Caution: Your Tuesday nights are about to get highly aggressive! Seven years ago, UFC CEO Dana White expanded the MMA schedule over the summer months to a rare night, Tuesdays, with Dana White’s Contender Series. This week, the show returns for its eighth season.
Just like every season before it, this one will feature 100 MMA prospects setting foot inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, all with a singular goal in mind: Attaining a UFC contract. Every week on Contender Series, five fights will be held between some of the best combatants in the world, with guaranteed deals to the sport’s top promotion being handed out to the night’s most-impressive winners at the program’s end.
White maintains total discretion as to the number of contracts awarded on a single episode. Two years ago, he only awarded a single deal at the end of the season premiere to Joe Pyfer after he let his frustrations known about the lack of quality on the night’s slate.
LFA Fighters Do Battle in Main Event
One program note: The first two shows of season eight will stream at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on ESPN+ before returning to 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT starting on Aug. 27. Highlighting the night’s activities is an all-LFA contest in the DWCS 67 main event.
It’ll be a middleweight contest pairing Mansur Abdul-Malik (5-0 MMA) against Wes Schultz (6-1 MMA). As with all bouts on Dana White’s Contender Series, the DWCS 67 main event will be an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
DWCS 67 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the DWCS 67 main event on Tuesday night, both of these men stand at 6-foot-2. Abdul-Malik owns a four-inch reach advantage (80 inches to 76 inches) over Schultz.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Mansur Abdul-Malik installed as a -380 favorite on the money line, with Wes Schultz countering as a +300 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening in MMA and/or combat sports in the near future, please wager responsibly.
Mansur Abdul-Malik Looks to Run Winning Streak to Six
Mansur Abdul-Malik enters his bid for a UFC deal having yet to lose thus far in his professional career. Last time out, he scored a first-round knockout (ground and pound shots) of Allan St-Gelais (1-1 MMA) on Feb. 9 during LFA 176 on UFC Fight Pass. Time of the knockout: 100 seconds (one minute, 40 seconds) into the fight.
Recently, he was interviewed by SB Nation’s MMA Mania about turning to competitive violence.
“I didn’t want to play any team sports,” Abdul-Malik began. “I’ve never played any team sports except for one year of football. That was my senior year and I absolutely hated it. I couldn’t even tell you how many people are on a field at once. I don’t care about that stuff. All I care about is just the intimacy of combat sports.”
Since turning away from the 22-man field of American gridiron football, he’s done extremely well for himself in the confines of the cage. He’s won five professional fights in succession, all inside the opening round of the contest. Having five wins by stoppage in round one means he’s earned this main event slot. How will he do on Tuesday?
Wes Schultz Ready to Knock Abdul-Malik from Unbeaten Ranks
In the other corner, Wes Schultz has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a three-fight winning streak. Most recently, he notched a first-round knockout (ground and pound shots) of Adland Benson (4-3 MMA) on April 5 during LFA 181.
Schultz was a guest on The Couch Warrior Podcast earlier this week to talk about the mindset that he had ahead of his fight earlier this spring.
“I was hoping, I was hoping,” Schultz said about the possibility of a Contender Series spot. “I feel like lighter weight guys, they need a little more, but for heavier guys, you usually either hit like [a] 5-0 [record] or like 7-2, something in that [range], over five wins and not more than a couple losses, or if you get a regional pro belt, they usually call you.”
His hopes were realized when he was booked to appear on DWCS this Tuesday. Can he land a fourth consecutive win? Tune in then and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Expect another strength vs. strength affair in the DWCS 67 main event. Both of these guys have earned this chance of a lifetime.
Mansur Abdul-Malik a Beast on the Mat
Mansur Abdul-Malik is known to work quickly once the cage door shuts. Just look at the tape of his February bout against Allan St-Gelais.
Immediately after the opening bell, Abdul-Malik landed a kick to the body and put his adversary against the fence of the cage. About a minute in, he dropped St-Gelais and went to work landing elbow shots before taking mount. While Abdul-Malik rose to his feet, he quickly pounced on St-Gelais to unload a quick burst of ground and pound shots to end the fight.
All it will take Mansur Abdul-Malik to win the DWCS 67 main event (and maybe secure a UFC deal in the process) is to take Wes Schultz to the mat and just punch away at him.
Wes Schultz Can Lock in a Submission
In the other corner, just as Mansur Abdul-Malik can get it done with strikes, Wes Schultz is equally brutal with submitting his opponents. The second round of his 2022 fight with Jon Knutson is a prime example.
During that period, he took back mount and quickly applied the torque to finish a rear-naked choke under a minute’s time. The way to effectively neutralize Abdul-Malik in the DWCS 67 main event is simple: Beat him to the takedown.
As long as Wes Schultz can take Mansur Abdul-Malik down first, he’ll be golden.
Final Thoughts
This is a great fight to serve as the main event for week one of the new Contender Series season. Don’t miss it.
Prediction: Mansur Abdul-Malik by First-Round Knockout.
