news-engine

History was made last week on Dana White’s Contender Series as Alex Apodaca completed the biggest upset in the show’s history, scoring a unanimous decision win over Bella Mir to close out the night. For the second consecutive week, all five winners earned contracts, meaning that through three weeks, 15 athletes have been added to the roster, keeping the possibility of a new record for the number of contracts being awarded in play heading into Week 4. How To Watch DWCS In Your Country So far, that number sits at 46 in both Seasons 7 and 9, and includes current contenders and rising stars Payton Talbott, Carles Prates, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, Josh Hokit, and many, many others. Whether any of this year’s initial members of the graduating class rise to those ranks as quickly remains to be seen, and now, five more pairs of hopefuls are set to make the walk to the Octagon and try to make an impression on Dana White and the UFC matchmakers to join the Class of ’26. Here’s a look at the matchups heading your way on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Patrick Rivera vs Adam Darby For the second week this season, a pair of welterweight prospects close things out the Meta APEX as Patrick Rivera battles Adam Darby. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. The 34-year-old Rivera arrives in Las Vegas riding a six-fight winning streak that includes three straight finishes, which has elevated his record to 13-4 overall. Fighting out of Baltimore, Maryland and training out of Crazy 88 MMA, which previously sent Matthew Semelsberger to the UFC, Rivera is a difficult read at the moment as his hot streak on the regional circuit has come against a series of overmatched opponents, with only one holding a winning record. READ: The Biggest Storylines From UFC Shanghai Team Ryano’s Darby dropped the second fight of his pro career and has been rolling since, registering six straight wins and five finishes heading into his DWCS appearance on Tuesday. A towering six-foot-three welterweight, he’s been thriving under the Cage Warriors shingle and looks to be the second straight standout from the England-based promotion to claim a contract. Brandon Holmes vs Modestino Rodrigues Brandon Holmes makes his return to Las Vegas, seeking to become the latest returning hopeful to claim a contract as he faces off with Brazil’s Modestino Rodrigues. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. Prior to his appearance last season, Holmes earned consecutive wins over Nick Galanti, who earned a contract last week, and Zack Borrego, who fought Bo Nickal on Season 6, but then ran into Cam Rowston, who was in the “returning fighter” role in that pairing. Since then, he scored a first-round stoppage win over Preston LaGrange, setting up his second appearance this week. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST: Polymarket UFC 334 | UFC 335 The 22-year-old Rodrigues hits the APEX for his first MMA fight in 14 months, having competed in the K-1 World Grand Prix in the back half of last year. He owns a 7-1 record with a 100% finishing rate, having been out of the first round twice, but has only faced a couple opponents with winning records and one with more fights than Holmes. Liam McCracken vs Silvestre Sanchez Liam McCracken looks to join the collection of Scousers already stationed on the UFC roster, but in order to do so, he’ll need to get through Mexican prospect Silvestre Sanchez on Tuesday night. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. Now a little more than three years removed from the horrific accident that nearly ended his fighting career, McCracken rolls into Week 4 riding a five-fight winning streak and having earned finishes in all eight of his professional wins. His lone loss came against outstanding French prospect Asaël Adjouj and while his level of competition outside of that matchup has been limited, he’s consistently handled business swiftly in those pairings. The 24-year-old Sanchez has earned four straight wins under the Lux Fight League banner and five consecutive victories overall, registering finishes in each of those contests. Part of the next wave of Mexican talent training at the UFC PI in Mexico City, Sanchez is an impressive physical specimen and this matchup with McCracken profiles as one of the better pairings of the season so far. Gabriel Lourenco vs Charlie Cleveland For the third time in four weeks, heavyweights hit the cage in Las Vegas as Gabriel Lourenco faces off with Charlie Cleveland. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. The 27-year-old Brazilian Lourenco lost his professional debut and has been rolling ever since, earning seven straight victories and six finishes to land the opportunity to battle for a place on the UFC roster this week. As has been the theme throughout this week’s preview, Lourenco is another hopeful that has faced limited competition on the way up, but he too has been winning emphatically, which is what you hope to see in those situations. Transitioning to MMA after playing defensive end at the Division II Tiffin University, Cleveland has gone 6-1 with four straight wins heading into the biggest opportunity of his career. Last time out, “The Reaper” ran through TUF 30 alum Nyle Bartling, who had won three straight heading into their meeting at LFA 230. Hunter Smith vs Adam Livingston Week 4 kicks off with the third lightweight pairing of the year as Hunter Smith faces off with returning hopeful Adam Livingston. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. Fighting out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Smith owns an 8-1 record, having earned wins in each of his last four outings since suffering the lone loss of his career, which he avenged in March with a first-round stoppage win. He outworked regional measuring stick Nico Echeverry last summer under the Fury FC banner and closed out his camp at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, so he should be fully acclimated and dialed in for Tuesday’s opener. Livingston carried a 6-0 record into his clash with Tommy Gantt last season and has since rebounded with a second-round stoppage win by spinning back elbow in May at LFA 232. He’s finished six of his seven wins, including each of his last four victories, and should benefit from having gone through this experience already last year.