Contender Series 2026 Episode 6 Breakdown and Predictions

Shawn Bitter- When Cavalcanti fought on the Contender Series in 2024, his skill level was unknown. Now, with that fight out of the way and his stint in FNC, we get a good read on him, actually. My take on Cavalcanti is he’s a good hammer but a terrible nail. He’s a bit sloppy in his technique but throws combinations of up to three, keeping the pace up. He does a very good job of timing a right hook to counter a jab/straight.

Cavalcanti is billed more as a grappler but should avoid it. His takedown defense is good at the first level, but defending cage wrestling and chain wrestling is the problem. Cavalcanti has quit in him. If taken down, he gives up a terrible position. As the fight goes on, he slows down and looks like he doesn’t wanna be in there.

Ravello is nothing special and someone I wasn’t expecting to be close to the UFC. Ravello is slow, a bad athlete, and lacks technique. What he does have is toughness, heavy hands, and an ability to lean on striking and wrestling. As good an athlete as Cavalcanti is, Ravello has the style to win this. If Cavalcanti doesn’t get the stoppage in round one, Ravello is likely to take over. Ravello has only been finished early once, and that was by a head kick. The Peruvian is proven to be a fighter deep down, and deep down, Cavalcanti doesn’t wanna be there.

Pick: Ravello by Round 3 KO/TKO

Cedric Dumas- Neither fighter profiles as a particularly strong UFC prospect at this stage. Cavalcanti has the slightly stronger résumé against established opposition, but this matchup is more interesting stylistically than on paper.

Both men are aggressive finishers who prefer exchanges over a measured pace. Ravello is at his best when he can pressure into his ground-and-pound, although he carries legitimate power standing. Cavalcanti is faster, more varied with his striking, and has shown more reliable durability.

I expect both to look for exchanges early, which gives Cavalcanti the advantage in the opening round. If the fight extends deeper, however, Ravello’s pressure and ground-and-pound become increasingly relevant. The Brazilian has the better path early, but that advantage should diminish as the fight progresses.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Nicholas Holt- This one is much closer than I originally thought, but I’m sticking with my gut here and going with Igor Cavalcanti.

I’ve got pretty low confidence considering the margins Cavalcanti fights on, but his opponent in Oscar Ravello should be a step behind the Brazilian. Cavalcanti is the much more gifted athlete and carries excellent power in his hands – I believe he’ll find the button early. However, Cavalcanti tends to fall off after the first five minutes, so if Ravello can survive the opening round, this could end up being his fight to lose.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Chase Gurotsky- The other Middleweight fight is a fun one that features two Latin Americans. While the Peruvian Rovello is getting his first crack at DWCS, Igor Cavalcanti is getting his second chance. At 13-2, the Brazilian Cavalcanti lost to Seok Hyeon Ko in 2024 via decision and since then has gone 4-1 even getting a win in boxing and kickboxing as well. He failed to get the belt against a tough Kamil Kraska at FNC 25, losing via Submission; however, he has bounced back this year with 2 wins via 1st-round TKO.

Cavalcanti is fighting in his 3rd fight of 2026, and this ball of power is going to be successful. He holds a 100% finish rate, with 10 wins coming via KO/TKO. He has only gone to one decision in his career, so even if he sucks in the UFC, he will surely be a fun addition to a dying 185-pound division.

Oscar Rovello worries me mostly because he is a bigger fighter coming from Peru, which isn’t something you see often. The 27-year-old has 10 wins via finish, with 7 of those being KO/TKOs. The former FFC and current WCC champion was 3-2 early in his career on a 2-fight losing streak and had just lost to Michael Morales when he went on a 9-fight unbeaten streak, winning 8 of those fights. Rovello would go to Korea only to be head-kicked by Fabricio Martins. He bounced back, winning and defending the belt at WCC once. However, those wins were against a combined opponent record of just 11-8. I really don’t think Rovello is even close to this level, to be very honest; however, I love Peruvian MMA, and I love seeing these guys at least get a chance to prove me wrong and impress.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Xavi Ryder– Since his Contender Series loss in 2024, Igor Cavalcanti has gone on a 4-1 run in MMA and also scored a TKO in kickboxing. These guys are going to get after right away. Both are finishers who like to force the action. Obviously, he will be looking for an early finish, but the longer the bout goes, the more it favors Ravello. He will put on a high pace and try to work in his takedowns to really wear on Cavalcanti. If he can get this gameplan going, I think Ravello can find himself a mid-to-late finish. However, I think while Cavalcanti is at his most dangerous early on in the fight, he will catch Ravello. Cavalcanti will throw big power in combination, and I see Ravello getting clipped in one of their early exchanges.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Drew Beaupre– The narrative around Cavalcanti essentially remains the same as when he was upset by Seok Hyeon Ko on DWCS in 2024, as he’s yet to win an MMA fight that’s gone past the opening round.

Ravello is also a finisher in his own right and has at least shown that he can still get things done after the opening five minutes, and it will be interesting to see if the Peruvian might deliberately try to drag Cavalcanti into a longer fight instead of just chasing the finish when his opponent is still at his most dangerous.

It seems far more likely that these two men are going to slug it out in the first round rather than try to implement any real concrete gameplan. I’m still tempted to pick Ravello to survive the opening round and take over, but Cavalcanti is just too dangerous during the early going.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Cangrejo Ruiz- In 2024, I picked Ko to beat Cavalcanti because he had many unanswered going into that fight. 2 years later, I can tell Cavalcanti has improved a lot; the physicality he already had now has better tools and improved cardio to match it. I am not a fan of Ravello; he has clear athletic and technical limitations, but he is a tough dude willing to enter a dogfight if needed. Other than Cavalcanti tiring, I don’t see how Ravello wins this fight, and I expect Cavalcanti to finish it before that happens.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 2 Submission

Benjamin Keith- Finally, we come to the middleweight bout that should be exciting and produce a guy that will be a good litmus test and potential stepping stone for bigger prospects in the UFC. Do we need either of these guys in the UFC? No. Will the winner be booked against Wes Schultz to give them an easy win? Yes. Will this be entertaining while it lasts? Also yes.

Ravello is an admittedly sloppy brawler from Peru. He has no issue putting his head down and throwing in the pocket for extended periods. He shows very little regard for defense. Considering the wild pace he fights at, he does have a good gas tank, especially for middleweight. When his fights end up on the ground, he shows great finishing instincts. He fights every fight like he is on the DWCS, which is what landed him this opportunity.

Igor Cavalcanti has a big weak spot when it comes to grappling, but that shouldn’t be an issue in this fight. While I think the power is probably equal on both sides, I think Cavalcanti is a bit sharper and more measured. He has a wider array of strikes on the feet than Ravello and makes good use of knees and elbows.

The longer this fight goes on, the more likely it is that Ravello simply overwhelms Cavalcanti. However, the lack of defense on the feet is just too much to ignore here, and I think Igor is just precise enough to find the chin that Ravello is always presenting to his opponents.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 1 KO/TKO

Pat Danna – This fight is pretty funny, mostly because I have no clue who’s going to win. Ravello usually starts fights brawling on the feet before landing takedowns and chain wrestling. Cavalcanti couldn’t wrestle a cat if you asked him to, and is absurdly lost on his back. With that said, he’s capable of getting a KO in the first round of most fights, with Ravello’s brawling style on the feet welcoming any potential opportunities for a finish.

I can’t get over how bad Cavalcanti is on his back. If Ravello uses his wrestling at all, he could easily control this fight on the ground and win the same way Ko did against Cavalcanti. I don’t expect this fight to look like that in a DWCS opportunity, though, and I think Ravello will be more inclined to brawl for longer than usual. If he does, I see him suffering the same fate as previous Cavalcanti opponents and getting caught early.

Pick: Cavalcanti by Round 2 KO/TKO