Dana White Announces Four New UFC Contracts to Fighters

In the 32nd edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, the show where Dana White scouts new talent for his promotion, four fighters were awarded UFC contracts. The names of the fighters were Tafon Nchukwi, Phil Hawes, Drako Rodriguez, and Aliaskhab Khizriev.

Although lightweight Sherrard Blackledge could not get a UFC contract despite his skillful performance in dominant decision win, Dana White was still impressed enough to give him a second chance in November.

Who are the four chosen by Dana White?

Tafon Nchukwi

Undefeated light heavyweight Tafon Nchukwi from Cameroon faced off against Al Matavo. In the bout, Matavo was the more mobile opponent moving at different angles. Nchukwi, however, was more efficient with his energy while picking his shots.

Although Matavo did his best to find openings and land some quick punches, it was Nchukwi who was getting the better of these exchanges. Having a clear power advantage, Nchukwi kept pressuring Matavo. During one such exchange, as Matavo tried to move out without keeping his guard high, Nchukwi landed a perfectly timed left high kick which ended up knocking Matavo out cold.

White contemplated giving Nchukwi a developmental contract, but gave him the UFC contract after he, according to White, “scared the s**t out of him in the last fight.”

Confirmed: @TafonDaDon scared @danawhite into giving him a UFC contract 😅 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/bnhAZN9UK3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 9, 2020

Phil Hawes

Middleweight Phil Hawes squared up against 6-foot-6 Khadzhi Bestaev. Hawes started the fight with heavy shots and leg kicks that seemed to affect Bestaev’s movement. Worrying about the leg kicks, Bestaev switched stances and Hawes saw the perfect opportunity to land a hard overhand right to send Bestaev crashing down to the canvas. He then followed it with some vicious ground and pound strikes to seal the deal.

This was Bestaev’s third attempt at a UFC contract, having participated in both The Ultimate Fighter and the Contender Series in the past. His resilience finally payed off, and he got what he wished for this time.

The submission artists

Drako Rodriguez

Bantamweight Drako Rodriguez faced Mana Martinez in a match that started off with some quick exchanges. After landing a hard shot, Rodriguez took his opponent down. Martinez looked good from his back, attempting multiple submissions one after the other. Rodriguez, however, got the better of him even on the ground when he caught Martinez with a triangle choke, putting him to sleep.

His effort was rightfully awarded by White with a contract to the UFC.

Read: WATCH: Phillip Hawes Stuns Dana White With Spectacular One-Punch KO Win At Dana White’s Contender Series

4. Aliaskhab Khizriev

Undefeated welterweight Aliaskhab Khizriev made quick work of his opponent, Henrique Shiguemoto. Khizriev wasted no time in going for the takedown early in the bout and taking Shiguemoto’s back. From there, he flattened Shiguemoto out and applied a rear naked choke, thus winning in quick fashion. According to the new signee Khizriev, however, the best is yet to come from him.

With these fighters putting spectacular performances to earn their spot in the biggest sports promotion of the world, it will be exciting to see where they go from here and how they stack up against some of the very best fighters in the world.