Four UFC contracts were awarded on Tuesday night in week one of season eight of Dana White’s Contender Series. DWCS airs weekly on ESPN+ for a span of 8-10 weeks and is licensed separately from the UFC. UFC CEO Dana White applied for a promoter’s license, and it was stated ahead of the license being approved that “this is not the UFC, this is not the UFC brand, but instead a promotion that will allow up and coming fighters the chance to showcase their talents in hopes that one day they may compete in the UFC.”
On August 13, White awarded UFC contracts to Mansour Abdul-Malik, Bruno Lopes, Jose Delgado, and Lone’er Kavanagh, who all picked up big finishes at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Closed out the show 💪
Mansur Abdul-Malik dropped huge elbows on his way to victory on #DWCS! pic.twitter.com/owY4lEQCQh
— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2024
The body work paid off 😤
Bruno Lopes takes care of business!
Watch #DWCS NOW on @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/hvwYys9zZ1
— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2024
Complete DWCS Season 8, Week 1 results below:
Mansur Abdul-Malik defeated Wes Schultz via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 3:55Rami Hamed defeated Ding Meng via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)Bruno Lopes defeated Mikhail Sazhiniani via TKO (body punches) — Round 2, 4:14Jose Delgado defeated Ernie Juarez via knockout — Round 2, 1:25Lone’er Kavanagh defeated An Tuan Ho via knockout — Round 1, 2:35
