Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the four-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.
With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
Mauricio Ruffy
Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Mauricio Ruffy def. Raimond Magomedaliev via TKO (gound-and-pound) – round 3, 4:45
Grade: A-
Summary: Kicking off the night was a welterweight encounter between [auttotag]Maruicio Ruffy[/autotag] and Raimond Magomedaliev.
Even though I’m a fan of counterstriking and round-three comebacks, I tacked on a minus to Ruffy’s letter grade given the low output he displayed prior to the finish.
Aside from the pace leaving a lot to be desired in the first two frames, I don’t think Ruffy can bank on fighters gassing that badly in a slow-paced three-rounder (which was obviously a bad look on Magomedaliev’s part as well).
But given that the Brazilian was still able to come through as a 2-1 underdog, it’s hard to hate Dana White’s decision to get some more new blood at 170 pounds. Considering the previously mentioned pacing criticisms, I say match Ruffy up with a pressure fighter like Preston Parsons or Billy Goff for his first octagon appearance.
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov def. Jose Medina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Grade: C+
Summary: Between gassing himself out and allowing the losing fighter to steal the show, I had a hard time justifying anything higher than a C for Magomed Gadzhiyasulov.
To his credit, Gadzhiyasulov demonstrated some solid athleticism and striking flashes before tiring himself out trying to finish the durable Medina. Gadzhiyasulov also showed that he has some wrestling in his back pocket, but I’m not sure how effective it was once the Dagestani fighter began to tire.
Medina, who is essentially the Bolivian version of Carlos Felipe, did his best to taunt his tiring foe with Diaz-brother-like antics, but couldn’t consistently dictate the action enough to come close to an upset. That said, Medina’s swagger seemed to strangely warm the heart of the UFC president, who – even by this season’s standards – threw a curveball by signing Medina anyway.
Dana White on Jose Medina: pic.twitter.com/7yNchLofgC
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) October 4, 2023
I can’t say I’m surprised by any signings at this point, especially considering how pivotal this series has been when it comes to allowing the company to make its ESPN content quota at record-setting prices.
For Medina’s sake, I hope he debuts at middleweight or lower, while I suspect that Gadzhiyusalov gets matched up with someone like Zac Paunga or Ihor Potiera for his first UFC assignment.
Victor Hugo
Weight class: Bantamweight
Result: Victor Hugo def. Eduardo Torres Caut via submission (kneebar) – round 2, 2:16
Grade: A
Summary: Despite starting to gain favor for his opponent, I couldn’t deny Victor Hugo anything less than an A for his opportunistic submission prowess.
Although I was starting to get partial to the stance-switching swagger of Torres Caut, the Chilean fighter was a bit too eager to clinch and commit leg hooks and reaps opposite a superior submission player in Hugo.
In fact, Hugo showed some solid defense and offensive wrestling in the first round before finding the finish in the second off an over-commitment by Torres Caut.
Hugo appears to be more than UFC-ready between his skills and resume, so seeing White bring him aboard came as no surprise. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be mad if the UFC brass matched him up with the winner of Aori Qileng versus Johnny Munoz Jr.
Rodolfo Bellato
Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Rodolfo Bellato def. Murtaza Talha via TKO (gound-and-pound) – round 3, 4:45
Grade: A
Summary: Closing out the night strong was Rodolfo Bellato, who earns a well-deserved A for his destruction of Murtaza Talha.
Aside from this being Bellato’s second swing at bat on the Contender Series, the Brazilian was also north of a 2-1 underdog opposite Talha.
Bellato appeared to start somewhat tentatively while working behind a steady dose of calf kicks. However, after these two tied up a couple of times, things started to really pick up in the clinch.
Talha, who looked like a blown-up Dustin Ortiz, found some solid moments of success in the dirty boxing department. That said, it was Bellato’s bodywork and multi-faceted clinch offense that ended up winning the day.
Signing a light heavyweight who can move that well is a no-brainer, as I suspect Bellato to blend into the division nicely given his athleticism and finishing potential. Unless he’s needed for a short-notice fill-in, I suspect we’ll see Bellato paired up with someone like Bogdan Guskov or Nicolae Negumereanu on an international card for his first octagon assignment.
