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Contender Series Week 2 Preview
The second edition of Dana White’s Contender Series 2021 will go down on Tuesday. Let’s take a look at what to expect from the fight card!
The second edition of Dana White’s Contender Series 2021 will go down on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+. After handing out five UFC contracts in week 1, anything can happen in week 2. The fight card will feature five fights, ten talented fighters, and an endless amount of potential. With fighters featured from all around the world, we are here to make sure you are educated about the fighters looking to earn their UFC contract. Let’s take a look at what to expect from week 2 of the Contender Series 2021.
Muin Gafurov (17-3) vs. Chad Anheliger (10-5)
Firstly, Muin Gafurov will take on Chad Anheliger to start the fight card. Gafurov comes in with more experience than the average Contender Series fighter. Holding a record of 17-3, Gafurov has previously fought for ONE Championship and UAE Warriors. Gafurov is well-rounded with creative striking that makes him dangerous at 135 pounds. His reliable chin and experience offer him the opportunity to win any fight. Gafurov strikes with sneaky power, so make sure not to blink when he is in the cage.
On the contrary, Anheliger has had quite the road to this fight against Gafurov. After starting his pro career 2-5, Anheliger decided this would not be the story of his career. He turned things around and managed to win eight fights in a row. Anheliger leaves everything in the cage and looks to end the fight every chance he gets. Consequently, Anheliger finished nine of his ten wins, six by KO/TKO and three submissions. Anheliger is now one big win away from the ultimate comeback of 2-5 to the UFC.
Bruno Korea (12-3-1) vs. Carlos Vergara (8-2-1)
Secondly, Bruno Korea and Carlos Vergara look to be the newest additions to the UFC flyweight division. After going 2-1 in The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 4, Korea got a chance in the UFC against Matheus Nicolau. Unfortunately, he did not get the win and was not given another chance in the UFC. Luckily, Korea found success on the regional scene, going 8-2-1 after his short UFC tenure. Korea’s slick jiu-jitsu and technical striking have earned him another shot in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
Although Korea’s striking has improved greatly, he must be careful against the explosive Vergara. Holding a record of 8-2-1, Vergara has won five of his fights by KO/TKO. Vergara has now won four fights in a row, dating back to March 2019. Despite the lack of experienced opponents, Vergara has the ability to end any fight at flyweight. Vergara will need to avoid Korea’s BJJ and look for a statement finish on the feet.
Saimon Oliveira (17-3) vs. Jose Alday (14-5-1)
Thirdly, Saimon Oliveira vs. Jose Alday is a matchup between two closely skilled fighters. Since turning pro in 2013, Oliveira has been using his jiu-jitsu to create success. Consequently, Oliveira has won eleven of his fights by submission. The main concern for Oliveira will be the fact he has not fought in nearly two years. With that being said, Oliveira’s BJJ always offers him a path to victory. Additionally, Oliveira’s striking improvements have set him up for success in the UFC moving forward.
Alday is a talented fighter who has had his ups and downs on the regional scene. Holding a record of 14-5-1, Alday has wins over UFC fighters Gustavo Lopez and John Castaneda. After starting his pro career 8-0, Alday struggled at times with step-ups in competition. Alday’s last fight was four months ago, where he won in only 57 seconds by KO. He now looks to ride that momentum into the biggest fight of his MMA career and cash in on a UFC contract.
Mario Sousa (12-1) vs. Chidi Njokuani (19-7) may be the fight of the night for the second week of the Contender Series 2021
Mario Sousa vs. Chidi Njokuani has fight of the night written all over it. Holding a record of 12-1, Sousa can finish this fight wherever it goes. As a result of his fight style, Sousa has finished eleven of his twelve wins. At 24 years old, Sousa has won his last five fights in a row. The last time we saw Sousa, he won on last year’s Contender Series against Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz. Unfortunately, Sousa was not awarded a UFC contract but got invited back for another chance at earning a contract.
Njokuani comes in as potentially the most experienced fighter on the 2021 Contender Series. After building up a record of 13-4, Njokuani signed with Bellator. Njokuani ended up with a Bellator record of 5-3 with tons of experience gained. He ultimately parted ways with Bellator and fought one fight with LFA before getting invited to DWCS. Njokuani uses his striking to control the pace and damage his opponent throughout the fight. Although he comes in as an underdog, underestimating Njokuani would be a mistake.
Josh Quinlan (5-0) vs. Logan Urban (5-1) will headline the second week of the Contender Series 2021
In the headliner, Josh Quinlan and Logan Urban will end the night with a bang. Coming in on short notice, Urban is simply as game as they come. Holding a record of 5-1, every single one of Urban’s fights has ended by a finish. Although his opponents were mostly inexperienced, his dominant performances have continued to speak volumes. Urban is unpredictable and creates damage wherever the fight goes. Despite taking the fight on short notice, Urban always comes to fight and has the skills needed to win.
On the other side of the cage, Quinlan has maintained a perfect record through five fights. Not only has he won all of his fights, but Quinlan has also finished every fight. Quinlan mostly maintains a counterstriking approach with a reliable ground game. At 28 years old, his ability to create damage has made him an interesting prospect. With his previous opponent dropping out, Quinlan will have to make last-second adjustments to his game plan. All things considered, the winner of the main event will most likely earn a UFC contract.
After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash.
The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September.
The event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans.
Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action.
The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.
“Hitman” will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January.
Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.
After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison.
And with “Hitman” keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
The whirlwind surrounding Ryan Garcia’s victory over Devin Haney last weekend is just beginning to settle down but it seems the controversial boxer is intent on staying in the headlines as he eyes UFC champion, Sean O’Malley.
The bizarre lead up to the fight with Haney was plagued with erratic behaviour on Garcia’s part, rumours of a mental breakdown, signs of alcohol and drug issues, and generally controversial behaviour. Garcia missed weight by 3.2lbs, and appeared to chug a beer on the scales during the weigh ins.
Entering the fight as an underdog, Garcia surprised everybody by dropping Haney three times and emerging victorious by majority decision. After the fight, Garcia insisted he drank and smoked every day in the build up to the fight and still picked up the win. This shocking turn of events has now opened up a variety of possible lucrative match ups for Garcia going forward, and it seems one MMA superstar wants a piece of that action.
The UFC hasn’t sanctioned a boxing crossover bout since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley has long campaigned for the opportunity to test his striking skills against Garcia, and this week on his podcast The Timbo Sugar Show, he insisted that the UFC have already given him the green light to seek out some opportunities in the boxing ring:
“A boxing fight’s possible for sure. I’m not there yet. I’ve still got to become bigger. Two more f*cking sick performances, then we’re talking about being able to do it.
O’Malley continued: “They told me ‘You can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough money’. The option is there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f*cking freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f*cking Floyd v Conor fight”.
Ryan Garcia tweeted an image of himself and O’Malley this week with the caption: “RAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW”
RAINBOW CACA BRAIN
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 22, 2024
WANTS TO BOX
BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW pic.twitter.com/GGrvV7ZSCH
Sean O’Malley became the UFC’s bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. He then defended the belt and avenged the only loss on his record when he dominated Marlon Vera over five rounds at UFC 299 in March.
The next step in the fascinating UFC journey of Alex Pereira remains to be seen. ‘Poatan’ pulled off a sensational knockout finish over Jamahal Hill in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 300 to defend his light heavyweight belt.
In his post-fight interview, the Brazilian called for the opportunity to compete at heavyweight at UFC 301 which takes place in Rio De Janeiro in just a couple of weeks. UFC president Dana White seemed unenthusiastic about that idea, however, and it seems now that the dust has settled after 300, Pereira is a little more willing to take his time before signing up for his next fight.
In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Pereira was asked if he’d rather defend his 205lb title again or test the waters in the heavyweight division. He responded:
“It’s hard to answer that. I haven’t thought too much about it yet. If it’s a longer period of time, I’d obviously rather defend my belt. If it takes too long and I fight at heavyweight and there are injuries, when am I going to defend my belt? I don’t want to hold up the division.
I was imagining the best-case scenario when I called for a heavyweight fight at UFC 301, but I have two broken toes. Both feet are f*cked. It’s complicated. I don’t want to hold up the light heavyweight division. A cool scenario would have been fighting at heavyweight at 301 and then giving the opportunity to someone to fight for the light heavyweight belt next. I think that would have been cool”.
205lb contender Magomed Ankalaev has called for a fight with Pereira on the UFC’s October pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi, but ‘Poatan’ brushed that idea off instantly, saying:
“I don’t want to fight at the end of the year. I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that. This guy is complicated”.
If Pereira manages to get another win under his belt and is ready to go again before the end of the year, he said he would much rather compete on the Madison Square Garden event in November, which is closer to his current home in Danbury.
“It makes total sense” he said. “Wait one more month and I’m fighting at home? It’s so much better”.
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