{"id":44327,"date":"2025-08-05T03:06:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T03:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/44327\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T03:06:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T03:06:16","slug":"exciting-prospects-setting-foot-in-octagon-in-season-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/44327\/","title":{"rendered":"Exciting Prospects Setting Foot In Octagon In Season 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

DWCS,<\/a> also known by its full title,\u00a0Dana White\u2019s Contender Series,\u00a0is set to begin its ninth season on the air next week. Since its launch in 2017, the Tuesday night MMA promotion has seen future UFC champions touch down in Las Vegas, first at the\u00a0TUF\u00a0Gym, and currently at the UFC Apex facility, to secure a contract in MMA\u2019s top promotion.<\/p>\n

As has become commonplace over the last six years, the show is streamed every Tuesday over a 10-week period on ESPN+<\/a> inside the United States. The streaming media home of\u00a0DWCS\u00a0beyond this new season could change.<\/p>\n

At the present time, UFC CEO Dana White is considering a larger media rights deal for 2026 and the future, which could see the UFC package split multiple ways. He\u2019s also said that future seasons of\u00a0DWCS\u00a0might have its annual episode output increased to 20<\/a> from the current number of 10.<\/p>\n

Dana White just announced with the new TV deal they are working on, they will be doing twice as many #DWCS<\/a> fights. Wow.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) June 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/a>FL: Dana White Receives Key To City Of Miami MIAMI, FLORIDA \u2013 APRIL 11: CEO and President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Dana White speaks during the Dana White key to the city ceremony at Miami City Hall on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Photo by Alberto E. Tamargo\/Sipa USA Miami Florida United States of America NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xAlbertoxE.xTamargox Editorial use only
\nDWCS Features Exciting Crop of Fighters in Season Nine<\/p>\n

With\u00a0DWCS\u2019\u00a0ninth season right around the corner, beginning next Tuesday night at 8 pm ET\/ 5 pm PT from the Apex and continuing for the next 10 weeks, there\u2019s no better time than right now to start thinking about this year\u2019s contestants who will traverse to Nevada for their chance at a UFC deal. You\u2019ll notice a common thread about them:<\/p>\n

These are some amazing scrappers appearing on\u00a0DWCS\u00a0this year. Let\u2019s dive right in, shall we?<\/p>\n

DWCS\u00a0Must-See Fighters: Radley Da Silva<\/p>\n

When you think about contestants who will be making the walk on\u00a0Contender Series\u00a0this ninth season, there\u2019s no fighter hotter in the cage than Radley Da Silva<\/a> (7-1 MMA) a stalwart of Canada\u2019s Battlefield Fight League. Da Silva will be fighting on opening night of season nine of DWCS\u00a0versus George Mangos (7-0 MMA) of Australia.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little bit surprising, in all honesty, that Radley Da Silva, who hasn\u2019t gone down in defeat in an MMA fight since didn\u2019t already get a straight call-up to the UFC. His resume speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the current BFL Featherweight Champion, initially winning the 145-lb division\u2019s strap in February of 2024, defending his title three successive times. Back in January, he retained the belt via rear-naked choke over Drew Brokenshire (19-10 MMA) inside the second round in BFL 82.<\/p>\n

Da Silva is the kind of fighter that Dana White looks for when he and his team put together fights for\u00a0DWCS\u00a0every summer and early fall. If he can bring the fireworks again on Aug 12, he\u2019ll be signing a UFC deal shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

DWCS\u2019\u00a0Must-See Fighters: Jose Delano<\/p>\n

Moving onto week two, the Aug. 19\u00a0program will be headlined by Jose Delano\u00a0<\/a>in a featherweight contest vs. Manuel Exposito (13-2 MMA.) Delano (15-3 MMA) will be making his 19th walk to the cage as a professional that evening.<\/p>\n

Jose Delano is a mainstay on the LFA\u2019s active roster, going 6-1 in that organization between March of 2022 and February of this year. During the Feb. 7 LFA 201 card in Sao Paulo, he scored a first-round knockout (punch) over Abu Muslim Alikhanov (7-1 MMA,) an alumnus of ONE Championship.<\/p>\n

Delano also has a championship to his credit. Prior to being selected to appear on this season of\u00a0DWCS\u00a0for its Aug. 19 episode, he secured the LFA Featherweight Championship (unanimous decision) in 2022 versus Jonas Bilharino (11-3-1 MMA,) following it up with another unanimous decision victory over Michael Stack (8-4 MMA) that June.<\/p>\n

The LFA Featherweight Championship isn\u2019t the only title on his resume, having also won a featherweight belt in Shooto Brazil in November of 2020. Will fight number 19 result in a contract in MMA\u2019s big leagues?<\/p>\n

DWCS\u2019 Must-See Fighters: Mandel Nallo<\/p>\n

We now move onto the Sept. 2 show and move up to the lightweight ranks, where we\u2019ll find Canada\u2019s Mandel Nallo<\/a> (13-3, 1 NC MMA,) a veteran of the late Bellator MMA and Samourai MMA. The evening after the Labor Day holiday, Nallo will be making his first appearance in MMA in a year and three days\u2019 time to square off against Samuel Silva (13-4-1 MMA) on\u00a0DWCS.<\/p>\n

Nallo went 4-3 with one no-contest in Bellator MMA from 2017 to 2023. His last appearance under the Bellator promotional banner saw him come out on the losing end of a rear-naked choke submission from Adam Piccolotti (15-6 MMA, 10-5 MMA) in March of 2023.<\/p>\n

Last summer, he got into victory lane with a first-round rear-naked choke submission against Robert Seres (8-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in Samourai MMA Chapter 11\u2019s co-main event of the evening.<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s already had a stint in major MMA when he fought in Bellator. Can he join the UFC?<\/p>\n

DWCS\u2019\u00a0Must-See Fighters: Paddy McCorry<\/p>\n

Though the Sept. 16\u00a0DWCS\u00a0card isn\u2019t fully finalized at press time, one of the night\u2019s contest features an exciting middleweight contestant, Paddy McCorry<\/a> (6-1 MMA) of Cage Warriors.<\/a> He\u2019s scheduled to face off with In Soo Hwang (8-1 MMA) on the last Tuesday night of the summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

McCorry has posted a 4-1 record under the Cage Warriors banner since his debut in November of 2022. The Sept. 16 fight vs. In Soo Hwang is actually Paddy McCorry\u2019s second chance at getting a UFC contract.<\/p>\n

During the 2024 season of\u00a0The Ultimate Fighter\u00a0television series on ESPN+, McCorry submitted Mark Hulme with a rear-naked choke in the first round of the fight. His next fight on\u00a0TUF\u00a0didn\u2019t go quite as well as the first one did, losing via armbar in the opening stanza to Robert Valentin.<\/p>\n

Fighters getting a second chance at a UFC promotional deal through\u00a0DWCS\u00a0is nothing new by any stretch of the imagination. With McCorry having come up short during last year\u2019s\u00a0TUF season, expect him to fight with frustration on Sept. 16.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

Which fighter or fighters are you looking forward to seeing on\u00a0DWCS this summer and early fall? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n