Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 8 kicks off in less than three months.
In recent weeks, the UFC matchmakers have been gearing up for a summer DWCS return, expected to launch Aug. 13. Athletes and matchups have slowly, but surely, been booked.
DWCS debuted in 2017 with an eight-episode inaugural season. Season 2 was held in 2018 with eight episodes, followed by a three-episode DWCS: Brasil. In 2019, DWCS was extended to 10 episodes, which it has been from Season 3 onward.
Each season, the number of fighters signed has increased. So far, the show has produced UFC notables like bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Sodiq Yusuff, Jamahal Hill, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Alex Perez, Bo Nickal, Jailton Almeida, Jack Della Maddalena and Marina Rodriguez, among others.
Scroll below to see the latest athletes and fights booked, which have been confirmed by MMA Junkie or posted about by the fighters involved. Many of the participating athletes first were reported by @MMA__Matchmaker on X. This list will be updated as more fighters and matchups are revealed.
Week 1 | Aug. 13
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 05: (R-L) Bruno Lopes of Brazil battles Brendson Ribeiro of Brazil in a light heavyweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season seven, week five at UFC APEX on September 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
- Flyweight: An Tuan Ho (6-0) vs. Lone’er Kavanagh (6-0)
- Light heavyweight: Mikheil Sazhiniani (13-2) vs. Bruno Lopes (12-1)
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 2 | Aug. 20
Torrez Finney def. Yuri Panferov DWCS 66
- Middleweight: Torrez Finney (8-0) vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 3 | Aug. 27
- Bantamweight: Adam Bramhald (13-2) vs. Malcolm Wellmaker (7-0)
- Featherweight: Michael Aswell (9-1) vs. Bogdan Grad (13-2)
- Flyweight: Jack Duffy (7-0) vs. Jose Ochoa (7-0)
- Middleweight: Liam Anderson (6-2) vs. TBA
- Welterweight: Pat Pytlik (9-1) vs. TBA
Week 4 | Sept. 3
- Women’s flyweight: Shannon Clark (5-0) vs. Yuneisy Duben (5-0)
- Middleweight: Will Currie (12-3) vs. Djorden Santos (9-1)
- Featherweight: Tommy McMillen (6-0) vs. TBA
- Welterweight: Gauge Young (8-1) vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 5 | Sept. 10
- Light heavyweight: Raffael Cerqueira (11-0) vs. Uran Satybaldiev (7-1)
- Lightweight: Yuji Yannick Ephoeviga (8-0) vs. Quemuel Ottoni (12-3)
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 6 | Sept. 17
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 7 | Sept. 24
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 8 | Oct. 1
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 9 | Oct. 8
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Week 10 | Oct. 15
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
- TBA vs. TBA
Confirmed fighters without dates
- Women’s strawweight: Alexia Thainara (10-1)
- Women’s strawweight: Rose Conceicao (7-0)
- Women’s flyweight: Alice Ardelean (9-5)
Flyweight: Mitch Raposo (9-1)**- Featherweight: Michael Imperato (12-6)
- Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld (6-1)
- Welterweight: Islam Dulatov (10-1)
- Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik (5-0)
- Middleweight: Matthieu Duclos (6-2)
- Heavyweight: Hugo Cunha (8-1)
- Heavyweight: Arthur Lopes (6-1)
*Withdrew from bout
**Signed with UFC prior to bout
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