call might have been a draw — maybe even a rematch.
I wasn’t surprised when he got the contract; it felt predictable. McMillen’s ties to Sean O’Malley and his marketability make him attractive to the UFC. It’s not that I think poorly of him — he’s tough, exciting, and willing to take risks — but I just don’t think his performance or his prior competition warranted a contract, especially on a stacked season like this.
Best Knockout: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. Jack Congdon
Season 9 was full of insane knockouts — at least one per week could’ve been in contention — but my pick goes to Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani’s first-round finish of Jack Congdon.
A perfect sequence: a left jab, followed by a left high kick that wobbled Congdon, then a sprinting right hook to end it — all before the 3:30 mark in round one. Lebosnoyani is one of the most athletic fighters I’ve reviewed for DWCS, and he has serious potential for more quick finishes in his UFC career.
Best Submission: Wes Schultz vs. Mario Mingaj
I didn’t think Schultz deserved another DWCS chance after being finished by Mansur Abdul-Malik in Season 8, but I’d be lying if I didn’t give him this award. A first-round Suloev Stretch? Unreal. You simply don’t see that every time you sit down to watch a fight. Schultz’s striking looked much improved too, and while I’m not super high on his long-term ceiling, he earned his contract and could surprise again with more creative submissions in the future.
Biggest Upset: Yuri Panferov (+205) vs. Christopher Ewert (-255)
Ewert came in highly touted — he’d even been scheduled to debut in the UFC before missing weight by 10 pounds. Despite being the favorite, he was completely outclassed. Panferov not only controlled the fight but outstruck him as well, winning 30-27 across the board. There were plenty of surprises this season, but seeing Panferov dominate a supposedly UFC-ready prospect was the biggest shock to me.
Best Comeback: Marwan Rahiki vs. Ananias Mulumba
It looks odd giving “Best Comeback” to a -400 favorite, but the odds were off. Mulumba knocked Rahiki down twice and nearly submitted him early, but Rahiki — who’s never been finished — somehow survived and turned the tide, finishing Mulumba in the second round with a nasty uppercut. You can’t teach that kind of toughness. His post-fight callout for the Sydney card was smart, and while he’ll need to improve defensively, Rahiki’s grit and awareness make him a fighter to watch.
Honorable Mention: Tommy Gantt
Tommy Gantt is one of my favorite prospects from Season 9. At 32, he’s a bit older, but he’s ready right now. Standing 5’11” with a 76-inch reach, he has the frame, jab, cardio, and wrestling base to compete at a high level in the lightweight division. I’m excited to see him tested on the feet, but for now, I view Gantt as one of the top lightweight prospects entering the UFC.