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thesportssoundoff · 7 years

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As fights and names are bandied about, an image for Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contenders Series develops

Joey

June 11th, 2017

So Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders series is slowly approaching it's July 11th kick off date; basically a month off. There's a collection of reasons why the series is happenin' (desire to get guys fights, boost the FP library, IMO test the capacity of having a weekly UFC mini series for TV networks) BUT whatever the case, it has the chance to give guys who might otherwise be left out of the UFC a chance to get in and guys who maybe are good enough to be in the UFC but have faced way too tough competition to maybe reset themselves a little and get their career back on track. The only guarantee we've had thus far is that there's five fights a week every Tuesday for the summer but what can we expect necessarily? Well some fights AND fighters are beginning to filter out now and what've we got?

Joby Sanchez (9-2) vs Manny Vasquez (11-2)- July 11th

If the name Joby Sanchez is familiar to you then it's because he's a former UFC fighter who went 1-2 in the organization before he got released. Sanchez is still a very young fighter (25 years old) so it's not a bad fighter to give a second chance by any stretch. Manny Vasquez is another familiar name; a guy who probably should've been in the UFC after defeating RIcardo Ramos on an Legacy card Dana and company went to for Looking For A Fight. Unfortunately he didn't get the call up (Cody East did :/) but alas alack and all that. He's gone 2-1 since the LFAF opportunity and is another very young BW at 23 years old. These are the sort of fights I can get behind.

Zu Anywanu (13-4) vs TBA- July 11th

This kind of feels overdue to be entirely honest. The big HW Azunna Anywanu who has performed for CFFC is scheduled to fight with no real opponent penciled in as of yet (or announced as of yet). I thought around 2015 or so when the UFC's HW division was truly in dire straights they'd give him the call up but he always seemed to either never put on the performances needed or just flat out lost. He'll be coming into this riding a four fight winning streak. I don't think he's going to really make a run, as one would put it, but if all HW fights are lottery tickets then you might as well swing big when you get the chance.

Boston Salmon (5-1) vs Ricky Turcios (8-0) - July 25th

So I'll admit off the bat I know little about Ricky Turcios beyond his spotless record. The focus for me is on Boston Salmon; blessed name with blessed skills. Found out of the Tuff-N-Udd amateur system, Salmon put on a pretty decent stretch of wins and was carving his niche as a great young up and coming action fighter. In his last fight, he beat up on Zack Riley (who was coming off an upset win over Hugo "Wolverine" Vianna) and got screwed on the judges scorecards. This is a pretty good fight.

Sean O'Malley (6-0) vs Alfred Khashakyan (8-3)- July 18th

I know more about Khasakyan first and foremost so I guess we'll start there. Khashakyan was basically an outsourced fight for the Maine Lookin' For A Fight show that got Ricardo Ramos signed. Ramos beat Khashakayan in the main event but then Khashakyan rebounded to finish Chris Beal in his next fight out. Nothing gets you a look from the UFC like beating a guy who used to be there. Sean O'Malley trains out in Arizona with guys like John Moraga, Bryan Barberena and Lauren Murphy. Both guys are bantamweights which seems to fit the theme thus far on what they're targeting.

Dan Ige (7-1) vs Luis Gomez (4-0)- July 25th

I know nothing about either guy other than to note that Luis Gomez is undefeated and fights primarily in Miami for the same promotion that gave us such GOATs like Platinum Mike Perry and Alex Nicholson.

Kyle Noblitt (8-0) vs TBA- July 25th

A doughy bodied HW, Noblitt apparently is making the drop down to 205 lbs to compete on the show. Again I have little to no idea about the guy to be honest so rather than lie and deceive y'all, I'll just say "No idea" and move on.

Daniel Jolly (5-2) vs TBA- Date TBA

Maybe Jolly vs Noblitt is up soon?

Chase Waldon (11-2) vs Gabriel Checco (10-2)- July 25th

Eeeeeeeghhh.....I think we've hit the wall now on things. Chase Waldon vs Gabriel Checco is a fight at middleweight which of course features the usual at 185 lbs. A lot of slow clunky guys (which they are) and in the case of Checco, a penchant for boring fights. Waldon isn't much better in the two fights I saw of him but whatevs. Both fighters are over 30 years old as well which I mean it is what it is.

Michael Cora vs TBA- Date TBA

Another under 30 fighter who competed for Titan Fighting. Cora had a killer KO his last time out but the rest of his career has been in obscurity. Still I like the idea of rewarding guys who have some Fight Pass exposure getting another chance on the big brand even if it's a one off chance. Fought at 170 and middleweight (with a weird catchweight bout at 200 lbs thrown in too).

Sidney Outlaw vs TBA- Date TBA

Was rumored to have been signed for the big league off of LFAF but looks like Outlaw at 8-3 will be fighting on Tuesday Night Contenders. A guy who can bounce between a few weight classes.

So what is Tuesday Night Contenders at this point? Well nobody knows. Most of these fights are basically unconfirmed as of right now and the rumored UFC vet vs debuting prospect fights aren't here as of yet. The "get some guys some fights" filler proponent is also absent during the early portions. We'll see how the visual continues to develop but as of right now, Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders Series looks like it's got a pretty easy theme to it. Hyped prospects who aren't good enough to get signed to the UFC right away and fighters who are probably under the radar getting opportunities. Most of them are under 30 years old as well so there's clearly an onus on younger fighters. The relatively small collection of names (five fights for two months means we're about to get a ton of signings) so far is good but not great but they do paint a pretty clear visual of what we're getting here. If they expand it a little (fighters from other countries would be awesome) and maybe give us some names for guys who are clinging to their careers in the UFC (Ross Pearson really jumps out to me) then this coul dbe a fantastic little project.

(Kudos to mma_kings and mmawizzard on twitter for doing most of the hard work collecting these fights plus all the management teams trumpeting the signings)

#MMA #UFC #tuesday Night Contender Series #Fight Night #Tuesday #Dana White #Prospects

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cagesidepress · 6 years

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#nick newell #DWTNCS 14 #DWTNCS #UFC #MMA #Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series

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thrandythefabulous · 5 years

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Derrick Krantz Steps in to Face Vicente Luque in New UFC Rochester Co-Headliner

It looks like Derrick Krantz will bypass Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in favor of a short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship debut. from Recent News on Sherdog.com https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Derrick-Krantz-Steps-in-to-Face-Vicente-Luque-in-New-UFC-Rochester-CoHeadliner-154657

#Recent News on Sherdog.com #karate #martial arts #self-defense #best adult martial arts #best kids k

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mma21plus · 6 years

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dwight grant catches tyler hill with this brutal 1, 2 to get the knockout win in the second round at dana white’s tuesday night contender series.

#ufc #knockout #dwight grant #mixed martial arts #dwtncs #contender #series #mma #tyler hill #ko #goodnight

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pharaoh105 · 2 years

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UFC fighter channels ‘The Undertaker,’ lands frightening tombstone piledriver finish on ‘Contender Series’ (Video)

Darrius Flowers signed a contract with the UFC in Week 5 of Dana White’s “Contender Series” by finishing Amiran Gogoladze just over a minute into their welterweight contest last Tuesday. night (August 23, 2022) at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Flowers was pinned in an inverted triangle submission attempt by Gogoladze and channeled former WWE wrestler “The Undertaker” using…

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wearemmauk-blog · 5 years

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Mr Momentum featuring UFC fighter Alonzo Menifield

Mr Momentum featuring UFC fighter Alonzo Menifield - http://mmauk.net/2019/03/27/mr-momentum-featuring-ufc-fighter-alonzo-menifield/

Mr Momentum featuring UFC fighter Alonzo Menifield

On a few occasions, alumni from season one of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series are given a second opportunity to showcase their skillsets. In today’s episode of Across The Pond, you will meet a ruthless lone star tornado looking to blast apart the light heavyweight ranks with the deadly force of mother nature. A professional since November 2015 and representing Fortis MMA, Alonzo Menifield owns an unbeaten 8-0 record comprised of seven knockouts and one submission. Menifield earned a contract with the UFC on week one of season two of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in 2018. He also appeared on week three of season one of the shows in 2017 and has also competed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and Bellator MMA. Menifeld has earned a finish in all eight of his victories as a professional.

In his MMA debut at Bellator 146, he defeated Zach Rosol via TKO in the first round. At RFA 43 Menifield knocked out Brock Combs in the second round. Then in his debut appearance with Legacy Fighting Alliance at LFA 13, he defeated Khadzhimurat Bestaev via TKO in round one. At Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 3 Menifield defeated two-time UFC veteran Daniel Jolly via TKO in the first round. In his next outing with Legacy Fighting Alliance at LFA 28, he defeated Jose Octavio dos Santos Lacerda via TKO in the second round. Menifield submitted Brice-Ritani Coe via rear naked choke in round one for his final appearance with Legacy Fighting Alliance at LFA 33.

In the headliner of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 1, he defeated Dashawn Boatwright via TKO in the first round to secure a contract with the UFC. At UFC On ESPN Plus 1 which also marked the promotion’s start with ESPN and the ESPN Plus application Menifield defeated Brazil’s Vinicius Alves Moreira via TKO in round one to earn his seventh knockout win as a professional. The victory also extended his unbeaten streak to eight to begin his professional career. With seven of his eight professional victories coming via knockout, seeing how this light heavyweight cannon will progress through the ranks is definitely going to be a blast!

Alonzo’s first-round TKO victory in the main event of DWTNCS 1

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#Alonzo Menifield #Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series #UFC

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theanticool · 6 years

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Fixing Women's Bantamweight Part 2

Back in 2015 I took a look over the women’s bantamweight division, talking about how the UFC was neglecting the long term health of the division in favor of making a conveyor belt for Ronda Rousey’s title challengers. And we know how that turned out.

Just over two years later: Tate is retired, Rousey is in the WWE talking about never coming back, and Holly Holm is teetering. And now the UFC has with a champion (Amanda Nunes) they are openly unhappy with, whose contenders list is running short. Their reluctance to even attempt to build a featherweight division drives talent at 135lbs up a weight class to get fed to Cris Cyborg, derailing any momentum or potential buzz they might have created for themselves competing at 135lbs.

There are currently 23 fighters in the Women’s bantamweight division according to Wiki (I’m including Tonya Evinger and Yana Kunitskaya who are listed at 145lbs). But then there’s Amanda Lemos was suspended by USADA after her debut, who’s probably going to be a flyweight if/when she returns. She’s gone for 2 years. GDR, Correia, and Evinger are all hurt with no clear indication of return. Pena is on maternity leave. Evans-Smith is moving to flyweight - don’t see that being permanent. All of a sudden, the division has about 17-18 active fighters. But active is a word I use very loosely - of the 18 active fighters, 11 WBW have 4 or fewer fights in the UFC.

And until the UFC and major MMA gyms start going to the international women’s wrestling/judo/TKD competition and the WCWA championships and sign every woman who comes off the mat looking sad, we’re going to have to do some digging to find talent.

So in honor of Women’s History Month - here are 21 women the UFC should consider signing to jump start this division. Read after the jump

1. Sarah Kaufman (19-4) - Former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion - For the life of me, I’ll never get the logic behind letting the Sarah Kaufman go. Yeah, I get that she isn’t the kind of fighter that is gonna make a card a must see. But she’s dependable. You know what you’re going to get out of her every time out. She’s a top ten quality women’s bantamweight that could be in interesting fights. She’s too good not be in the UFC. And I don’t buy that she’s going to be knocking off prospects in the UFC as a reason to leave her on the out because she’s already doing that on the regional scene where it’s honestly more damaging imo. Plus it’s not like there isn’t a circuit for her - fights with Cat Zingano, Tonya Evinger, Julianna Pena, GDR, and Holly Holm make all the sense in the world. She’s the best Canadian fighter available to the UFC at the moment with GSP in injury induced hiatus and RoryMac going for double gold in Bellator. She’s currently penciled in to fight for the Invicta FC bantamweight title against Katharina Lehner in May at Invicta FC 29.

2. Kelly Faszholz (4-2) - Faszholz was a victim of the UFC’s 135lb division having like 10 fighters in it. You get to the UFC with only 3 pro fights worth of experience and all of a sudden you’re fighting former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Lauren Murphy and fellow up and comer Ketlen Vieira. With some proper matchmaking, I think Faszholz would be a top 10-15 fighter right now. She’s a good sized bantamweight at 5’8 and she’s an exceptional striker (in development). Instead she went 0-2 and got the boot. She has since rebounded from her UFC stint by beating fellow UFC veteran Elizabeth Phillips. Hopefully with a good active 2018, she gets the call again.

3. Larissa Pacheco (11-2) - Pacheco’s first UFC run was terrible. She got stopped twice in completely one sided affairs, BUT her first two fights in the UFC were REDONKULOUSLY strong (even at 135lbs) Jessica Andrade and elite kickboxer Germaine De Randamie. Also, she was only 20 years old during her first run. I might have missed my mark on her potential back in the day but I still think she’s going to be a solid fighter at 135lbs and it’s insane to think she’ll never be anything good. She very recently returned to competition, submitting another top Brazilian bantamweight prospect in Karollina Rosa.

4. Antonina Shevchenko (3-0) - World Champion Muay Thai fighter - The older sister of former title challenger Valentina Shevchenko, Antonina is a stand out Muay Thai-kickboxer in her own right. A former Lion Fight Champion, she has breezed to an easy 3-0 in MMA so far. While I have no idea if she has the credentials in judo and wrestling like her younger sister, her understanding of the striking game leave her miles ahead of 97% of the women’s 135lb division. Like three others in this category, she lacks experience with credible opponents but the bottom of 135lbs isn’t short on women who I think she could beat. The 33 year old will be fighting on the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series this Summer. Helwani has hinted she’ll compete at 125lbs but I can’t see her making the weight consistently.

5. Luz Vazquez (2-0) - Olympic Freestyle Wrestler - There are two women on this list that I believe are genuine blue chip, potentially elite fighters. 29 year old Luz Vazquez is one of them. An Olympic freestyle wrestler, Vazquez is one of the more well credentialed women floating on the regional scene. Vazquez has only had two fights (and one was from 2010), but even those short samples it’s pretty clear she is a next level athlete. She’s out here knocking women down on spinning back kicks. She’s picking other women up above her head with ease for slams. She’s so much faster, stronger, and more dynamic than most women’s talent at 135lbs, it’s kind of hard not seeing her as an eventual contender with more experience. Hopefully the UFC signs her soon (and their upcoming show in Chile could be the perfect place for her to debut), or at the very least Hector Castro gets her on a regional show here in North America.

6. Marina Mokhnatkina (4-1) - 5x Sport Sambo World Champion - The other blue chip prospect on this list is Marina Mokhnatkina. A 5x time champion in sport sambo, Mokhnatkina brings a completely unique martial arts background to the women’s bantamweight division. She is an absolute force on the mat, racking up submissions in both MMA and sport sambo competition. She’s particularly fond of leg locks, winning repeatedly across the two sports with an array of knee bars, heel hooks, and ankle locks. Mokhnatkina could send a shock through the a division that is made of primarily strikers. The only thing stopping her is she signed a six fight deal with Fight Nights Global back in January. I’m not sure of FIght Nights Global’s current relationship with the UFC. She would be great for the UFC’s debut show in Russia in September if they could get her. As demonstrated in her loss to Liana Jojua, she’s got a lot of problems with her game: high risk style of grappling based entirely around leg locks and armbars, fundamentally poor striking, not a positional grappler, questions about wrestling/judo game, etc.

7. Morgane Ribout (2-0) - Judo World Champion - Next up we have a Judo World Champion in Morgane Ribout. Now while Ribout is a very accomplished judoka, it’s important to note she won a world title at about 125lbs. She’s likely to drop to flyweight should she ever make it to a big organization, and I’ve read people who follow judo say she could probably make strawweight. The reason I’m including her at all is because her two fights so far in MMA have been at bantamweight (one for the CEF bantamweight title). With French fighters like Ngannou, Duquesnoy, and Taleb finding recent success here in the States, it is time we see more women make the jump. And we’ve already seen what a good judoka can accomplish in this division. While I worry more about how here abilities transfer over than I am Vazquez and Mokhnatkina (I haven’t seen any of her fight footage outside of judo), she’s got a decade of training at the highest levels of her combat sport - a sport we’ve seen another woman enter from to great success. She seems to be taking the jump to MMA very seriously. And with how well respected Judo is in France, Ribout’s success could be the next step to getting the sport legalized in France.

8. Rizlen Zouak (3-0) - Judo Olympian - Rizlen Zouak is the first woman to ever represent Morrocco in the Olympic for judo. She’s medaled in numerous international competitions in Judo all over the world. She trains out of the MMA Factory in France, home of UFC fighters Francis Ngannou and Tom Duquesnoy. There is a lot to like about Zouak. At 31 years old, she’s still got time to develop into a really good fighter. Women’s bantamweight is weird like that. I’ve only seen her fight with Leah McCourt in Cage Warriors (her debut) so it’s hard to know for sure if she’s ready for the UFC, but based on the small sample size she probably needs the most time out of this category to get there. Hopefully she takes a few fights in 2018 and is ready for a call up by next year.

9. Liana Jojua (7-2) - The 22 year old Georgian has a lot of Pennington/Pudilova in her. She’s dogged, will fight you in every position, and seems to have a natural comfort and pose in a tough, grueling fight. It’s what carried her to a win over 5x world Sambo Champion Marina Mokhnatkina to capture the Fight Nights Global BW title. She’s doesn’t have a standout skill set like many of the pedigreed fighters, but she does everything well enough and with enough physicality to never really be out of a fight. At only 22, she’s got a lot of time and room to grow. She’s also only been fighting since 2015, so she’s not shopworn yet. She wouldn’t be an instant shot in the arm of the division, but she is young talent that 135lbs desperately needs. Don’t let the number fool you, she should be high on Maynard’s “to sign” list.

10. Katharina Lehner (7-0) - Katharina Lehner is a 27 year old fighting out of Germany. A four year veteran as a pro, Lehner has gone 7-0 in MMA including a successful debut in Invicta that involved her knocking out Alexa Conners. Oddly enough, that’s Lehner’s only finish though. The best comparison I have for her is a more aggressive Sarah Kaufman. She’s not a fast fighter. At all. She’s a hittable target but her pace, brute strength on the inside, and combinations make her someone who’s really hard to keep at bay. Despite not being a big KO artist, she’s got some pop on her hands and her arsenal is pretty solid with the elbows she uses to close distance. I can’t help but feel she benefited a lot from Invicta’s tiny cage in her debut and I’m curious to see how her style would fare in the much bigger UFC cage. She’s going to fight Sarah Kaufman for the Invicta FC bantamweight title at Invicta FC 29 in May.

11. Julia Avila (4-0) - Julia Avila is undefeated through her short MMA career so far with wins on her resume over currently ranked bantamweight Marion Reneau and current UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano. You’d figure with a resume like that, she would have been signed already. At 5’7, she’s a pretty long 135lber that makes pretty good use of her size. She’s a pretty darn good kicker that can stay on the outside and score points with a variety of well timed kicks. I don’t think her boxing game is quite there yet but Avila’s long reach makes helps her to get the better of long exchanges at times. Does a good job of catching people at the end of her crosses (She fights both orthodox and southpaw from what I can tell). Plus she can throw a wicked knee up the middle when she’s got her timing down.

12. Shanna “Shannimal” Young (4-0) - Shannimal is a good nickname for Shanna Young. Young is a former wrestler for King College, where she did well enough to earn 6th place at the championships and get herself ranked with Team USA. She’s also got a deep background in Karate. The 27 year old really gets after the takedown. While she hasn’t rounded out many of the other parts of her grappling game, she is a dogged chaser of the takedown. Her biggest win to date was probably beating Invicta featherweight Pam Sorenson. Honestly, the edge her wrestling and raw strength gives her would make her a solid fit at the bottom of the division. I think she should be getting the call up.

13. Pannie “Sexy Scramble” Kianzad (8-3) - 26 year old Swede Pannie Kianzad has hit a really rough patch in her career. She’s already been fighting for 5 years, so she should in theory be nearing her peak as a fighter. Not a good look than that she’s lost her last three to admittedly strong competition (Kaufman, Evinger, and Pa'aluhi). Still her youth and size (5’7) make her a good fit for the UFC division which currently needs young 135lbers who won’t (can’t) drop to 125lbs when things go south. Hopefully she can rebound to grab a couple of wins in 2018 and get a call to the UFC.

14. Marciea “Black Widow” Allen (6-2) - Despite some early career setbacks, Allen has rattled off three straight victories. I do think she has Reneau-esque run to the top of the division but she’s 36, she’s on a good run, and she’s one of the more experienced 135lb woman on the local circuit. Bring her in to test a fellow UFC debutant. And if she ends up actually looking good, all the more power to her.

15. Gisele Moreira (7-3) - 37 year old Brazilian Gisele Moreira is similar to Marcia Allen. She came to the sport very late, not really starting until she was 33-34 years old. She’s racked up a record fighting who she can on the regional scene while losing to some of the better prospects on the Brazilian regional scene (Talia Santos, UFC vet Bernardo, and Bianca Daimoni). Again, I doubt she ever becomes a contender but she’s still early enough in her career where she should be improving, she’s got experience a lot of women on the regional scene don’t have, and even if she doesn’t pan out she should still be the right test for someone is making her UFC debut.

16. Maiju Suotama (8-3) - Suotama is the type of fighter you need in building a division - a strong, come forward grappler veteran. While she may “only” have 11 fights to her resume, Suotama is has been fighting as a pro since for almost a decade. She took off for 6 years in the middle, but according to her she was training the entire time she was away. Hopefully, she’s avoided the wear and tear that comes with a decade of professional sports training by taking a hiatus. At 32, she’s probably not going to get a ton better or take off athletically but she can be a solid addition to the middle of the division in ways 135 needs right now.

17. Raquel Pa'aluhi (6-6) - At 27, it might seem like Pa’aluhi got another gear in her but she’s probably right about where she’s going to be for the rest of her career. And despite her .500 record, I don’t think that’s an indictment against her skills as a fighter. 4 of the women that Pa’aluhi has lost to have gone on to fight for UFC titles (McMann, Nunes, Kunitskaya, and Pennington). She might not be more than a journeywoman, but those are valuable when a division only has a handful of fighters. Fights need to get booked, younger fighters need a bridge between fighting some local Jane Doe and getting tossed to a Tonya Evinger. Pa’aluhi serves as the perfect bridge. Who knows? Maybe she gets some of that UFC money, can afford to train full time and hits a corner like Magny did.

18. Taila Santos (14-0) - A can crushing record but winning 14 in a row is still something in the depleted global women’s bantamweight scene. Plus she’s only 24 years old. Took 2017 off because of pregnancy, but she’ll be back soon. Recently won a regional BJJ competition in Brazil.

19. Alexa Conners (4-2) - The two losses on her record aren’t as telling as it seems. One was a robbery in her debut and the other was a TKO loss to Lehner who came in 4lbs over weight. Conners is a powerful puncher with a decent kickboxing game. Hopefully she gets some wins in 2018 and gets the call up.

20. Mayana Kellem (7-0) - Kellem is a Brazilian bantamweight fighting out of Manaus. Has fought more than a couple of women with .500 records but has managed to win 7 straight to start career. That’s a good sign.

21. Karolline Rosa (8-2) - Recently suffered a submission loss to Larissa Pacheco but is otherwise a talented young bantamweight.

#UFC #Ronda Rousey #Holly Holm #miesha tate #MMA #Opinions #SHIT I WROTE

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thesportssoundoff · 7 years

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July 3rd time killing: What sort of UFC veteran fights can we expect for DWTCS?

Joey

July 3rd

So by now word has reached MOST fine folks about the UFC's Tuesday night show; Tuesday Night Contenders. Thus far it's...a thing. It seems like a modest attempt to at the very least take a swing at developing and churning the bottom of the roster over somewhat. Five fights every Tuesday with prospects and proven regional veterans trying to crawl their way into the UFC. We've got commentary confirmed (one will be legit, the other one is going to be a Bananarama tape with no case with Snoop and Urijah Faber goofing around). As of now some REALLY great fights are being put on (Manny Vasquez vs Joby Sanchez, Matt Bessette vs Kurt Holobaugh to name a few) and even if it's JUST five fights on a Tuesday, it's something for the people who subscribe to Fight Pass to get excited about during the week.

NOW having said that, Dana White and the UFC have both hinted that guys on the cusp of getting cut COULD in theory get the opportunity to maybe earn themselves a longer leash in the org through fights. Whether that's veteran vs veteran or veteran vs prospect outside of the UFC remains to be seen. It looked like they would be doing away with that BUT Dana mentioned it recently and so I'm assuming it's still in the works. In any event, I want to just try and conjure up 15 fights that would absolutely fit the Tuesday Night Contenders format for current UFC veterans who could use the opportunity to get some fights. Plus JUST for fun, I've thrown in some non UFC guy fights that would make sense too. Everybody loves bonus MMA. In trying to keep with the spirit of the show thus far, I didn't go too far in terms of regional overseas guys. Just a lot of local fighters OR fighters who fight out primarily in the states.

1- MW Oluwale Bamgbose vs Eryk Anders

A genuinely enjoyable wacky ball of energy, Bamgbose has had a really tough go of it recently in the UFC. He debuted on short notice vs Uriah Hall and lost in the first round. He took another short notice fight and KO'd Daniel Sarafian before racking up two straight losses vs Brazilian fighters Cezar Mutante and Paulo Borrachinha. He's too fun to not be in the UFC BUT it'd be totally reasonable if the decision was made to pull the plug on him. How about giving him a chance vs Eryk Anders? Anders is a Bama linebacker turned MMA fighter who is raw but uber talented and has just captured LFA's middleweight championship. At the very least, this could be the kind of fight that promises to be JUST wacky enough to be worth watching on a Tuesday night.

2- LW Ross Pearson vs Freddy Assuncao

Ross Pearson is an awesome fighter, one of those guys that it's not too hard to get behind. He's been at this a good long time and the recent results are less than ideal, I think we could all agree. Still if Pearson wants one more crack at it (and you don't want to see him slumming it up on Bellator undercards), then a fight on Tuesday Night Contenders might make sense. Freddy Assuncao is one of those guys people have expected to join the UFC for quite some time but injuries and inactivity have hurt him. He's a good fit for this kind of show as a Titan FC champ.

3- LW Marcin Held vs Takanori Gomi

So obviously financially this makes zero fucking sense. That said, if you ignore the amount of money burnt putting this one together, I think this fight could be all kinds of amusing. Gomi is on what feels like an eight fight losing streak while Held has lost every UFC fight he's had so far; decision to Diego Sanchez, decision to Joe Lauzon and KO vs Damir Hadzovic. He could in theory be 2-1 since he was dominating Hadzovic and IMO beat Joe Lauzon. This fight could at the very least be an awesome little deal for FP subscribers.

4- MW Alex Nicholson vs Chris Camozzi

Nicholson's claim to fame INSIDE the cage (!) is a kind of questionable win over Devin Clark at 205 lbs. Clark's a fine win but outside of that, Nicholson has been finished twice and beat by Sam Alvey. Now I thought he beat Sam Alvey but still. Sporting a nifty 1-3 record, Nicholson might be on his way out. A fair "loser gets axed" fight would be a guy like Chris Camozzi! Camozzi is coming off three straight decision losses and you get the feeling that the bloom is off the comeback rose. This is the sort of fight that's buried as likee the third Fight Pass prelim on the show or whatever so hey! Might as well give em a little shine.

5- WW Jake Ellenberger vs James Nakashima

The Matt Brown KO gave Ellenberger a chance to jolt some life into his somewhat shaky caeer. It was a short lived glimmer of hope ultimately as Ellenberger has lost two straight. He showed some improved striking vs Mike Perry BUT alas alack! It was not meant to be. James Nakashima is an MMA Lab prodigy getting a slow burn through the regional circuit who might be due for a shot soon.

6- WW James Moontasri vs Erick Montano

Moontasri is a fun fighter who just seems to be consistently struggling to find any sort of weight in the UFC. Even having said that, his losses are to some damn good fighters like Alex Oliveira and Kevin Lee. Erick Montano is one of the TUF LAM winners who should, in theory be given extra rope to see if they can cut it. As such rather than just cut your losses and rather than abandon any hope in Mexico, why not do Moontasri vs Erick Montano?

7- WW Jim Wallhead vs Rodrigo Vargas

Jim Wallhead is a longtime veteran who finally got his UFC opportunity and unfortunately ha scome up short twice. Wallhead is capable, competent and probably on the fringe of being UFC quality. As such, how about he faces a guy like Rodrigo Vargas? Vargas has been fighting primarily out in Combate Americas

8- WW Hayder Hassan vs Derrick Krantz

The UFC has been trying to make Hayder Hassan a thing for a while now and it totally makes sense. Hassan was the MVP of the season where the Blackzillians and ATT feuded, complete with him taking three fights in like a months time. Hassan was even invited back for the redemption season where he lost AND THEN got another chance to take a fight. He's just a fun fighter they seem sensitive to---and so giving him a decent regional vet like Derrick Krantz I GUESS makes a lot of sense. Maybe Krantz can have a Gerald Meeaschaert type run.

9- LW Andrew Holbrook vs Hakeem Dawodu

Holbrook has already proven himself to be capable of an upset when he knocked off Jake Matthews in Australia. Holbrook tends to get wiped out violently in his fights and while I'd just, ya know, SIGN Hakeem Dawodu, if I HAD to get cray cray, giving him Holbrook is a perfect test for his skills. Then again I mean I'd just sign the fucking guy.

10- LW Reza Madadi vs Alexander Jacobsen

The Mad Dog has taken some fights on short notice and taken some flat out undesirable fights recently. At 1-3 since his UFC return, Reza might be on his last licks. Alexander Jacobsen is the sort of dude Madadi would be fighting if relegated to the regional circuit; a hyped up European who has competed primarily in Cage Warriors and boasts an 8-1 record.

11- BW Justin Scoggins vs Mark De La Rosa

The mova back down to 125 lbs was a bust for Scoggins as he slipped up and had a booboo at the worst time possible vs Ulka Sasaki. Rather than let a very talented yet flawed fighter go, give him one more chance vs an undefeated Mexican prospect. De La Rosa is best known as the dude who Mark Schiavello tried to shame for turning down a fight over concerns that his opponent wasn't going to make weight, opting to simply stay in his hotel room. He's parlayed THAT into a decent run at Combate Americas. It'd be a good test for both guys.

12- BW Kwan Ho Kwak vs John Castaneda

Keeping up with the theme of Singapore card failures vs Combate guys, let's pit Kwan Ho Kwak vs Combate Americas champ John Castaneda. Kwak is 0-2 in the UFC but has been apart of two enjoyable fights while Castaneda has been one of the real rising stars of Combate Americas since its inception.

13- LHW Josh Stansbury vs Anton Berzin

ALL the TUF 19 guys! Berzin sports an undefeated record and holds gold in CFFC, the same org that gave us the likes of Lyman Good, Jimmie Rivera and Nick Gordon. Not to mention Paul Felder and some of the other DWTCS guys. Josh Stansbury is on his 9th UFC life so you might as well see what happens if you give him one more chance vs an undefeated guy.

14- MW Uriah Hall vs Brett Cooper

While it started on a bit of a rough patch, I'm not even sure Baloo could get Hall's career out of this current talespin it's in. He's also been fighting inarguably some of the world's toughest competition with Mousasi twice, Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson all thrown into the mix. On the other hand, Brett Cooper has been a busy dude overseas since Bellator basically got rid of him. It's a fine fight and a decent potential bounceback challenge for Hall. Worst case scenario Cooper guarantees you a few tough fights.

15- HW Anthony Hamilton vs Karl Roberson

Anthony Hamilton's "win one then lose one" streak finally came to an end as he's racked up two losses in a row; both by early finish. He's a pretty reliable HW in terms of getting to fight night and he's clearly capable of beating some guys so hey! One more shot seems fair. How about lanky CFFC LHW Karl Roberson?

#MMA #UFC #Dana White #tuesday Night Contender Series

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