Dana White’s Contender Series season 1 recap: Seventeen fighters signed to the UFC
The first season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series is in the books. After a successful eight-week trial run, it looks as if we’ll see more seasons on the horizon for this UFC Fight Pass series.
Contender Series was created with the goal of showcasing a mixture of up-and-coming talent, as well as former UFC fighters who were looking for another shot at the big time. Every week featured a total of five fights, and at the end of each show, Dana White would consult with matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard before awarding contracts to the top performers on the night.
If you’ve missed out on an episode here and there, or you haven’t seen a minute of any of these cards, here’s a handy recap of who made it to the UFC, along with some more interesting tidbits.
Fighters signed to the UFC (Total: 17)
Kurt Holobaugh
Boston Salmon
Sean O’Malley
Karl Roberson
Geoff Neal
Julian Marquez
Brandon Davis
Mike Rodriguez
Alex Perez
Charles Byrd
Grant Dawson
Joby Sanchez
Benito Lopez
Matt Frevola
Allen Crowder
Lauren Mueller
Mike Santiago^
^ - Santiago wasn’t originally awarded a contract for his win, but he was later picked up by the UFC as an injury replacement for Nick Hein at UFC Rotterdam.
Signings by weight class
Women’s Strawweight - 0
Women’s Bantamweight - 1 (Mueller)
Flyweight - 2 (Sanchez and Perez)
Bantamweight - 3 (Salmon, O’Malley, and Lopez)
Featherweight - 3 (Holobaugh, Davis, and Dawson)
Lightweight - 2 (Frevola and Santiago)
Welterweight - 0
Middleweight - 3 (Marquez, Byrd, and Neal)
Light Heavyweight - 2 (Roberson and Rodriguez)
Heavyweight - 1 (Crowder)
Fight bookings by weight class (Total: 40)
Women’s Strawweight - 1
Women’s Bantamweight - 1
Flyweight - 8
Bantamweight - 6
Featherweight - 6
Lightweight - 2
Welterweight - 2
Middleweight - 5
Light Heavyweight - 6
Heavyweight - 3
Fighters who’d previously competed in the UFC (Total: 4)
Kurt Holobaugh
Daniel Jolly
Joby Sanchez
Daniel Spohn
Fighters who’d previously competed on The Ultimate Fighter, but not in the UFC (Total: 9)
Adam Antolin (season 24)
Jamie Alvarez (season 24)
Ronaldo Candido (season 24)
Elias Urbina (season 23)
Phil Hawes (season 23)
Thanh Le (season 22)
Jason Jackson (season 21)
Anton Berzin (season 19)
Greg Rebello (season 11)
Fighters who appeared on Contender Series twice (Total: 2)
Joby Sanchez (2-0, signed to the UFC)
Charles Byrd (2-0, signed to the UFC)
Casey Kenney (1-1, no UFC contract)
Fighters who won by knockout or technical knockout to get into the UFC (Total: 9 of 17)
Kurt Holobaugh
Sean O’Malley
Kyle Roberson
Geoff Neal
Julian Marquez
Mike Rodriguez
Joby Sanchez
Mike Santiago
Allen Crowder
Fighters who won by submission to get into the UFC (Total: 4 of 9)
Alex Perez
Charles Byrd
Grant Dawson
Matt Frevola
Fighters who won by decision to get into the UFC (Total: 4 of 14)
Boston Salmon
Brandon Davis
Benito Lopez
Lauren Mueller
Confirmed fight bookings
Mike Santiago vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov (UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov, September 2nd)
Boston Salmon vs. Augusto Mendes (UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Brunson, October 28th)
Sean O’Malley vs. Terrion Ware (TUF 26 Finale, December 1st)
Julian Marquez vs. Vitor Miranda (UFC on FOX 26, December 16th)
If you’ve missed out on an episode here and there, or you haven’t seen a minute of any of these cards, here’s a handy recap of who made it to the UFC, along with some more interesting tidbits.