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Contender Series Week 4 Preview
The fourth edition of Dana White’s 2021 Contender Series goes down on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. Let’s take a look at all five matchups.
The fourth edition of Dana White’s 2021 Contender Series goes down on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Last week five more contracts were handed out, totaling 15 on the season. Week 4 will feature ten more fighters looking to earn their UFC contract. From undefeated fighters to DWCS returnees, week 4 has the potential to be the most entertaining week of the season. Let’s take a look at all five matchups and see what the fighters bring to the table.
Jacob Rosales (13-6) vs. Victor Martinez (12-4)
Contender Series week 4 starts with Jacob Rosales vs. Victor Martinez. Both fighters prefer to strike but maintain different styles to find success. At 26 years old, Rosales is an exciting prospect with natural power that flows with his crisp striking. After losing on the Contender Series in 2019, Rosales went 2-1 in LFA to earn another shot. The experience, skills, and heart are there. All Rosales needs is an impressive performance to find himself in the UFC.
On the contrary, Martinez looks to extend his six-win streak. After starting his pro career 0-2, Martinez began to improve tremendously. Martinez found himself with a 6-4 record before winning his last six fights. Martinez has 8 KO/TKOs due to his aggressive pressure and heavy hands. Although most opponents try not to strike with Rosales, Martinez has the tools to find success. Regardless of who wins, Rosales vs. Martinez should be entertaining due to their equal willingness to stay on the feet and exchange combos.
Kleydson Rodrigues (6-1) vs. Santo Curatolo (6-1)
Secondly, Kleydson Rodrigues and Santo Curatolo go toe-to-toe at flyweight. Rodrigues is on a five-win streak dating back to September 2016. He is well-rounded and has a lot of strength compared to most flyweights. Rodrigues main issue is that he has not stayed active enough. After fighting six times in four years, Rodrigues has not fought in two years. Anyhow, he is 25 years old and could do damage in the UFC flyweight division.
Curatolo is a dangerous fighter that always looks for the finish. He has ended all six of his wins with a finish. Curatolo has fought exclusively with CFFC and fought some tough competition along the way. Although his fight style is well-rounded, Curatolo’s aggression has been his key to success. It will be interesting to see how his aggression matches up with Rodrigues’s strength.
Steven Nguyen (7-1) vs. Theo Rlayang (5-0) could be fight of the night at Contender Series week 4
Thirdly, Steven Nguyen appears on DWCS for a second time against Theo Rlayang. Training out of Fortis MMA, Nguyen is one of the most intriguing featherweight prospects around. After compiling a record of 6-0, Nguyen lost on the Contender Series by flying knee. He returned one and a half years later to get one of the best regional knockouts of the year at LFA 101. With five first-round finishes, Nguyen fights explosively with a high fight IQ. Safe to say, he will do whatever it takes to make the best of his second opportunity.
Conversely, Theo Rlayang continues to finish fights and improve. At 27 years old, Rlayang made his pro debut in February 2020. Since then, he has built a 5-0 record with four finishes. The concern for Rlayang is that his opponent’s combined record at the time was 14-25-1. He throws a lot of feints and switches stances a lot to confuse his opponent. Nguyen has been surprised before, and Rlayang has the tools to get the job done. It is hard to see this fight going the distance.
Michael Morales (11-0) vs. Nikolay Veretennikov (9-3)
Fourthly, Michael Morales vs. Nikolay Veretennikov features opponents with a 13 year age difference. Morales comes in as one of the youngest fighters to compete on DWCS. At 21 years old, Morales is 11-0 with 9 KOs/TKOs. His ability to stay patient and use his quick striking has worked wonders for him. Unfortunately, Morales has only been past the second round twice and could have his cardio tested. The key to success will be to control the pace and keep Veretennikov away. Win or lose, Morales has a bright future in the sport of MMA.
Veretennikov has only one more fight but comes in at 34 years old. After starting his pro career 1-3, Veretennikov managed to win eight straight, six by KO/TKO. Veretennikov thrives in close range and manages to create a lot of damage wherever the fight goes. He needs to apply pressure this fight because Morales has struggled on his back foot. His durability should be the biggest concern for Morales.
Hashem Arkhagha (6-0) vs. AJ Dobson (5-0) set to headline Contender Series Week 4
Lastly, Hashem Arkhagha vs. AJ Dobson will end the night with a hard-hitting matchup. Arkhagha comes into this fight 6-0 with six finishes. After starting his pro career 4-0, Arkhagha took off seven years from competition before returning in 2019. Unfortunately, Arkhagaha missed weight by three pounds at the weigh-ins today. Consequently, concerns have arisen over how he will be able to perform. Although he missed weight, Arkhagha still possesses the power to end any fight. In addition, the missed weight may force him to go all-out for an early finish.
Alternatively, Dobson may be the most dangerous fighter on this fight card. Holding a record of 5-0, Dobson has finished three fights by KO/TKO. His powerful striking can KO his opponent in only one punch. At 29 years old, Dobson’s only flaws have been staying consistently active and fighting more experienced opponents. None of that will matter if he can secure his fourth KO/TKO in the main event against Arkhagha.
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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