Contender Series 2026 Episode 7 Breakdown and Predictions

Shawn Bitter- Somehow I lost my notes on this fight, so I’ll make this real short. I was pretty underwhelmed with the tape of Piwowarczyk. Defense and cardio are a big issue. I’m not entirely sold on Quissua, but I trust him quite a bit more. I got Quissua by TKO in round 1.

Cedric Dumas- This is probably the toughest bout on the card to call. Despite the massive difference in experience, I see these two as relatively evenly matched. Both are extremely tall, powerful fighters who have already faced some solid competition, so I don’t expect the experience gap to tell the entire story.

Quissua’s undefeated record certainly adds intrigue, but I’m not convinced he brings anything that Piwowarczyk hasn’t already seen in his recent fights. To me, the Polish fighter is a late bloomer with a very good overall skill set, capable of doing damage both on the feet and on the ground.

Quissua is dangerous, and an unbeaten record deserves respect, but I trust Piwowarczyk’s experience and well-rounded game a little more. I expect it to be competitive early, but over time, the Polish fighter should find openings and take control.

Pick: Piwowarczyk to win by Round 2 KO/TKO

Nicholas Holt- What a great matchup at 205 pounds. I’m pretty high on both Piwowarczyk and Quissua – each guy has an excellent reputation against high-quality opponents and certainly the skillset to finish a fight. It’s unfortunate that the two must face each other, as they both should already be on the UFC’s roster, although it’ll make for quite the matchup come Tuesday night.

Emilio “Rixa” Quissua appears to be growing stronger as he continues to fill out his lengthy frame. His physically imposing style and aggressive finishing ability on the mat have become defining traits in his young career, but the same could equally be said about Damian Piwowarczyk. The Polish light heavyweight is a threat everywhere, a violent finisher with insane measurables while standing a towering 6-foot-6.

It’s a rarity that “Rixa” is at a height disadvantage, although I’ll still be siding with Quissua in this matchup. I find him to be the much safer fighter here – he’s rarely shown any sign of weakness inside the cage. It’s hard to feel comfortable siding with either guy given the level of danger both fighters bring to the matchup, so it’s somewhat of a low-confidence pick.

However, if the two end up crashing in the middle, I expect Emilio Quissua to wrap up Piwowarczyk in the clinch, unloading a barrage of knees and elbows and dropping Piwowarczyk to the mat for a ground-and-pound finish.

Pick: Quissua by Round 1 KO/TKO

Xavi Ryder- To open up the night of fights, we have two of the European scene’s better big men, with Piwowarczyk coming from KSW and Quissua coming from OKTAGON. Both men are huge, dangerous, and well-rounded. While both have faced good competition, I favor the higher-level fights on Piwowarczyk’s record. He put together a record of 8-4 for KSW, while Quissua’s high-level experience is a bit more limited, with two UAE Warriors fights and two OKTAGON fights. Quissua is absolutely dangerous enough to earn himself a contract on Tuesday, but I am siding with Piwowarczyk. I expect him to be the one on the front foot, throwing his variety of dangerous attacks, with one of them landing the finishing blow.

Pick: Piwowarczyk via R1 KO/TKO

Drew Beaupre- Quissua probably hasn’t encountered many fighters that dwarf him, but in this matchup the German is going to be looking up at the 6’6” Piwowarczyk while standing at a huge 6’4” himself.

Given the overall state of the light heavyweight division and the respective talent of these men, I think that both could probably find success in the UFC. Both are well-rounded, and unlike some undefeated fighters we’ve seen fight for contracts on DWCS, Quissua has beaten decent competition in UAE Warriors and Oktagon.

That said, Piwowarczyk has spent almost his entire pro career facing strong competition in KSW and has proven he can bounce back from adversity. I usually tend to favor the more experienced and battle-tested guy in these sorts of matchups, and while I expect Quissua to be especially dangerous in the early going, Piwowarczyk will know how to weather that storm before finding a finish of his own. (Pick: Piwowarczyk via R2 KO/TKO)

Cangrejo Ruiz- Really Good light heavyweight fight, pulling guys from big companies who could already be getting wins in the UFC. I have always been a fan of Piwo, a good grappler for the division who is willing to bang. His defense is really bad, and he is constantly getting rocked, but he is a really good watch. Quissua is a good kickboxer with good fundamentals, cardio and IQ are quite good for the division too. Piwo has the grappling advantage, but I expect him to come to bang, and that’s where Quissua should find a finish early.

Prediction is Quissua by R1 TKO

Benjamin Keith- When this season was announced, I was both happy and sad that these two were matched up against each other. It should make for a very good scrap, but they were both top-5 light heavyweight prospects for me. I think both should end up in the UFC eventually, although this might be Piwowarczyk’s only shot given the optics of his record.

At 8-4 in KSW, Piwowarczyk is battle-tested against high-end competition. When he wins, it is brutal and emphatic. He has great length and is very well-rounded for a light heavyweight. He reminds me a bit of a young Nikita Krylov.

Quissua is much the same. Tall, powerful, no glaring holes in his game. The more I think about it, the more I’m a little upset at the matchup, because I believe both fighters to be better than the bottom third of UFC light heavyweights.

It may sound counterintuitive, but in these matchups, I tend to trust fighters who have lost. It means they are more experienced in all facets of fighting and have learned from defeat if they’ve been good enough to get here. Look for Damian to extend his finishing streak.

Pick: Piwowarczyk by Round 2 KO/TKO