Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Episode 3 Recap

Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Episode 3 Recap

On Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Episode 3, the UFC added four fighters to the promotion’s roster. That leaves a crop of fighters to evaluate as they enter the UFC. Let’s recap the latest episode of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) and determine which fighters have the highest potential. The best prospects will be listed at the top of the post, making the quality drop as we progress.

Malcolm Wellmaker- Bantamweight

This episode of DWCS only featured two finishes. The crown jewel of the pair was Malcolm Wellmaker’s walk-off knockout against Adam Bramhald. The performance earned Wellmaker a UFC contract and added a solid fighter to the bantamweight division.

Wellmaker showed solid striking skills while the fight lasted. This was because of his speed and power. Wellmaker landed his jab efficiently and countered Bramhald. Plus, he aggressively landed leg kicks. It did not take long for Wellmaker’s strikes to accumulate damage. The second damage started to build up and Wellmaker landed the counter that ended the fight.

It would be ignorant to ignore the Wellmaker’s flaws. At 30-years-old, he is on the older side for a bantamweight prospect. That gives him less time to make a UFC run.

I will not go as far as to say Wellmaker will go down as a top-tier prospect from this season of DWCS. Rather, he falls into the second tier. That is still great. Wellmaker should be able to find success with his impressive striking skills. I expect him to win fights in the UFC. I imagine he will quickly become a fan favorite as well.

Andrey Pulyaev- Middleweight

Andrey Pulyaev earned a UFC contract with a decision win over Liam Anderson. The 26-year-old is an interesting addition to the UFC roster.

Pulyaev showed a ton of impressive striking skills. This begins with his kicks. On the feet, he was ripping kicks to the body and head. These kicks were fast and they hurt Anderson. It did not take much for Pulyaev to have Anderson’s movement comprised. In addition, he landed his jab and straight. Those straight shots allowed him to deal damage with his hands. Additionally, he landed those strikes as counters while moving backward.

I was ready to put Pulyaev at the top of these rankings partially through this fight; however, that changed when he was taken down. Anderson landed a clinch sweep that got this fight to the ground and Pulyaev did not look good off his back. Fortunately for Pulyaev, he was takedown with less than a minute in the round. That allowed him to survive, but Anderson did a lot of strong work in that short period. The round ended with Anderson in full mount.

I do not expect Pulyaev to be dominated on the ground. The initial layer of takedown defense was fine. That said, if he fights someone with above-average takedowns, there will be serious issues.

A smaller issue for Pulyaev is that his pocket boxing was not great and his defense is a concern. I am not massively worried about these issues at the moment, but it should be noted.

Pulyaev will get wins in the UFC. I have no doubt there are middleweights he can outstrike. The bigger picture of his UFC career will be based on his grappling improvements. At 26, he has time to make those strides. Regardless, he has a ton of upside as he enters the UFC.

Marco Tulio- Middleweight

The only other finish on this DWCS episode came in the form of a spinning back kick. The shot propelled Marco Tulio to victory and helped him earn a UFC contract.

Tulio was finding success before this knockout. In the first round, he landed a knockdown with a solid right hook. Plus, he landed some big swings while throwing leg kicks and teeps. It should also be noted he had some clinch success.

I would have liked to see Tulio fight under control. Aside from the knockout, the best shot he landed was a tight hook. Outside of that strike, his shots were wider and less controlled. Additionally, his jab and straight were solid, but he did not throw those weapons as often. I would like to see him utilize those tools. Not only would that increase his offensive success, but he would get countered at a much lower rate.

All things considered, Tulio is worth a UFC roster spot. As far as his projection goes, he has a clear positive and negative. I do not see any elite tools or massive flaws. That does not mean he cannot win UFC fights. Instead, it means he can have success against lower levels of competition. Although, as he climbs the latter it will become harder and harder to win.

Bogdan Grad- Featherweight

The final contract winner from this episode of DWCS was Bogdan Grad. Grad won a decision over Michael Aswell to earn a UFC contract.

This was a sensational fight to watch. Grad and Aswell went to war. Both fighters landed a ton of strikes and dealt out damage. The UFC projection is not as kind to Grad, however.

The positive for Grad is that he is big for the featherweight division, he throws a ton of strikes, and he has a big shot diversity. This all allows him to pour volume onto his opponent.

The issue with Grad is his striking defense. The stats in this fight get ugly when you dig into the numbers. In terms of total strikes, Grad landed 105 of his 218 attempts while Aswell landed 184 of 338. Furthermore, Aswell landed 128 shots to the head while Grad landed 60. I am not a massive fan of making judgments purely based on statistics. In this situation, Aswell’s 128 landed head strikes are further evidence of Grad’s lack of head movement.

This fight was Grad’s second chance at a UFC contract. On his first DWCS appearance, Tom Nolan knocked him out in the first round. I would cut him slack for that fight considering Grad has dropped a weight class since that point while Nolan has jumped up a division, but that fight was further evidence that he lacks quality striking defense.

Grad is not a horrible fighter. I could see him overwhelming opponents with aggressive volume striking. At times, that will lead to wins, but it will also lead to taking a lot of damage. That seriously caps his potential in one of the UFC’s best divisions.

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