DWCS Season 10, Week 9: Results, Contract Winners (And What's Next?)

Week 9 of Dana White's Contender Series was the penultimate card of Season 10, and it ran like a highlight package with a plot twist at the top. Summer Onley vs. Alivia Bierley was billed as the main event — it was even on our thumbnail — before a late bout-order shuffle moved it to the opener and slid UFC staffer Salhahuddin Everett into the co-main slot. The four fights that followed all ended in the first round, all four winners got contracts, and the one fighter who won on the scorecards went home without one. Olin was back in the host chair seven days after nasal surgery, with Pip joining mid-card, and our betting board had its best night of the season: three of our five plays cashed, headlined by Preston LaGrange.

The Fights

Alivia Bierley def. Summer Onley (Unanimous Decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

We were on Bierley as the dog, and for a round and a half it looked like a bad ticket. Onley worked the legs and the long one-two from range, and late in the first she opened a cut over Bierley's right eye. Bierley kept walking forward, and once the striking started to slip away from her she turned it into a wrestling match. A takedown late in round two led to a long stretch of ground and pound — we counted well over 20 unanswered shots and were surprised it wasn't stopped. In the third she hit a clean double leg with her head on the outside, exactly the entry we'd been calling for on the broadcast. We had it close enough to argue a draw, and the 30-27 card was hard to defend, but Bierley got her hand raised and turned one unit into two and a half for us. Her story landed too: a former VP at LA Fitness who walked away to fight full time, and who started training after an abusive relationship because she refused to be a victim again. Dana passed on her. We thought that was harsh. Women's bantamweight needs bodies, and we would have signed her.

What's next? Bierley (6-1) feels like a fighter who comes back to the Contender Series and gets it on the second or third try, or a strong fit for a future women's season of The Ultimate Fighter. Pip would take her on short notice any day of the week. Onley drops to 6-1 after the first loss of her career and showed enough on the feet to get another look.

Mateus Soares def. Ryuho Miyaguchi (KO — punch, R1 1:03)

We backed Miyaguchi at long odds, and it lasted 63 seconds. Soares came out throwing bricks, chopping at the thigh instead of the calf, and when Miyaguchi stepped in with a jab, Soares slipped it and landed the counter that ended the night. It was the kind of knockout where the head goes and the body follows a beat later. Our take: the UFC didn't do Miyaguchi any favors bringing him back. The chat said he looked bad on Road to UFC; we disagreed — he's a legitimate karate striker who let the big stage get to him in Macau — but he wasn't ready for this, and the matchup was built to make Soares look good. Soares delivered exactly the knockout he predicted. The 22-year-old from Rio's Jacarezinho community, who trains at Rizzo RVT and calls Jose Aldo his idol, is now 12-2.

What's next? A bantamweight debut for a 22-year-old with real power. Miyaguchi needs time and a softer runway before another shot at this level.

Roque Conceição def. Alexander Chávez (Submission — triangle choke, R1 3:37)

Both men came out throwing fast, and we got our bet in late, after the opening exchanges. Conceição had the speed edge and mixed in a front kick to the body; Chávez slipped enough to take some of the steam off the incoming shots. Then the fight hit the mat and Conceição never stopped hunting — a one-armed guillotine, a kimura look, then the triangle, all in about 15 seconds. Chávez picked him up and slammed him, which only sank the choke deeper, and he tapped. Our rule on the broadcast: if you are going to slam your way out of a submission, you have to commit to it completely, and at flyweight that means getting them all the way up. Conceição lost on the Contender Series last year; this time he left with a contract and a 12-3 record. Chávez falls to 9-1.

What's next? A flyweight debut for a Brazilian who can finish on the feet or the floor. We floated a double contract for this pair because of the pace; it didn't happen, but Chávez's output will get him another call.

Salhahuddin Everett def. Ozzy Martin (KO — punch, R1 1:57)

The bout that got bumped to co-main, and the chat had already labeled Everett "Dana's boy." We took Martin, and he looked good early — nasty body work, kicks, and slick combinations in and out of the pocket. But Everett's jab was a piston, Martin threw a jumping attack at the wrong moment, and Everett backed him to the fence and folded him with a three-piece ending in a right hook. He didn't even bother following up; he just watched. Martin looked like he didn't know what happened. Everett's path is the story: UFC mailroom, corporate security, then Dana's runner, stocking the fridge when Dana told him he was getting a Contender Series shot. Dana's verdict: it's weird because you're already in the UFC, but welcome to the UFC. He's 5-0, and none of his fights have gone three minutes.

What's next? A welterweight debut and a chance to become the first person to go from working for the UFC to fighting in it. Martin (4-1) is active across MMA, boxing and kickboxing and should be back quickly.

Preston LaGrange def. Nell Ariano (KO — punch, R1 2:24)

The new main event, and the biggest hit of our season. LaGrange took the fight on two weeks' notice, moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight against an undefeated French judoka, and the betting market treated him like he was about to get run over — we got him at roughly a 20% chance. He went to about 38% within seconds because he came out throwing heat. Ariano answered with a hip toss straight out of his judo background, but LaGrange got back up, landed a knee, bottled him up against the fence, and finished him with a right hook. He was missing with some of the punches and still clubbing Ariano with forearms; it didn't matter. He and Dana pointed at each other afterward, and once the contract was his, LaGrange made sure to mention he's actually a 185er. A middleweight just knocked out a light heavyweight in emphatic fashion. LaGrange is 7-1; Ariano drops to 6-1.

What's next? A middleweight debut, where his size and pressure should play even better. Ariano, a former member of the French national judo team, gets a clean slate after a short-notice opponent who walked through everything he had.

Contract Winners

• Mateus Soares (bantamweight)

• Roque Conceição (flyweight)

• Salhahuddin Everett (welterweight)

• Preston LaGrange (middleweight; won at light heavyweight)

We predicted at least five contracts; Dana gave out four, one for every finish and none for the decision. That brings Season 10's total to 42. Our only real disagreement was Bierley: she won, she has a story fans will get behind, and she competes in a division that needs depth.

Looking Ahead

Five fights, four first-round finishes — three knockouts and a submission — and the biggest debates of the night were about the bout order and the one contract Dana didn't hand out. Soares and LaGrange gave us the clips, Conceição gave us the scramble, Everett gave us the feel-good story, and Bierley gave us something to argue about. On the betting side, Bierley, Conceição and LaGrange cashed, and the show is sitting at roughly 16 units of profit on the season with one week left. Season 10 closes out next Tuesday. Stay tuned…