Contender Series 2026 Episode 2 Breakdown and Predictions

Shawn Bitter– Trent Miller is basically a jobber that you’d see in a local indie wrestling battle royal. It’s crazy that a Brazilian doesn’t even have to stay in Brazil to can crush, but comes to do it on the Contender Series instead. Miller has a puncher’s chance because he hits hard. It’s not out of the realm of possibility because Rodrigues does lack head movement. Outside a meme KO, Miller is gonna get destroyed. Rodrigues can set the tone with jabs and brutal leg kicks while also being a dangerous counter-striker. His TDD is a concern but not against Miller. Miller is gonna have to blitz in to land anything, and he’s gonna get clipped on the way in. I see this lasting under two minutes with Rodrigues getting his hand raised. Bold prediction is he finishes Miller with leg kicks.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO

Cedric Dumas– Why are we getting another look at Trent Miller? I just don’t see the UFC-level skill set here.

Nicholas Holt- Once again, I have a bone to pick with the matchmakers. There’s really no logic behind bringing Trent Miller back for another fight, other than setting him up to get chinned. Since being finished by Ryan Gandra on last year’s season of DWCS, all he’s done is knock out an opponent with a 3-3-0 record who was coming off a three-year layoff. Is that really the standard? We’ve definitely lost our way here.

I’m not even sure Blade Rodrigues is the guy I’d be feeding Miller to, either. Sure, he’s exciting and throws a nasty leg kick, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He can be taken down fairly easily and is definitely there to be hit. I don’t have much confidence that he’ll be able to win many UFC fights with his current skillset. Luckily for him, though, he draws Trent Miller, who shouldn’t offer much of a wrestling threat.

I suspect Rodrigues will be able to control the range and build his offense behind his kicking game, but if he starts chasing the finish too aggressively, who knows? He’s been caught before, and Miller does carry a bit of power. This isn’t a particularly high-level fight, and while it’s fun to imagine Trent Miller making everyone eat their words, I think Rodrigues gets the job done here.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO

Patrick Danna- This is a hilarious fight, honestly. Trent Miller got decimated in an uncompetitive first-round KO loss to Ryan Gandra last year, then beat a 3-3 opponent who dropped him badly. He may be one of the worst returning fighters they’ve had, and he somehow isn’t guaranteed to lose this fight.

As funny and entertaining as Blade Rodrigues is, he simply isn’t very good. Miller is bad defensively, but Rodrigues fought like he was Anderson Silva defensively last time out. Both men have power and can get a KO, but Rodrigues has actually shown some things on the feet that I like, and should have a big speed advantage. Miller just rushes in recklessly and hopes to land something sloppy. I think Rodrigues catches him on the way in and takes him out.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO

Chase Gurotsky- Not really the guy you would expect to get a second chance, but here we are! Trent Miller is coming off a 2nd round TKO versus a 3-3 Tyler Smith in January. This bounce-back win was after his 1st-round TKO loss to Ryan Gandra. The 9-3, 30-year-old trains out of a good gym in Extreme Couture, but that doesn’t change the fact that when he faces an opponent up a level, he doesn’t show up. With 7 of his 9 wins coming by TKO, he does have a puncher’s chance, especially against his opponent.

That opponent is Douglas “Blade” Rodrigues. Blade, at 27, is 6-1 and has been fighting since 2018, when he took his first and only loss. He is currently on a 6-fight win streak, with 5 wins coming by KO/TKO. He is coming off the biggest win of his career, securing the Future MMA belt with a 2nd-round KO over the now 7-2-1 Gabriel Ramos. I do think Blade has all the tools to get this one done; however, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. I’m definitely a bit crazy for this one, but I do think Miller will finish him in the first. Do I think Miller will do well in the UFC? No, but I don’t know if I think Blade is the guy here.

Pick: Miller by Round 1 KO/TKO 

Xavi Ryder- Now we get to the co-main event, where we have yet another guy getting a second chance on the show in Trent Miller. In my opinion, if there is anyone this week that shouldn’t have been brought back, it’s him. This isn’t a set-up fight to the level of Hasan vs Saikia. I don’t think Rodrigues is as talented as Hasan, but I have a hard time picturing Miller finding a win here. Miller has power in his hands, but Rodrigues is taller, longer, faster, and an overall better striker.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO

Drew Beaupre – Like Fazil, I also wrote about Rodrigues ahead of his last fight, which saw the Brazilian win the Future MMA middleweight belt by stopping Gabriel Ramos in the second round.

I did mention some concerns about Rodrigues’ defense in that breakdown, and that’s really the only path to victory I see for Miller here. A win over a 3-3 opponent after Ryan Gandra stopped him on DWCS last year shouldn’t have earned him an immediate invitation back, but he does hit hard and could catch Rodrigues if the Brazilian gets careless.

That being said, I still have to side with Rodrigues to get his kicking game going in this matchup and set up a finish of his own. I don’t know how much success he’ll actually find in the UFC is he does secure a contract, but middleweight is always in need of new fighters and you can at least usually count on some violence when Rodrigues enters the cage.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO

Cangrejo Ruiz- This is kind of a carbon copy from Miller’s last DWCS, except Rodrigues is more athletic and skilled than Gandra. Miller is what he is and hasn’t really evolved as a fighter since the Gandra fight, so I expect a similar outcome.

Pick: Rodrigues by Round 1 KO/TKO