Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS) has returned, bringing with it the next rising stars of the UFC. 

Each week, the match winners (mostly) are awarded with a UFC contract. I am personally so happy to get the Contender Series back in action, making Tuesdays a must see for any UFC fans. This week’s full card is as follows.

• Junior Cortez vs. Christian Rodriguez (FLW)
• Lorenzo Hood vs. Martin Buday (HW)
• Jake Hadley vs. Mitch Raposo (FLW)
• Chris Duncan vs. Slava Borshchev (LW)
• Kathryn Paprocki vs. Maria Silva (SW)

Contract winners are highlighted in gold.

Christian Rodriguez def. Junior Cortez by Unanimous Decision

This fight was another high-paced affair in the Bantamweight division. Cortez started off heavy, landing clean strikes and scoring a nice takedown. However, Rodriguez kept the pressure on and extended the volume advantage as the first round went on, leaving some clear signs of damage on the face of Cortez. The striking advantage of Rodriguez became even more clear as the fight wore on, denying the takedowns of Cortez. Cortez managed to land some clean combos, but the power and volume were both on the side of Rodriguez. He kept the momentum going in the third, denying all but one takedown and piling up his strikes. Cortez was a game opponent, but simply got outclassed on the feet.

Rodriguez looked incredible in this fight, battling through adversity and still showing off his terrific striking skillset. He missed weight by one pound, often the kiss of death when it comes to getting a contract, but proved he has the tools to perform amongst the best in the world.

Martin Buday def. Lorenzo Hood by Knockout (4:56 of Round 1)

This was a fun fight, even though it primarily took place in the clinch. Hood found solid success on the feet, almost dropping Buday after getting some separation. Buday dominated in the clinch, however, landing horrific knees to the thighs of Hood. Hood was clearly wearing the damage and looked as though he was in serious pain, firing back hardly anything as Buday racked up short shots to the head and big knees to the leg. In the last few seconds, Buday landed a big knee to the head of Hood, stopping the fight.

Though clinch fighters are usually seen as boring, Buday genuinely dominated through that fashion. He stayed busy and dealt serious damage from that position, something most fighters are not capable of. The UFC is always in need of more Heavyweights, and his heavy ground attack will add some variety to the division.

Jake Hadley def. Mitch Raposo by Submission (3:11 of Round 2)

Geez, this fight was a war. Both fighters were bringing a high pace on the feet. Hadley quickly came forward but Raposo returned fire well. Raposo also notched two powerful takedowns, though Hadley used his own wrestling to recover his footing. The second round was also fairly back and forth, before Hadley took the back of Raposo. After riding his back, he sunk in a rear naked choke and forced Raposo to tap, even though the choke was not under the chin.

Hadley is a prospect I have had my eye on for a while, and I think he will inevitably reach the UFC> Missing weight in this fight was not a good luck, but it was his first career miss and just by a half pound. He has an incredibly well rounded skill set and could undoubtedly bring some new heat to the Flyweight division, always in need of more athletes.

Slava Borshchev def. Chris Duncan by Knockout (0:28 of Round 2)

As soon as the first started, both came out trading leather on the feet. Duncan was pressing forward and landing hard shots, but the sharp counters of Borshchev were finding a home as well. Duncan made up the difference by scoring takedowns and doing good work from the top.Just about thirty seconds into the second round, however, Duncan walked straight into a sharp hook counter from Slava, which flatted the Scotland rep.

Borshchev looked fantastic against a genuine killer in Chris Duncan. His counter striking was on full display against the all-out aggression of Duncan, and the two made it into a wild war. His perfect left hook was a highlight reel KO that makes him a no-brainer for Dana to add.

Maria Silva def. Kathryn Paprocki by Unanimous Decision

The first round saw a strong forward pressure from Silva, working up volume through her striking combos. She attempted to bring the fight to the ground several times, even though she was finding success on the feet, but was unable to do more than control dominant position against the fence, more than half the round in control time.

Silva was nothing but dominant for pretty much the rest of the fight, seriously cracking Paprocki on the feet in the second before notching some clinch control and a takedown. She dealt serious ground and pounds and threatened submissions from there. Both fighters brought a heavy pace on the feet in the third round, though Silva once again established top control through a takedown. It was utter domination from there until the end of the fight, expertly denying any of Paprocki’s attempts to get out. At 7-0, Silva is a fun addition and a new prospect at 115 pounds!

There are still three more Contender Series events in this year’s season, so check back in next week for Week 8!