MMASucka staff picks are locked in as two events remain for Ultimate Fighting Championship hopefuls.
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 9, also titled as Dana White’s Contender Series 65, takes place in just a few short hours tonight, October 3rd from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eight fighters look to impress UFC President Dana White and company for an opportunity at a promotional contract beginning at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) on ESPN+.
Be on the lookout here at MMASucka for Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 9 results. Also, take a gander at our picks from Friday night’s ONE Fight Night 14 event from Kallang, Singapore.
The Fights
For the first time in 2023, no fighters from North America will contest on a Contender Series card as an experienced-heavy list of talents fight for their chance at a ticket with the UFC.
In the night’s featured main event, 27-year-old light heavyweights Rodolfo Bellato and Murtaza Talha will contest across three possible five-minute rounds. Viewers from last year’s season recall Bellato coming up short in his Contender Series fight with Victor Petrino, suffering a second-round knockout defeat. The Brazilian rallied back towards another chance with two victories this year including the interim capturing of LFA’s Light Heavyweight title in May. Bellato’s opponent, Talha, has won in all of his amateur and six professional mixed martial arts fights. Tonight’s fight will be the KHK MMA Team’s first since in just over a year as he steps outside of the Brave CF banner looking to add to his 100% finishing rate.
Eduardo Matias Torres and Victor Hugo Silva are set to meet in the co-main event at featherweight. Chile’s Matias Torres hopes to extend upon his five-fight run since 2022 after losing his one and only match in 17 fights to former UFC competitor Nohelin Hernandez. Hugo Silva brings a longer stretch of victories at twelve in-a-row since March of 2015 as he returns to combat for only the fourth time in the past four years.
A light heavyweight clash will come between another KHK MMA Team prospect of undefeated Magomed Gadzhiyasulov and former Samurai Fight House Light Heavyweight Champion Jose Daniel Medina.
Mauricio Ruffy, winner of eight of his nine professional fights, fights in the welterweight division against Raimond Magomedaliev, returning the cage for the first time in 2023 after 2022 wins over former octagon notables Anthony Njokuani and Impa Kasanganay.
A flyweight fight between 23-year-old Lucas Rocha and former Shooto Brasil Flyweight Champion Davi Bittencourt was intended to open the ESPN+ event. However, Rocha missed weight on Monday by five pounds resulting in his removal from the event as well as Bittencourt’s lost opportunity at a fight.
Find our picks for Dana White’s Contender Series 65 further below.
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and/or preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
See below for our Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 9 picks and predictions.
Staff Records after Dana White’s Contender Series – Season 7, Week 6:
1. Ben Jamieson: 231-117
2. Michael DeSantis: 237-126
3. Jeremy Brand: 232-131
4. Wesley Riddle: 230-133
5. Nate Freeman: 226-137
6. Frazer Krohn: 219-144
7. Julio Monteros Jr.: 199-113
8. Andrew Benjamin: 169-144
9. Jack Goodwillie: 148-83
10. Brian Knight: 140-84
11. Tim Wheaton: 105-60
12. Roemello Reyes: 62-34
13. Jonathan Andrade: 31-24
14. Brandon Joint: 12-9
15. Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
16. Joshua Yule: 7-6
17. Chris De Santiago: 6-6
18. Antwyn Jackson: 5-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – ONE Fight Night 14 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Mauricio Ruffy (8-1), +180
vs.
Raimond Magomedaliev (10-1), -218
Welterweight Division
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Magomedaliev via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Magomedaliev via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Magomedaliev via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Magomedaliev via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Magomedaliev via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Magomedaliev via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Ruffy: 0
Staff picking Magomedaliev: 6
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (7-0), -1200
vs.
Jose Daniel Medina (11-2), +750
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Gadzhiyasulov via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Gadzhiyasulov via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Gadzhiyasulov via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Gadzhiyasulov via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Gadzhiyasulov via Round 1 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Gadzhiyasulov via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Gadzhiyasulov: 6
Staff picking Daniel Medina: 0
Eduardo Matias Torres (16-1), +114
vs.
Victor Hugo Silva (23-4), -135
Bantamweight Division
– Co-main Event –
– 170 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Hugo Silva via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Matias Torres via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Hugo Silva via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Matias Torres via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Hugo Silva via Round 2 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Hugo Silva via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Matias Torres: 2
Staff picking Hugo Silva: 4
Rodolfo Bellato (10-2), +230
vs.
Murtaza Talha (6-0), -285
Light Heavyweight Division
– Main Event –
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Talha via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Talha via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Talha via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Bellato via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Talha via Round 1 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Talha via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Bellato: 1
Staff picking Talha: 5
