Four seasons after his Dana White’s Contender Series debut, Carlos Candelario will step into the cage in front of the UFC president for the second time.
At DWCS 37, Candelario (8-0) will replace Vinicius Salvador to take on LFA flyweight champion Victor Altamirano (9-1) on the five-fight card. The event serves as the season 5 premiere and takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Candelario, 30, made a triumphant return from a four-year absence when he defeated Miguel Restrepo via unanimous decision at CES 63 on Aug. 6. The fight was his first since his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 1 in 2017 when he defeated Ronaldo Candido via unanimous decision. In that fight, Candelario didn’t earn a UFC deal and he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of action for quite some time.
Mexico’s Altamirano, 30, won the vacant LFA flyweight championship in February when he defeated DWCS alumnus Nate Smith via unanimous decision. The victory extended his winning streak to three.
With the change, the DWCS 37 lineup includes:
- Azamat Murzakanov vs. Matheus Scheffel
- Khusein Askhabov vs. Joanderson Brito
- Victor Altamirano vs. Carlos Candelario
- Leonardo Damiani vs. A.J. Fletcher
- Lukasz Brzeski vs. Lorenzo Hood
Carlos Candelario steps in to fight LFA champ Victor Altamirano at Dana White’s Contender Series
