There’s an old adage that gets thrown around every so often: “Time flies when you’re having fun.” The same is true for season eight of Dana White’s Contender Series. Only two episodes remain until the UFC Apex closes its doors to MMA prospects until the summer of 2025.
Live coverage of week nine begins Tuesday at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN+ inside the United States. As always, the card features five MMA fights. A week ago, five prospects scored their golden tickets to the UFC, bringing the number of contracts awarded as a direct result of appearing on Contender Series this season to 34 with two shows to go.
Light Heavyweights Meet to Cap Week 9 Tuesday Night
Highlighting the slate is a light heavyweight showcase in the DWCS 75 main event. Former GLORY Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Champion Artem Vakhitov (2-1 MMA) makes his third walk to the cage this year when he takes on undefeated Islem Masraf (3-0 MMA), an alumnus of both Ares FC and PFL Europe.
As with all fights on Contender Series, this one is an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.
DWCS 75 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the DWCS 75 main event on Tuesday night, Artem Vakhitov stands as the taller man at 6-foot-1, compared to Islem Masraf’s frame of six feet even. The former owns a 74.4-inch reach, with no such information for the latter at press time.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Artem Vakhitov installed as a -650 favorite on the money line, while Islem Masraf counters as a +450 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight this week or weekend in combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Former Kickboxing Champ Vakhitov Eyes UFC Deal Tuesday
Artem Vakhitov enters the DWCS 75 main event on Tuesday having posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Last time out, he scored a first-round TKO due to leg kicks against Valisher Khambaev (1-1 MMA) in February during Naiza Fighting Championships’ NFC 57 in Kazakhstan.
Although this is only his third professional MMA fight, don’t let that number fool you: This young man is an experienced fighter. Prior to turning to MMA full-time in June of last year, he spent 14 years competing in kickboxing and Muay-Thai, being a decorated champion in the former sport.
Eight years ago, he captured the GLORY Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Saulo Calavari, going onto make five successful title defenses between then and 2019, followed by another title fight victory in September of 2021 over three-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira.
Upon Russia invading Ukraine in the winter of 2022, GLORY cut all Russian athletes from the promotion, this coming after the promotion removing Artem Vakhitov as the 209-lb. champion.
BREAKING! GLORY has terminated contracts of ALL Russian athletes, including Light Heavyweight Champion Artem Vakhitov.
Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/rgCs9haXrd
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) June 17, 2022
He’s already got a victory against a current UFC champion on his resume. Can Artem Vakhitov score a contract this week? Tune in and find out.
Can Masraf Win UFC Deal in Fourth Professional Fight?
In the other corner, Islem Masraf enters this week’s card having gone 3-0 thus far in his young professional career. Counting amateur bouts, he’s unbeaten at 5-0.
Most recently, he bested Mickael Groguhe (5-2 MMA) with a first-round knockout by way of head kick in only 10 seconds during PFL Europe 1 on March 7. More impressively, Masraf has yet to even so much as get to the third round of a fight since beginning his MMA life in April of 2023.
Timewise, his longest fight to-date in MMA saw him go just six minutes and 58 seconds in his professional debut, finishing the win by way of guillotine choke in Ares FC 15 on May 11 from last year. What a difference a year makes for Masraf.
At this time a year ago, he had just one professional win to his credit and now, if everything goes well on Tuesday night, he could find himself on the precipice of a UFC contract. Only time will tell if he’ll be able to capitalize on the opportunity.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Don’t expect this fight to last the whole 15 minutes on Tuesday night. Both of these guys know how to bring the heat.
Vakhitov’s Got Power
Given that Artem Vakhitov is a former GLORY Kickboxing Light Heavyweight Champion, you can expect him to deliver powerful strikes when it matters the most. One need look no further than his 2017 match against Paulo Cavalari.
After already scoring two knockdowns, including one from a right cross, in the second round, Vakhitov just unloaded with a barrage of unanswered strikes to force the referee to intervene. Look for Vakhitov to come out firing on all cylinders this Tuesday.
Masraf Can Get It Done Quickly
In the other corner, as previously mentioned, Islem Masraf has yet to even see a third round thus far in his MMA career. This is a man who isn’t getting paid by the hour in the least bit whenever the cage door shuts.
Back in March against Mickael Groguhe, right after the command to fight was issued, Masraf uncorked a nasty kick to the head, knocking him down on contact. Although Masraf added some ground and pound once Groguhe was on the canvas, the damage was done all the same.
The first blow of the DWCS 75 main event could be the only blow that lands.
Final Thoughts
Get your popcorn ready early on Tuesday night. You may not have enough time at the microwave once the bout begins.
Prediction: Artem Vakhitov by Second-Round TKO.
