Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 9 Recap
Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Season Season 7, Week 9 saw five fighters earn a call to the big show. In an episode with only four fights, that includes all the winners and one loser.
In my eyes, this card does not have a sure-fire elite prospect, but I think we have a few serviceable UFC fighters joining the roster. I would describe a few of these fighters as having a high floor, which is quite rare for DWCS. In that regard, this is a unique bunch of athletes, so let’s discuss each fighter’s promotional potential, starting with the most promising and working our way down.
Victor Hugo–Bantamweight
Victor Hugo earned his UFC contract in an impressive fashion as he secured a kneebar in the second round to submit Eduardo Torres Cault.
This bout was largely contested on the ground and Hugo was winning a majority of the exchanges. This began as Torres initiated the grappling by looking to take Hugo’s back; however, Hugo was able to reverse position and land a slick single-leg takedown. From that point, Hugo countered a Torres leg lock with the same attack before transitioning into a calf slicer.
The grappling continued into the second round which was where Hugo was able to land the kneebar finish.
Hugo is a pretty clean prospect entering the UFC. The grappling skills are clearly UFC caliber. On the regional scene, he logged a lot of finishes on the feet. The only question is if cardio will hold up in the later rounds. Hugo simply has not been tested enough to find the answer to that question.
I am expecting Hugo, 30, to make an immediate impact in the UFC. It is clear that he is good enough for the promotional and he will certainly win some UFC bouts. I am not super bullish on Hugo ever being an elite fighter, but he could be pretty close to the rankings. That is respectable and puts him at the top of this week’s list.
Mauricio Ruffy–Welterweight
Mauricio Ruffy earned a contract on DWCS with a third-round knockout over Raimond Magomedaliev. Ruffy found a victory after securing a comeback finish in the final round of a close bout.
Ruffy fought an intelligent fight. In the first two rounds, he stayed defensively safe while avoiding the speedy kicks from Magomedaliev. At the same time, he was adding leg kicks. This resulted in Magomedaliev being tired and having a damaged left leg. Ruffy capitalized as he picked up the pace and landed big shots. This forced Magomedaliev to shoot a sloppy takedown which allowed Ruffy to get to the mount and finish the fight.
Ruffy is an interesting prospect as he enters the UFC. At 27-years-old, he has the ability to fight in the promotion right away while still holding some future upside. At the moment, Ruffy appears to have sufficient striking and grappling skills.
My only concerns are that he is on the smaller side of the welterweight division and his striking defense has question marks. On a more positive note, his gym, Fighting Nerds, is on an absolute tear and is quickly becoming one of the better gyms in MMA.
Overall, I think we are looking at a fighter that will hold a job in the UFC. I view Ruffy as a fighter who will find long-term success in the promotion. The downside is that I do not view him as someone with a massive ceiling. Ultimately, having a high floor is rare for a fighter coming into the UFC from DWCS so Ruffy deserves credit for that.
Rodolfo Bellato–Light Heavyweight
On DWCS, Rodolfo Bellato earned a contract with an upset knockout win over Murtaza Talha. The stoppage came in the second round after Bellato slowly broke Talha down with constant striking.
Bellato won this bout because of his superior clinch game. In the clinch, Bellato repeatedly landed massive elbows and knees. On occasions, he would separate from the clinch to the dirty box as Talha was backed up to the fence. In either case, he was landing a lot of power shots from close range.
It is also important to note that Bellato’s highlight in his skillset is his BJJ. In this bout, he did not even use those tools.
This was not Bellato’s first opportunity on DWCS. On episode seven of last season, he was knocked out by Vitor Petrino and did not earn a contract. There were two things that we learned from that fight, in retrospect–the first is that Bellato is much better than he was previously. The extra-regional experience helped him hone his striking skills greatly. The second is that Petrinio, who I liked coming into the UFC, is very good. That loss has aged well.
Bellato is an interesting fighter to project because he has a really unique style for the division.
On the outside, he will struggle against quality strikers. On the contrary, if he can get into positions to use his clinch he will throw a ton of volume and deal damage. The quality grappling skills are obviously helpful too.
Bellato should be a fighter that can be used to test incoming fighters. Bellato will be able to beat fighters who are not UFC-caliber or are bottom-feeders while consistently sitting in the middle of the division. That is meant as a compliment because a lot of prospects do not have that clearly defined role and are projected as fighters that will be cut.
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov–Light Heavyweight
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov is the wild card of this DWCS episode. I could have justified putting Gadzhiyasulov first or fourth.
Gadzhiyasulov gives us a lot to discuss. That begins with his opponent. Let’s be honest here: Jose Medina is not a very good fighter and is a welterweight with enough body fat to push him to the light heavyweight division. Gadzhiyasulov was supposed to smash this guy. If you don’t believe me, believe the -1200 betting line.
In the fight, Gadzhiyasulov looked great early, but he was fighting like a maniac. The guy threw two showtime kicks in the first round along with a handful of spinning attacks. In fairness, Medina was too tough for his own good and probably should have been knocked out.
Still, all that action had Gadzhiyasulov gassed in round three. Thankfully for him, Medina is not good and could not capitalize on that and Gadzhiyasulov escaped with a decision win.
The comparison for Gadzhiyasulov is a light heavyweight version of Michel Pereira that does not do back flips and can grapple. As a result, he will need to take the Pereira path and learn how to reel in his explosive actions. If Gadzhiyasulov can do that or commit to grappling, he will find a lot of success.
In three years, I would not be shocked if Gadzhiyasulov is an elite light heavyweight or cut from the UFC. That is the range of outcomes we are looking at here.
Jose Medina–Light Heavyweight
As previously mentioned, Jose Medina lost a decision to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov. Medina did not impress in the bout and looked quite poor. The only positive thing he did was land a solid hook and point at Gadzhiyasulov afterward. It was his best Nate Diaz impression. That was enough to earn him a contract (for some reason).
I’ll keep this brief. It is possible that Medina will go down as the worst fighter in modern UFC history. If that is a possibility when you sign someone, maybe they should have walked.
The hope is that Medina will cut 35 pounds and fight at welterweight. I am not sure if that will actually happen, though it would be best for his career. Unless that magically makes him a new fighter, I doubt it makes a difference.
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