Dana White’s Contender Series: Week Two Results
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By Anthony “Zute” George
Dana White’s Contender Series is a job interview with plenty of punch. For the following few weeks, inspiring mixed martial artists will audition every Tuesday night at 8:00PM ET on ESPN Plus for that coveted milestone. A UFC contract. By audition, I mean having to fight against another individual who has the same hunger and aspirations. Simply winning your fight is not enough. Oh no. After the fights, Dana White decides who has done enough to earn that contract. Many fighters have won their match yet were not chosen by Boss White.
For Mr. White, there could be no other way. Like him or not, the man who was born to be in charge, and he knows how the fight game works, as well as the business side. People can criticize him all they want for not paying the fights what they are worth, and you are entitled to feel that way; however, his model has worked in the sense that the fans always get the fights they want to see. In boxing, there is a small percentage of fighters who earn a subnational amount more than UFC fighters. At the same time, many boxers are working two, sometimes three jobs, just to stay afloat, and on top of that, they often have a hard time getting fights. White may be stingy with the dollar signs, but he always offers fighters a way to shine above the rest.
The fighters on the Contender Series are looking to capitalize on such an opportunity and yearn for that chance to shine. They have no issues fighting their way to that goal. It is what they do.
On Tuesday night, the following fighter’s competed:
Anthony Adams Vs Impa Kasanganay (middleweights):
Kasanganay defeated Adams via unanimous decision. All three official scorecards read 29-27. Impa dominated rounds two and three.
Daniel Swain Vs TJ Laramie (featherweights):
The heavy favorite Laramie won by a TKO when Daniel Swain could not answer the bell for round two. Swain spoke of an injury to his ribs. Laramie unleashed all kinds of punishment on Swain in the first round. TJ looks like a standout talent.
Vanessa Demopoulos Vs Cory McKenna (strawweights):
Cory McKenna outworked Vanessa Demopoulos to secure a unanimous decision win. Scorecards read 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in favor of Cory. It was a great action fight from start to finish where Demopoulos nearly had an armbar submission at the very end of the match. But McKenna was a clear winner.
Adrian Yanez Vs Brady Huang (bantamweights):
Adrian Yanez came out as if he had the car double-parked, as he blitzed Brady Huang, earning a TKO victory at :39 of round one. Yanez’s father was a professional boxer, and Adrian certainly has serious hands.
Dustin StolzfusVs Joe Pyfer (middleweights):
Dustin Stolzfus earned a freakish victory when he slammed Joe Pyfer onto the floor, dislocating his right elbow. That moved earned Dustin a TKO victory at 4:21 of round one. It was a good, even, battle up until that slam.
As mentioned earlier, winning a fight does not guarantee you earn a UFC contract. So, here is who Dana White selected from the winner’s pool:
Impa Kasanganay
TJ Laramie
Cory McKenna
Adrian Yanez
Dustin Stolzfus
Indeed, on a rare occasion Dana White gave out contracts to all the winners. The is just the third time that five fighters earned contracts. This is the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
It was a great night for all the winners, and MMA fans have a boat load of talent to keep an eye on. How will they do in the UFC?
Stay tuned…
Anthony “Zute” George is the Author of Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story, a new boxing book that covers the skilled champion from Auburn, Washington, as well as the scope of the times during his days of pugilism.
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