The extremely successful Dana White’s Contender Series returns for a new season this coming Tuesday with top prospects from around the world looking to earn themselves a UFC contract.
Dana White‘s Contender Series has become one of the most popular ways for the UFC to sign their prospects and in turn, has become extremely popular amongst the MMA fanbase.
With DWCS having become so popular, several UFC champion’s journeys have started in the competition, such as Sean O’Malley and Jamahal Hill, and current top prospects like Bo Nickal and Jack Della Maddalena also started in DWCS.
Here is how to watch the show, the prospects involved this season, the format, and much more.
How to watch Dana White’s Contender Series
Season 8 kicks off this coming Tuesday, August 13 from the UFC Apex, and will air on ESPN+ for American viewers. Viewers from Europe can watch DWCS Season 8 exclusively on UFC Fight Pass. Each episode starts at 8 pm ET (1:00 am BST).
The season lasts for 10 weeks, and each week will be made up of five exciting fights.
You can purchase a UFC Fight Pass subscription for £6.99 a month.
How the format of Dana White’s Contender Series works
The Dana White’s Contender Series format is completely different from the UFC’s other stand-alone series, The Ultimate Fighter.
DWCS is not a knockout tournament-type format instead, each week will include five fights made up of 10 prospects looking to earn a direct route into the UFC. At the end of each week, White gives out contracts to the most deserving fighters.
Although more often than not the winners are awarded contracts, securing a win doesn’t guarantee the fighter will be offered a contract.
As well as that, on some rare occasions, even losers of certain bouts are awarded a UFC contract.
Dana White’s Contender Series week 1 matchups
Kicking off the season is a flyweight matchup between Lone’er Kavanagh and An Tuan Ho, and is being highlighted as one of the most exciting matchups of the season. The 25-year-old Kavanagh has been perfecting his craft in Cage Warriors, whereas An Tuan Ho has been fighting under the LFA banner.
The comes a featherweight matchup between Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat champion, Ernie Juarez, and LFA 145lber, Jose Delgado.
Light heavyweights then get the shine as Bruno Lopes and Mikheil Sazhiniani clash in the small Apex cage. Lopes competed in the last season of DWCS and is hoping to pick up the win this time around.
The first welterweight bout of the season comes between Meng Ding and Rami Hamed. Hamed hasn’t competed for two years and was supposed to be competing on last season’s show against Raimond Magomedaliev.
Middleweights take center stage in the main event as undefeated 26-year-old Mansur Abdul-Malik takes on Wes Schultz.
The History of Dana White’s Contender Series
DWCS started in 2017, and has produced hundreds of UFC fighters, some of which went on to win UFC titles, and some of which are current top contenders in their divisions.
Sean O’Malley competed in the first year of the show, knocking out Alfred Khashakyan. ‘Suga’s’ performance went viral as it was being commentated by rap icon, Snoop Dogg.
O’Malley isn’t the only DWCS alum to have gone on to win a UFC title, as light heavyweight, Jamahal Hill also went on to raise undisputed UFC gold last year. Last season, Dana White handed out a record 46 contracts, and this season, the fighters will be hoping for more of the same as they look to make it to the big time.