Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.
With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.
Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.
In the final installment, we feature 10 deserving female fighters …
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Erin Blanchfield
Record: 5-1
Age: 20
Height: 5’4″
Birthplace: New York
Weight Class: Flyweight
Six fights into her professional career, Erin Blanchfield has only lost once – a close split decision to current UFC fighter Tracy Cortez in February 2019. She’s competed four times under the Invicta FC banner and won three of them. She holds wins over notables Victoria Leonardo and Kay Hansen. She’s finished back-to-back fights by head kick and Americana, which shows her versatility. At 20, there’s no rush. However, Blanchfield is ready to take the next step on DWCS.
Lupita Godinez
Record: 4-0
Age: 26
Height: 5’2″
Birthplace: Aguascalientes, Mexico
Weight Class: Strawweight
Born in Mexico, Lupita Godinez has taken her talents north, across two borders, into Canada. After wins in the United States and Mexico, Godinez added “The Great White North” to her resume this past November. At BTC 8, Godinez won the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title, going all five rounds against home-country fighter Lindsay Garbatt. Although it’s fairly early on in Godinez’s career, DWCS would be a great gauge to see where she is at. If worse comes to worst, she’ll need to go back to the regional scene for more sharpening. Regardless, the learning experience of DWCS will help her as she progresses.
More fighters on the next page:
10 female fighters you can expect to see on Dana White's Contender Series, Season 4
