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This season of Dana White’s Contender Series has already produced some impressive upsets, but Tuesday’s main event knockout may have been the biggest.

A heavyweight clash led the way for Episode 7 as undefeated Ukrainian striker, Danylo Voievodkin, took his chances against former University of Minnesota linebacker, Bailey Schoenfelder. Voievodkin came into the main event as a massive 8-1 betting underdog. On paper, his chances were slime to none.

Unfortunately for Schoenfelder, Voievodkin didn’t pay attention to the oddsmakers came out firing with crisp leg kicks. He then opened up with the hands and eventually stuck the former college football player with a vicious left hook. Schoenfelder collapsed to the canvas and was nearly out.

Voievodkin, whose quick start sent a shockwave through the UFC Apex, quickly took back control and locked up a tight rear-naked choke. Despite having no hooks in, the undefeated heavyweight put the finishing touches on his submission win and forced the tap. The victory earned him a UFC contract as well.

Check out the finish below:

Insomnia

Conor McGregor is ready and cleared to fight. What’s the real holdup here?

Are we impressed by “Blessed” ahead of UFC 308?

Eddie Hearn is still upset about Devin Haney’s ticket request for ‘Joshua vs. Dubois.’

Will John Lineker move to 2-0 as a Muay Thai fighter this October?

Not sure if Jake Paul will ever take this fat suit off.

This is Kevin Lee’s last chance right here.

Alexander Volkov out of UFC 308 due to a knee injury.

Does “DC” make a good point?

Rate this bar cart from 1-10.

Are you worried for Mike Tyson as well?

The selfie of all selfies.

Oh boy!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This angle is wild.

Here’s the action from Tuesday’s Contender Series.

Random Land

So you want to be an ultimate pole runner?

Sleep well Maniacs! We’ll be back for more tomorrow night.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Reinier de Ridder has inked a deal with the UFC, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting. The signing became public Tuesday following a tweet from the Roster Tracker account.

The company has yet to set a date and opponent for “The Dutch Knight’s” octagon debut.

De Ridder (17-2) made short work of Magomedmurad Khasaev this past July in his most recent bout, a first-round knockout under the UAE Warriors banner. That was de Ridder’s first appearance since parting ways with ONE Championship earlier this year, ending his run in the Asian-based promotion with a record of 7-2.

The jiu-jitsu black belt won nine straight between 2013 and 2018 to earn a deal with the ONE, and needed three victories in a row to earn his first shot at a title there.

De Ridder defeated then-two-division king Aung La N Sang twice to steal both his titles, going on to win his next two fights before losing both belts in consecutive matches against Anatoly Malykhin.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this story.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Five new fighters earned UFC contracts on the latest episode of Contender Series.

On Tuesday night, the seventh episode of season eight of Contender Series took place in Las Vegas at the UFC APEX, and after five fights, UFC CEO Dana White handed out contracts to all five winners on the night, only the second time this season that’s happened.

Voievodkin stuns Schoenfelder

In the main event of the evening, Danylo Voievodkin stunned Bailey Schoenfelder with a first-round submission victory that earned the 24-year-old a UFC contract.

The biggest underdog on the card, Voievodkin didn’t look it in the cage with Schoenfelder, setting the pace right from the opening bell. Schoenfelder tried to stick and move but it didn’t take Voievodkin long to drop the former Minnesota Golden Gopher football player and immediately jump onto a rear-naked choke, getting the finish in just over one minute.

Frunza outlasts Kutsyi

In the penultimate fight of the evening, Daniel Frunza outlasted Vadym Kutsyi to score a second-round TKO and earn a UFC contract.

With an impressive 17-1 resume coming into Contender Series, Kutsyi had a lot of hype coming into the bout but Frunza started out hot, buzzing the Belarussian early with combinations. That lead Kutsyi to fall back on his wrestling for the remainder of the round, even landing some big shots from on top. But once the second round started, Kutsyi’s gas tank was gone and Frunza turned up the heat, overwhelming Kutsyi with strikes to earn the finish and a UFC contract.

Christian submits Mazzeo

In the third fight of the evening, Kevin Christian pulled off a small comeback, submitting Francesco Mazzeo with a triangle armbar in the second round.

An impressive sight at 6-foot-7 as a light heavyweight, Christian got off to a rocky start as Mazzeo scored an early takedown and spent most of the first round in top position. Christian attempted a few submissions but had little success and was also unable to get back to his feet. But in the second round, Mazzeo hit a cardio wall and after securing another takedown, this time Christian was able to throw on a triangle choke, finishing the maneuver quickly with an armbar extension added in for good measure.

After the fight, Dana White wasn’t quite sure whether to sign Christian, but Mick Maynard made the call and ultimately Christian earned his spot in the UFC.

Vallejos dazzles against Teague

In the second bout of the evening, Kevin Vallejos put on a dazzling display of striking against Cam Teague, earning a first round knockout and a UFC contract.

Only 22 years old, Vallejos fell short in his first attempt at Contender Series last year when he faced Jean Silva and suffered his first career defeat. This time around the Argentinian fighter had no such issues, lighting Teague up with combinations to the head and body, overwhelming the previously undefeated fighter. It was a near-perfect performance from Vallejos and Dana White awarded the young man a UFC contract as a result.

Thainara out-works Conceicao

In the opening bout of the evening, Alexia Thainara won a unanimous decision over Rose Conceicao and earned her spot in the UFC.

Thainara and Conceicao actually have a history of training together and while sometimes that can lead fighters to be timid, that certainly wasn’t the case for Thainara who came out guns blazing from the opening bell. Conceicao simply couldn’t keep pace with Thainara’s aggression and activity as she got out-worked every round. Ultimately, Thainara handed her former training partner the first defeat of her career and earned a contract from Dana White.

Check out the DWCS week 7 results below.

Danylo Voievodkin def. Bailey Schoenfelder via submission (rear-naked choke) — R1, 1:13

Daniel Frunza def. Vadym Kutsyi via TKO (punches) — R2, 3:30

Kevin Christian def. Francesco Mazzeo via submission (triangle armbar) — R2, 4:17

Kevin Vallejos def. Cam Teague via TKO (punches) — R1, 2:23

Alexia Thainara def. Rose Conceicao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dana White is serious about moving into boxing this time.

Over the past several years, the White has made numerous claims about jumping into the sweet science, even promoting Zuffa boxing as far back as 2017 when Conor McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather. But for as often as White has declared his “in” on boxing, he’s just as often decried the sport for being “so broken that it can’t be fixed.” But earlier this week, White teased another venture into boxing and on Tuesday night he expounded a little on the matter.

“I did my first fight in Ireland and we’ll start announcing stuff here [at the] beginning of 2025,” White told reporters following the latest episode of Contender Series.

White is referring to the Callum Walsh vs. Przemyslaw Runowski fight he attended this past weekend in Dublin, Ireland. White and Walsh’s promoter Tom Loefller have a long-standing relationship and the event was streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

At this point, it’s unclear what White’s foray into boxing will look like, and the UFC CEO is unwilling to divulge further information at this time. Given White’s many stops and starts with boxing in the past, some are skeptical that this time will be any different, but White insists that this time it’s real.

“Every time I get on the phone with these guys I go, ‘Am I out of my f*cking mind?’ But I think that obviously now is the time or I would have done it then,” White said. “I was kicking around — I was even talking about Anthony Joshua at one time and stuff like that. I’m glad that I pumped the brakes and we waited. Everything is about timing. Is now the time? We’re going to find out…

“There’s a million reasons why now is [the time],” White continued. “If you notice, as far as boxing goes, even as much money as Sheik Turki is throwing into this thing, television deals aren’t really abundant right now. There’s just a lot of things that I think I can do that other people haven’t done yet.”

Promotion is very different between boxing and MMA, primarily due to the Ali Act, which provides federal oversight and certain protections to fighters that do not currently extend to MMA. But White insists he has a plan for how to handle the different promotional aspects of things.

“I have a plan. I’m going to implement that plan and we’ll see how it works,” White said. “We’ll see how this thing works. People have been talking about the demise of boxing for 30 years and we’re still here talking about boxing right now.

“I have always had an idea of how I thought it should be done. I don’t know if that’s possible, but we’re going to find out. I’m coming in guns blazing.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Trilogy?
| BJPenn.com

It’s that time!

Contender Series keeps rolling on for 10 straight weeks of mixed martial arts (MMA) action. Week five goes down tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, in front of UFC CEO, Dana White, as well as his cadre of matchmakers.

As has become standard for the program of late, all four fighters earned UFC contracts last week.

In the main event this evening, Cage Fury FC (CFFC) Heavyweight champion, Bailey Schoenfelder (5-0), takes on Ukraine’s Danylo Voievodkin (6-0), who has never fought past three minutes with six finishes. In the co-main event, Romanian knockout artist, Daniel Frunza (8-2) and Vadym Kutsyi (17-1) — who looks to be the second fighter from Belarus to make it to UFC — meet in a Welterweight clash. The “Featured” bout has Light Heavyweight finishers as Francesco Mazzeo (4-0) takes on Kevin Christian (8-2). Kevin Vallejos (13-1) returns looking for a contract against Cam Teague (7-0) and Strawweights kick off the card as LFA champion, Rose Conceicao (7-0), fights Alexia Thainara (10-1).

‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:

Danylo Voievodkin defeats Bailey Schoenfelder via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 1:13
Daniel Frunza defeats Vadym Kutsy via TKO (punches) Round 2, 3:30
Kevin Christian defeats Francesco Mazzeo via submission (triangle) Round 2, 4:17
Kevin Vallejos defeats Cam Teague via TKO (punches) Round 1, 2:23
Alexia Thainara defeats Rose Conceicao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

‘Contender Series’ Highlights & Results:

265 lbs.: Danylo Voievodkin defeats Bailey Schoenfelder via submission

170 lbs.: Daniel Frunza defeats Vadym Kutsy via TKO

205 lbs.: Kevin Christian defeats Francesco Mazzeo via submission

155 lbs.: Kevin Vallejos defeats Cam Teague via TKO

115 lbs.: Alexia Thainara defeats Rose Conceicao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.

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