DWCS Season 10, Week 8: Results, Contract Winners (And What's Next?)

Week 8 of Dana White's Contender Series was a short card and a long highlight reel. Ilias Bulaid vs. Erick Visconde was scratched about an hour before start time because of illness, leaving four fights — and all four winners walked out with UFC contracts. Pip and Nano ran the watch-along while Olin recovered from routine nasal surgery, and the night delivered the first slam knockout in Contender Series history. Our underdog rule (we back every Contender Series dog) went 1-for-4: Adama Diop cashed at +280, and we finished the night down one unit.

The Fights

Aieza Bertolso def. Camila Reynoso (Inverted D'Arce, R1 3:02)

We had Reynoso at +350, and Bertolso made that look optimistic almost immediately. She established the jab and the length, got the fight where she wanted it, and spent well over a minute hunting a front choke while Reynoso tried to create space from butterfly and half guard. The finish was weird enough that we argued guillotine vs. D'Arce on the broadcast — the official call was an inverted D'Arce after Bertolso jumped guard, locked a body triangle, and forced the tap. Pip called it the most impressive performance of the night. Tina "Black" Melvina was in her corner, and Bertolso left with three straight submissions and a contract.

What's next? A strawweight debut. The grappling and the finishing instinct are already UFC-ready; the question is how that jab-and-control game looks against deeper competition.

Ian Escuza def. Luca Borando (TKO — knees, R1 0:32)

Near pick'em on the betting boards, and over in about half a minute. Escuza — the Peruvian Dominic Cruz nicknamed "The Specimen" after seeing him at the PI in Mexico City — smothered Borando against the cage, went looking for the takedown, and folded him with knees to the body and head. We called the stoppage a win for Herb Dean in the moment and said it looked like another automatic contract. Dana later made clear he thought the finish should have been a no contest because of an illegal knee on a grounded opponent, and that Sean Shelby had to lobby for the signing. Escuza got the contract anyway. Borando, who came in hoping to be the first Italian Contender Series winner, deserved a cleaner night than that.

What's next? Escuza's featherweight debut will test whether the clinch violence travels. For Borando, Shelby left the door open for another opportunity after a rough break on the biggest stage of his career.

Adama Diop def. Zaurbek Sabanov (TKO — punches, R2 2:13)

This was the slopfest of the night, and we said so live. Diop, the +280 underdog and only the second Senegalese athlete on Contender Series, and undefeated Russian wrestler Sabanov spent round one trading wild swings, clinch stalls, and tongue-out showboating that looked more playground than prospect showcase. Round two was more of Diop leaning on the cage, hammerfists, and accumulated damage until Sabanov turned his back and the referee stepped in. Nano and Pip both said they did not want to see a contract for either man. Dana agreed it was atrocious — then signed Diop anyway, essentially telling a 31-year-old heavyweight not to make him regret it. We called it a pity contract. The heavyweight roster math won the argument.

What's next? A heavyweight debut against someone who will punish the cardio and the technique if Diop does not clean things up. Dana's message was blunt: get back in the gym.

George Staines def. Loai Abushaar (TKO — slam, R1 1:01)

Main event, and the finish of the season so far. We backed Abushaar, the 6-foot-3 MMA Lab product at +280, for the length and the four-fight finish streak. Staines — Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, training alongside Paddy Pimblett and Luke Riley — opened with calf kicks, locked a body lock, and slammed Abushaar three times in the first minute. The third slam put Abushaar out cold; a couple of follow-up punches and Herb Dean waved it off. First slam knockout in Contender Series history. Pip said if he could hand out only one contract, it was Staines. Pimblett and Riley lost their minds in the corner. Hunter Campbell, as the chat noted, watched the crowd reaction before the paperwork talk — and the paperwork was a formality.

What's next? A lightweight debut for an undefeated English prospect with real grappling teeth. Abushaar's size will still play somewhere; this just was not his night under those slams.

Contract Winners

• Aieza Bertolso (women's strawweight)

• Ian Escuza (featherweight)

• Adama Diop (heavyweight)

• George Staines (lightweight)

Four fights, four contracts. The show consensus was that Bertolso, Escuza, and Staines earned theirs clean; Diop got the heavyweight benefit of the doubt with a warning attached. Season 10's contract count keeps climbing.

Looking Ahead

A four-fight Contender Series card that still produced history, controversy, and a pity heavyweight signing is about as Contender Series as it gets. Bertolso's inverted D'Arce and Staines's slam are the clips that will travel; Escuza's knee sequence will keep the officiating debate alive; Diop has been told exactly what he has to fix. Our underdog board resets next Tuesday. Stay tuned…