Contender Series Week 8 recap: Six Fighters Earn UFC Contracts in Historic Event

Dana White’s Contender Series has been a huge success since its debut in late 2017. Despite having almost 70 episodes and hundreds of fights in the books, viewers may have just witnessed the greatest night in the series’ history.

Following the five bouts on the card, Dana White gladly handed six contenders their opportunity to compete inside the octagon with UFC contracts. So, what made week 8 of the Contender Series 2023 so special?

We began the night with a bantamweight clash between Vinicius Oliveira and Victor Madrigal, two hungry competitors with a wealth of experience in the sport. Earning himself a contract, it was the Brazilian “Lok Dog” who not only came away with his hands raised but also delivered one of the most vicious knockouts of the year.

It was going to be tough to outdo this wild matchup but the brawl between Ernesta Kareckaite and Carli Judice did just that. In a fight that would have broken the UFC women’s flyweight record for most combined significant strikes with 352, both ladies came to fight and took their opportunity to impress with both hands.

The former HXMMA champion Kareckaite came away with the split decision victory in what is a must-watch bout for any fight fan. Dana White later confirmed that both women would be handed a UFC contract for their Weili-Jedrzejczyk-esque three-round war.

A featherweight bout took center stage next and once again, viewers were left stunned as Danny Silva and Angel Pacheco came out and arguably topped what we had just watched one fight prior. The pair came to bang and delivered an instant classic that will go down in Contender Series history.

After 15 minutes of grit and determination, Silva was awarded the unanimous decision win but there were no losers in this fight. Just like the previous outing, Dana White signed both fighters to a UFC contract for their brilliant display.

From one of the greatest fights in Contender Series history to one of the worst. Mario Piazzon and Alexander Soldatkin put on a disaster of a co-main event, which eventually ended in the third round via an illegal knee. Despite winning due to disqualification, Piazzon wasn’t handed a UFC contract.

To close out the event, Danny Barlow and Raheam Forest took center stage. The two welterweight prospects looked destined to put on a show, but it was Barlow who overwhelmed his opponent with his power until he found a finish early into the opening round, winning himself a shot in the UFC in the process.