For those unfamiliar, Dana White’s Contender Series is the dramatic audition show of the fight world. On the brightest stage they’ve had in their careers, young fighters duke it out in an all-out war to finish their opponent and hopefully earn a contract to fight for the UFC. Whether that measly contract is worth fighting for is another conversation, but making it to the world’s biggest fight promotion fulfills a lifelong journey for many fighters and gives them an enormous platform to showcase their skills. Winning a contract on Tuesday nights means they start from the bottom, but they have finally made it to a place where they can climb the ladder to bigger fights, bigger pay, and the ultimate goal of almost every MMA fighter: a UFC Championship.
After 49 fights, these 14 prospects have stood out to me as potential UFC stars. I intend to matchmake their perfect UFC entry opponent. There are, of course, potential big stars from this season that have either already fought or already been booked, like Bilal Hasan, Anthony Wint, Marcos Degli, and Cristian Perez. Those fighters will obviously be excluded from this article, but UFC fans should be excited about them all the same. Let’s dive into the prospects ready to make a splash in the pinnacle fight promotion in the world, the UFC.
Roman Puga (6-1, Featherweight)
Coming off of what is a top 5 fight in the history of the contender series against Tanner Tremblay, Puga is ripe for a star-making run in the UFC. The charismatic power puncher is bound to be in many fun fights in his UFC career. At 30 years old, he may not have enough time for the slow burn that his 6-1 record may suggest he needs. This is why the La Puente, CA native should be matched up against a striker like himself that is beatable but not just cannon fodder. Better than his record suggests, the 12-7 Dennis Buzukja would be the perfect fighter to pair up with Puga. With both of them loving to stand and trade, this has APEX card fight of the night written all over it.
Kaik Brito (20-6, Welterweight)
While many don’t see Brito as having the same ceiling in the UFC as others in this article because of his gas tank and overall defense, he is still an exciting addition to the UFC roster. A Knockout artist, Brito may well have the knockout of the season against the popular Namo Fazil. A man willing to take a punch in order to land an even bigger one, Brito has a style that likely will win him a lot more fans than it does fights. So I think he might as well be tossed into deep waters in order to make the funnest fight possible in his debut. The matchmakers should book him against Muslim Salikhov, the aging ‘King of Kung Fu ‘. Together, they may just break the record for the most spinning strikes in Welterweight history.
Sean Clancy Jr (9-0, Welterweight)
The 23-year-old Clancy is not only one of the premier UK prospects, but is easily the best prospect in Scottish combat history. After making a fight against Gary Balletto look incredibly easy on the contender series this year, Dana White has high praise for the young Scotsman. He is a gifted grappler and a precise striker, having fought his whole life. I am confident he could instantly be slotted into the middle of the pack at welterweight, but at his age there is no need to rush him. Mickey Gall, you’re up, pal; time to give back to the sport with another loss.
Ronald Humphrey (5-0, Welterweight)
A man who legitimately could tear through almost anyone on the roster on the right night, “The Career Ender” laid down a biblical beatdown earlier this season on DWCS. The American Top Team trainee is still early in his fighting career, but he has the physical tools and ruthlessness to potentially plow through any obstacle. He could fizzle out fast, but he can be special. The son of Strikeforce fighter Ron Humphrey, the second-generation fighter has championship expectations for himself. That said, he is still just 5-0, and him crushing a couple of entry-level fighters would make for fun television.
Billy Ray Goff, while a physical fighter with some power, should be a good first step for Humphrey. Goff, while coming off 3 straight losses, does possess a UFC stoppage win. If Humphrey is able to dominate, then his ability to quickly climb the ladder at welterweight will seem much more real.
Silvestre Sanchez (10-1, Lightweight)
Perhaps the biggest revelation of the season so far for me, Silvestre Sanchez is a legitimate high-level fighter. A well-rounded game with deadly power, Silvestre is far more advanced than most 24-year-old fighters. I don’t believe that Sanchez needs to start his career with the bottom feeders of the UFC, as fun as it would be to see him send Anshul Jubli to the shadow realm. Instead, I think he would have a fun and competitive fight against someone like Gauge Young, who is 2-2 in his UFC career. A win would boost him into the midcard of the division, and a loss would be a learning experience that the young fighter is more than capable of bouncing back from.
Christian Natividad (10-0, Flyweight)
While I have always been very high on “Hawaiian Punch”, there were some concerns that he wouldn’t display the necessary finishing ability to get signed off the DWCS. He put those concerns to rest very quickly with a TKO via bodyshot in under 90 seconds. The Fight Ready MMA product is incredibly polished and well-rounded. His power isn’t overwhelming, but he is fast, precise, and a high-level grappler if the fight hits the mat. I can’t see him looking outmatched by anyone in the flyweight division; he is ready to be in the cage with some of the best. While Jesus Aguilar isn’t among the top tier in the UFC, he is 4 and 3 with the promotion, and equally well rounded as Natividad. A scrap would be competitive, and the winner would be solidified in the top half of a very stacked Flyweight division.
Isaac Moreno (9-0, Welterweight)
According to us here at the Prospect Vault, Moreno was the top American MMA prospect going into his DWCS fight. He earned a gritty win against a tough opponent and showed great athleticism and hand speed. He also showed that he’s not quite a finished product yet and can work on his sprawl. Moreno has an incredibly high ceiling due to his explosive athleticism, fantastic distance management, and ever-improving grappling defense. The 29-year-old karate-style fighter is slick enough on the feet to win lots of decisions and get a few highlight-reel knockouts. His style reminds me a lot of Ian Garry. It would be ideal for him, and for the UFC, if he starts his career off with a fight that stays on the feet.
Meng Ding would be an ideal opponent to give Moreno the stand-up style fight that he needs to show off his best skills. Ding has proven he’s incredibly durable, but Moreno has the power and precision to turn the lights out and launch himself into the mainstream MMA conversation.
Quentin Pasley (4-0, Light Heavyweight)
Quentin Pasley was an underdog in a fight against touted prospect Arlind Berisha (5-0). Pasley had looked like a monster in every fight in his career so far. The catch is, he’d fought only 3 pro fights, and none of his opponents had ever had a career win. As it turns out, none of that matters. He went in and put a beating on the undefeated Berisha. He knocked him out with ruthless elbows on the ground in the first round.
His performance led Dana White to compare him to Jon Jones. While that bar is impossible to reach, Pasley’s raw athleticism and aggressiveness are worth noting. He is only 24 and has plenty of time to round out his game. He’s never had to display any sort of gas tank in his career. That’s a major concern, along with his defense on the ground and on his feet. With that being said, when his foot is on the gas, he looks unstoppable.
Pasley is the reason why fighters like Junior Tafa are on the roster. While they’d be competitive on the feet, Pasley would have an easy path to a TKO if he takes him down. Start Pasley off easy; he has all the time in the world to become Jon Jones.
Akbar Abdullaev (14-0, Lightweight)
Dana White finally spoke some sense when he dubbed Abdullaev “possibly the best fighter in DWCS history”. I can get on board with that opinion, and it’s crazy that someone as skilled and accomplished as Akbar Abdullaev had to fight on the Contender’s Series in the first place. Abdullaev is undefeated, with all his wins coming via finish. He was 5-0 in ONE Championship, with his opponents’ combined record standing at an insane 59 wins and 6 losses. Abdullaev dispatched all those high-level fighters with ease before one punch flatlined his DWCS opponent in 19 seconds. Abdullaev is a nightmare for opponents with creative striking, cracking power, explosive grappling, and a good gas tank. He can stop any fighter, at any time, from any position in the cage.
While I think he should get similar treatment to Parnasse, debuting against a top-15 fighter, getting someone to sign on the dotted line to face him will be extremely difficult. It’s time to call up the fearless “Mr Highlight” himself, Ludovit Klein. To me, Klein is easily a top-25 lightweight who could legitimately stop the hype train in its tracks. I would bet on Akbar, but Klein can’t be counted out against any opponent. This matchup should be on the main card in front of a live crowd, preferably a numbered card. That’s how high-level it is, and I would expect a scrap for the ages. It will be fine to toss Abdullaev in the deep end, because he is the shark.
Piero Guaylupo (12-0, Lightweight)
I will admit, going into the season, and even after watching his tape, Guaylupo wasn’t high on my list of fighters I was excited about. But that was before he threw a gazillion strikes in a 3-round mauling of the previously unbeaten Callum Connor. His gas tank is apparently endless, and while he didn’t finish Connor, he has displayed some tremendous power. I do have concerns about his defense and lack of head movement, but at just 21, he is nowhere near his prime. I still need to see more to determine exactly where the ceiling is for the young Peruvian fighter, but he can instantly be slotted in as someone who can deliver a fight of the night every time he steps into the cage.
Why not give him someone beatable but willing to throw hands? Kyle Prepolec has faced nothing but killers since his return to the UFC, and he deserves a step down in competition. Prepolec is willing to trade and is a crafty enough vet to still be the most difficult fighter Guaylupo has faced. I think the fight would be good for both of them, and likely ends in a Guaylupo victory.
Alvi Dasuyev (10-0, Welterweight)
The dynamo of a striker had a bizarre fight this season on the contender series. He beat the living hell out of touted prospect Jaden Ortega for about 7 minutes, before severely gassing and having to fight on the back foot for the latter portion of the fight. Still, this result is as much due to Jaden’s chin and heart as it is to Dasuyev’s gas tank, but it still showed a chink in his armor. Despite that, I expect the Chechen-born fighter to be a force coming out of the gate in his UFC career. I think that while his fighting style does leave him open to being caught and dropped, it’s still likely he blazes through any welterweight outside of the top thirty.
Considering the now-Belgian Spartan is only just 24, though, there’s no harm in giving him some tune-up fights that allow him to display his exciting striking and hopefully expand his gas tank a little. Nikolay Veretennikov has a couple of UFC wins and isn’t just a punching bag, but I think he’s beatable and can help Dasuyev take a step up while still adding to his highlight reel.
Aieza Bertolso (8-0, Strawweight)
We were lucky to get to see the number one female prospect in the world on full display during week 8 of the contender series this year. Bertolso faced legitimate competition in Camila Reynoso and showed she is well above the rest of the pack in regional strawweights. Her size and reach make her a danger on the feet, but where she truly displays her all-world ability is on the ground in her submission game. Surely enough, she secured the first-round win with an inverted d’arce choke, because of course she did.
At 25, she is young enough for the UFC to bring her in slowly, but I don’t think she needs to face the Rayanne Dos Santos and Puja Tomars of the world. I would love to see her face someone like Alice Ardelean, a veteran who is riding a 3-fight win streak herself. I think there isn’t a facet of Ardelean’s game that Bertolso can’t handle. Ardelean would be a good head to mount on Aieza’s wall. If Bertolso were to win here, she would extend her winning streak to 22 in a row across amateur and professional.
George Staines (10-0, Lightweight)
A unanimous top 10 prospect according to the fine people here at MMA Prospect Vault, George Staines is likely an even better prospect than Luke Riley, the big English signing of last year. He is extremely experienced and well-rounded for someone who’s still only 26. He was at a physical disadvantage in his Contender Series fight against the 6’3 Loai Abushaar. So what do you do when you’re at a massive height and reach disadvantage? Why, you pick your opponent up and slam them on their head in under 90 seconds, of course. Staines is a smart fighter. Staines is a violent fighter. “Saint” Staines doesn’t have any big holes in his game.
Frankly, Staines should be brought along faster than both of his star teammates, Paddy Pimblett and Luke Riley. I think he should debut against the most well-traveled veteran the UFC has to offer, Michael Johnson. It would be a huge name to debut against, as well as a dangerous one. A fight between the two should be on the main card of any event. Undoubtedly, it would be a star-making performance for the next big thing out of Liverpool.
Mateus Soares (12-2, Bantamweight)
Fearless pressure and tremendous power can be a very frightening and effective combination, and Soares has both in spades. Battle-tested at only 22 years old, Mateus Soares is quickly becoming a name that nobody is going to want to sign on the dotted line to face. The undersized bantamweight generates tremendous power and throws very fast combinations. He isn’t elite in grappling, but he can hold his own. His win over Ryuho Miyaguchi was so easy to predict. He’s going to press him against the cage and topple him like a Jenga tower. He did it, and what surprised me was that he did it in a minute. His ceiling may be slightly limited by his height, but he can overcome that by developing a more dangerous grappling game. With the signing of Mateus Soares, the best division in all of combat sports gets even better.
His killer instinct should earn him fans no matter the matchup, but the young Brazilian deserves to fight a striker to start out. Mark Volkanovski, for all his shortcomings (and yes, this was a joke about him being 5’3), is as tough and fun as they come. The two short kings can duke it out on the feet and see who will be the first one to drop. Knowing them, they’ll both hit the canvas a few times and earn themselves a fight of the night bonus to start out Soares’ career.
For all the guff that we gave the matchmakers for phoning it in on the majority of fights this season, the UFC still came away with a plethora of high-end talent to be excited about. Hasan, Bertolso, Staines, Abdullaev, and Clancy especially look like talent who could headline cards at some point. I would advocate for cutting the number of fights down from 50 to 30 next season. This would make the opportunity even more exclusive and, hopefully, raise the average level of talent showcased on Tuesday nights. Either way, you can rest assured that all of us here at MMA Vault will be counting down the days until the show comes back around again. In the meantime, enjoy the men and women signed off this season; I promise you there’s at least one future champion amongst them, if not more.
