DWCS Season 10, Week 10 (Season Finale): Results, Contract Winners (And What's Next?)

Week 10 was the Season 10 finale of Dana White's Contender Series, and it closed the year the way the whole season ran: wars, comebacks and one big argument at the top. Five fights produced two finishes, three decisions and four UFC contracts, including one Dana White turned down before Mick Maynard overruled him. Olin and Pip called it live from a freshly unpacked new apartment, and our underdog betting experiment finished the season on a high: Greg Foster and Erick Visconde cashed, and the board ended Season 10 up just over 16 units.

Greg Foster def. Jason Asher (Unanimous Decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

We were on Foster as the dog, a late-notice replacement from The MMA Lab, and he gave the finale a perfect start. Both men hurt each other early, and Foster's right straight kept freezing Asher. We've already christened him "Foster Freeze" on the show. Asher had his moments with elbows and spinning offense, but his output never kept up; he loaded up on big shots without setting them up. We'd have liked to see him fight behind the jab and go to the body. Foster's defense has holes, and he kept dipping his head into knees, but his pressure and volume won the first two rounds. Asher took him down late in the third, opened a cut and flirted with a D'Arce, but Foster survived. Dana was on his feet clapping, and we floated contracts for both men. Foster is 9-1; Asher drops to 5-1.

What's next? A lightweight debut for a tough, high-volume Arizona fighter who should be fun on any Fight Night. Asher, a featherweight who moved up on short notice, is active and only 26.

Douglas da Lapa def. Davi Cabral (TKO — punches, R3 0:19)

Two undefeated Brazilians, and someone's zero had to go. We backed Cabral, and in round one he looked like the right call: he cracked da Lapa with hooks over a high guard that was wide open at the bottom and had him on wobbly legs. Da Lapa was hurt badly enough that we wondered aloud whether his corner should think about the towel. Then the fight turned. Cabral burned energy hunting takedowns, da Lapa found a second wind with nasty body work in the pocket, and 19 seconds into round three he dropped Cabral and finished it on the floor. It was a wild fight and one of the best of the season. Da Lapa is 7-0; Cabral drops to 7-1.

What's next? A middleweight debut for "Robozinho," who has now finished six of his seven wins. Cabral showed real power and toughness and should get another look once his gas tank catches up.

Luis Francischinelli def. Will Rentz (TKO — punches, R1 2:18)

We liked Rentz, coached by UFC veteran and Contender Series alum Billy Quarantillo, as the short, stout pressure fighter against a 6'6" welterweight. He took Francischinelli down twice early, but the big Brazilian got back up, and one glancing left behind the ear face-planted Rentz. The ground strikes that followed went on longer than we wanted to see. Per UFC.com's pre-fight notes, Francischinelli would be the tallest welterweight on the roster. Dana's verdict: "You're 10 feet tall." Francischinelli is 7-1; Rentz falls to 8-3.

What's next? A welterweight debut for a new human skyscraper, and the questions everyone will ask about what that reach can do at 170. Rentz's five-fight streak is over, but he's 27 with a good corner.

Smilla Sundell def. Aline Pereira (Unanimous Decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The co-main, and the one our whole night was riding on: we had Aline Pereira, Alex Pereira's younger sister, at +625. Sundell, the 21-year-old former ONE Muay Thai world champion, was the bigger, busier fighter and kept pushing the pace with body shots, knees and clinch work. Pereira had her moments: she checked plenty of kicks, landed counters and jabs, and even took Sundell down in the third. It was close enough that the two of us scored the rounds differently, but Sundell's knee to the body late in the third sealed it for us, and the judges agreed. One observation: Sundell was falling about half an inch short with her hooks, like a fighter used to 12-ounce gloves. Dana didn't want to sign her off a decision, but Mick Maynard overruled him and gave her the contract. We think she earned it. Sundell is 3-0; Pereira drops to 3-3.

What's next? A women's bantamweight debut and a lot of growth in public for a prodigy only three fights into her MMA career. Pereira's road to the UFC just got a lot harder.

Erick Visconde def. Ilias Bulaid (Unanimous Decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The main event, and the bet that got us back over the line. Bulaid came in 9-0 off a long kickboxing career; Visconde is the reigning LFA featherweight champion with a 17-3 record, and we liked the experience edge. It played out exactly the way we hoped. Visconde blasted a double-leg takedown in round one, rode Bulaid's back with a body triangle, hunted the choke and later an arm triangle, and kept dragging him back down every time he got up. He's a grimy, grinding style of fighter, and you could see Bulaid's breathing go long before the end. Round three got messier: Visconde got spin-happy, a Bulaid kick to the groin forced a break, and the pace slowed. But it was a 30-27 shutout. Visconde said afterward he broke his hand in the second round. Dana still passed on him.

What's next? All three of Visconde's losses came at bantamweight, and featherweight looks like his home. He showed the UFC a wrestling game the division will respect; we'd expect another call. Bulaid (9-1, 1 NC) has to shore up his takedown defense before the next shot.

Contract Winners

• Greg Foster (lightweight)

• Douglas da Lapa (middleweight)

• Luis Francischinelli (welterweight)

• Smilla Sundell (women's bantamweight; Mick Maynard overruled Dana)

We predicted five contracts tonight; we got four, and the main event winner wasn't one of them. Per UFC.com, that takes Season 10 to 46 contracts, tying the record for a single Contender Series season.

Looking Ahead

Two finishes, three decisions, a Foster–Asher opener that set the tone, a da Lapa comeback, a giant welterweight and a front-office overrule. It was a fitting send-off for a season that rarely missed. On the betting side, Foster and Visconde cashed, we got back about 5.2 units on the five we put out, and our one-unit-on-every-dog experiment closed Season 10 up 16.17 units. That's two straight seasons in profit, and we'll be doubling the unit size next year. Contender Series is done for the year, but the UFC calendar isn't slowing down. Stay tuned…