Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 Week 9 10/8/24 – October 8th, 2024 full show Part 2
Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 Week 9 10/8/24 – October 8th, 2024 full show Part 2
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00:00:00Now he is three and a half years in, and one of his teammates, Brandon Royval, has been watching that dream play out.
00:00:07He's going to succeed in the Contender Series because he's just great, man. He's mean, and he's vicious, and he's one of those people that I think the Contender Series was made for.
00:00:18Yeah, Royval coming off a fantastic win of his own last weekend, really putting that flyweight division on notice yet again.
00:00:26And what better person to train you to enter those shark-infested waters of the UFC flyweight division than someone like Brandon Royval.
00:00:34And that's exactly what Luis Grule has, a tremendous training partner, and you see that.
00:00:39You see that when you watch him fight undefeated for a reason.
00:00:42This guy is so good on the feet, a very slick kickboxer, and it's his ability to kind of stay calm and composed within the boxing range
00:00:51that allows him to hang out there where most people would be uncomfortable and just pour on the volume.
00:00:56This guy's absolutely brutal when he gets going.
00:00:59Mean. Mean is definitely the word to describe this man.
00:01:03Well, he was nice to us when we chatted, but that was a little bit of a different story.
00:01:08Let's take a look at the tale of the tape.
00:01:12Three years separate these two men in age.
00:01:15It's a two-inch reach advantage for the three-time All-American from Oklahoma State, Nick Piccinini.
00:01:20Jason Herzog is our referee.
00:01:29First round. Fight, are you ready? Fight, are you ready? Fight!
00:01:35Grule coming in at 9-0. Piccinini at 7-0.
00:01:39Has the experience here, looking for a quick start as he takes the back of Grule against the slam.
00:01:45And right to the back. And right under the neck.
00:01:48This is across the chin, he's not under it yet, but it doesn't matter.
00:01:55The angle, though, is not quite there for him.
00:01:57No, no, no, no, it's not. But still impressive to be able to come out here against another credentialed wrestler,
00:02:02pick him up, slam him down and get on the back.
00:02:04But now, Grule fighting that off. Nice work.
00:02:10Got to watch that sneaky knee.
00:02:12Just missed the spinning elbow.
00:02:14Watch the back of the head fighter on top.
00:02:18Nick Piccinini not messing around this time.
00:02:23Ears, all ears.
00:02:25Landed a couple of shots there is Piccinini.
00:02:27Listen, he's been here once, he doesn't want to leave it up to the judges again.
00:02:30I think he's made that clear.
00:02:34Super aggressive start, Piccinini.
00:02:39As you mentioned, Paul, both these guys coming in without wrestling.
00:02:42Back out, Grule.
00:02:44D2 college wrestler, high school, he's taken down again by the D1 three-time All-American.
00:02:49I love what Piccinini did there.
00:02:51A teep right to the chest, pushed him back and then followed in with the penetration of his shot.
00:02:56That was gorgeous.
00:02:57Yeah, because you know when you get knocked on your part,
00:02:59what's the first thing your opponent's going to do is scramble to get right back up.
00:03:01Came right underneath of that.
00:03:10Furious pace though, but Grule not even breathing heavy yet.
00:03:15Seems to just be riding the storm, see if he can get his striking going.
00:03:20And if there is a place that Grule has the advantage probably on the feet,
00:03:23I think we can agree with that.
00:03:25Just landed an uppercut and a cross there.
00:03:29Yeah, we saw Piccinini struggle a little bit in his last fight with Jack Duffy
00:03:33when it came to some of the cleaner striking combinations.
00:03:36Always going to have the advantage of the wrestling.
00:03:39And Grule loves that front kick.
00:03:41You'll see him use that over and over again in his fights.
00:03:45That would be a good weapon against somebody like Piccinini,
00:03:47who's definitely going to be trying to level change over and over again,
00:03:50take the fight to the ground.
00:03:53Yeah, we talk about it all the time, but you got to show those weapons up the middle,
00:03:56the knees, the front kicks, the uppercuts,
00:03:59on a guy that you know is going to be looking to level change.
00:04:05Halfway through round one.
00:04:07Front kick landed by Piccinini.
00:04:09That's a couple of shots, and here comes Grule again.
00:04:12That right hand was heavy.
00:04:14Yeah, Piccinini shakes it off, but it landed.
00:04:29Piccinini with the jab.
00:04:38Let's go, let's keep fighting.
00:04:46Nice body shot from Grule.
00:04:52Colorado native has three first round finishes on the resume.
00:04:56Yeah!
00:05:04Nice front kick to the body there.
00:05:06Lands off the solar plexus.
00:05:08Big right hook.
00:05:10Grule finding his timing on his feet.
00:05:12Weathered that early storm, and now he's getting into a rhythm.
00:05:14Another front kick to the belly.
00:05:16He's really using that nicely. One more.
00:05:18Yeah, Brendan Rival told me to watch for that front kick.
00:05:21He is nasty with it. He's so mean.
00:05:23He's so mean. He's clipped me with that a few times in training.
00:05:26It sucks. It's such a good weapon in MMA.
00:05:28You dig that ball of the foot right into the belly over and over again.
00:05:31It just adds up, even if you don't put 100% on each one.
00:05:37Under a minute to go here in the first round.
00:05:39Right hand from Grule.
00:05:41Grule starting to find his angles here.
00:05:43Oh, I like the way he found that calf kick in there.
00:05:48This is what Piccinini's got to do.
00:05:50He's got to continue to keep this wrestling pressure on him.
00:05:54Nice mat return there from Piccinini, but Grule out.
00:05:58Nice work to get back to the feet by Grule.
00:06:01Grule is good.
00:06:09There's a nice combo from Piccinini returning.
00:06:14Another body shot from Grule.
00:06:1617 seconds to go here in the first round
00:06:19between these two former collegiate wrestlers.
00:06:29Front kick coming from Piccinini.
00:06:32Fun first round between these two gentlemen.
00:06:39Great job, buddy. Good round. Sit down and relax.
00:06:42Hell of a round. Good round. Great pace.
00:06:45You want to stand or you want to sit?
00:06:47All right, listen to me, okay? Look at me.
00:06:50You can get him down every time, all right?
00:06:52But when you go to the back, he's standing up, okay?
00:06:55So we need to settle down on the legs, all right?
00:06:58Take a look at this front kick like he was stomping in a door.
00:07:01Nick Piccinini deep in on that double leg.
00:07:05But Grule, I mean, found his momentum here,
00:07:08was able to find the range.
00:07:11Beautiful right hook there a moment ago.
00:07:15When you're climbing, when you're going back there,
00:07:16stop throwing to the floor.
00:07:17Don't make him go back.
00:07:18You need to push him fucking back here.
00:07:20Let's go.
00:07:21Add more to your shit.
00:07:22You did great.
00:07:23Lay hand focus.
00:07:24Add more.
00:07:29Two streaking middleweight contenders clash
00:07:31right here in Las Vegas this weekend.
00:07:33Dana White contender series alum Anthony Hernandez
00:07:35looks for his biggest win to date.
00:07:37Second round, buddy. You ready?
00:07:39You ready?
00:07:41Come back, ESPN Plus on Saturday.
00:07:44Same time, same place.
00:07:45Here we go, round two.
00:07:49The boxing guru there is sharp.
00:07:52He finds little angles inside.
00:07:54He mixes it up to the body, back upstairs,
00:07:57finds his uppercuts.
00:08:00Oh, he hurt him.
00:08:01Oh, and a head kick.
00:08:03Let go of the cage.
00:08:04Do not grab the cage.
00:08:06Look at that scramble.
00:08:07Look how he holds onto that left leg
00:08:08so he can turn back in.
00:08:09Look at the scramble.
00:08:10Wow.
00:08:11That's beautiful by Gugulay.
00:08:12There might be an arm bar here.
00:08:13Oh, he lost it.
00:08:17But he never panics.
00:08:19Gugulay just again with the reversal.
00:08:22Oh, the scramble is insane.
00:08:28This is against a three-time All-American wrestler.
00:08:33This is why this is MMA.
00:08:34It's not the wrestling match.
00:08:35Exactly. It's a different deal.
00:08:37You add the boxing, you add the strikes in.
00:08:41Look at him working the body, Gugulay.
00:08:46Piccinini loves that mat return,
00:08:47but a lot of times you're just putting guys back in a spot
00:08:50where they can pop right back up.
00:08:51Pop right back up, yep.
00:08:56Four takedowns for Piccinini,
00:08:58but just over a minute of ground control time,
00:09:00to your point, Gugulay.
00:09:02And something to note,
00:09:03no damage with any of those takedowns.
00:09:05Exactly.
00:09:09The damage is coming in the striking department,
00:09:11and it's mostly coming from Gugulay.
00:09:20Gugulay's landed almost three times
00:09:22as many significant strikes as Piccinini.
00:09:28Gugulay got that underhook in.
00:09:29That was great.
00:09:30Was addressing the gramp able to get the underhook in.
00:09:33Was addressing the gramp able to get the underhook
00:09:35and find his way out.
00:09:44And a front kick to a corner,
00:09:45followed by a nice one-two and then another one.
00:09:47That right hook is money for Gugulay.
00:09:49And he scoops up with the left uppercut
00:09:51and comes over with it.
00:09:53Creates the angles,
00:09:54and again, so patient, head kick again.
00:09:58He mixes things up really nicely.
00:10:00And then on top of that,
00:10:01oh yeah, he can wrestle.
00:10:04Dirty boxing here lands a couple of shots.
00:10:07As we are halfway through the second round.
00:10:11Three consecutive uppercuts from Piccinini
00:10:13fall by a couple of knees.
00:10:21We said this was going to be a good fight.
00:10:23Man, is it ever.
00:10:26This was your favorite fight of the night.
00:10:28It is delivering thus far.
00:10:30Well, that's a hard...
00:10:32That's hard after that last fight.
00:10:34Absolutely.
00:10:37They're trying though.
00:10:40That step in elbow there from Piccinini.
00:10:44Another shot.
00:10:45That's the double leg.
00:10:48I love how Piccinini collapses the knees when he gets in.
00:11:01Asking Gourlay to shake Piccinini off to his left
00:11:05because he didn't have the right hook in.
00:11:13One and a half to go.
00:11:16Piccinini
00:11:19digging that thigh here.
00:11:28We'll see if Piccinini can.
00:11:32I like that a lot better than the mapper turn.
00:11:34Now he's got the leg staple.
00:11:36But man, Gourlay is so slick at getting back up.
00:11:40Looking for the switch.
00:11:41Looking for the switch, there you are.
00:11:46Oh, come on.
00:11:49Dirty.
00:11:50Trying to use defense.
00:11:52I think Benitez is in the building.
00:11:54Oh, is he in?
00:12:02Gourlay is just so calm, no matter what the circumstances.
00:12:10Piccinini working hard here.
00:12:18Close your hands.
00:12:23Herzog with the warning to Gourlay to keep his hands closed and on the fence.
00:12:31Ten seconds to go.
00:12:32Big right hand from Gourlay.
00:12:47Boss has been clapping a lot tonight.
00:12:48He has.
00:12:49He's had good reason to.
00:12:51Great round, Nicky.
00:12:52Breathe and relax.
00:12:54Shake him out if you need it.
00:12:56That's my boy, you're in shape.
00:12:59Listen to me.
00:13:00Look at me.
00:13:01Look at me.
00:13:02You're starting to break him, you understand?
00:13:04Breathe and relax.
00:13:06Breathe and relax.
00:13:07Give me three deep breaths.
00:13:10Two.
00:13:11One.
00:13:13Listen.
00:13:14Take him fucking down.
00:13:15Stabilize position.
00:13:16And go for the finish.
00:13:17You understand?
00:13:18I need you to do the exact same thing.
00:13:19You're starting to wear him out, right?
00:13:20We've got a lot of great control time.
00:13:22It's a very close fight.
00:13:24I want you to take him down and look for the finish.
00:13:26Look for his neck.
00:13:27Look for his neck.
00:13:28Look for those shots.
00:13:29Don't lose position.
00:13:30I need you to push at a fucking pace.
00:13:32I need you to push at a fucking pace.
00:13:37An early 2 p.m. Eastern pay-per-view as we are less than two weeks away from Abu Dhabi.
00:13:43The main event.
00:13:44Only one of the best fights of the year.
00:13:46Iliad Kuria taking on future Hall of Famer Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight championship.
00:13:52You can purchase UFC 308 now.
00:13:55We're seeing a special offer of $10 off if you buy before October 21st.
00:13:59You heard the coaching from Piccinini's corner.
00:14:02Saif Saoud wants to go for the takedown.
00:14:05Look for the submission.
00:14:07He's had six takedowns so far.
00:14:09Yeah, he's had some control time, but not a ton.
00:14:15You've got to remember, too, that it really isn't control time that's going to win you a round.
00:14:19It's always damage.
00:14:21That's the most important scoring criteria.
00:14:25Piccinini did a fair amount of that last round.
00:14:28Nice combo there.
00:14:38Gurule doing a nice job.
00:14:40Most of his punches are thrown in combination.
00:14:43Whereas you see with Piccinini, he's sticking that jab and not following up as much as Gurule is right there.
00:14:50On the right hand, Gurule responding always with three and four punches to Piccinini's one or two.
00:15:00He does a really good job with that calf kick, too.
00:15:02He doesn't wind up at all.
00:15:04Right from in front of you, he just smacks it right along the calf.
00:15:08Oh, what happened there?
00:15:09Eye poke?
00:15:10I think it was a punch, but the way he wins it.
00:15:14Doesn't it look like Gurule's right eye, something might be going on there.
00:15:20Oh, just misses the elbow again.
00:15:27I love the shot variety from Gurule.
00:15:31He's landing kicks, elbows, knees, hooks, mixing his targets the entire time.
00:15:41Piccinini not going anywhere, though.
00:15:44There's a front kick from Piccinini, and then he works on that lead leg of Gurule.
00:15:54There's a combination from Piccinini.
00:15:57Yeah, I mean, his striking does look much better in this fight.
00:16:00But it's really him mixing in the takedowns that have been effective for him.
00:16:05He's laid off them here in the third.
00:16:07Well, which is interesting because you heard Saif Saud say to him in the corner, that's what he wanted him to do.
00:16:12But he's been content to dance on the feet.
00:16:16Yeah, I think he's got to do this. He's got to get back to takedown, but he has been.
00:16:21Yeah, there's that wrestling.
00:16:25See if he can get some damage going.
00:16:31Trying to flatten him out here.
00:16:34Oh, there it is.
00:16:37Those shots of Gurule are not comfortable.
00:16:41He's trying to take the neck momentarily.
00:16:43Good pressure here.
00:16:51Piccinini needs to grab that wrist and suck it back in to take away the base of Gurule.
00:16:57There he is. He's trying right there.
00:17:04Beautiful, Nick. Beautiful.
00:17:07Gurule got loose.
00:17:14Gurule back to his feet.
00:17:17He's down. He's down. He's down.
00:17:22He's down. He's down.
00:17:25Nick Piccinini is in shape. He's been pushing the pace this entire fight.
00:17:34Come on. Come on.
00:17:38Find another one, Nick.
00:17:43Gurule turns it around with Piccinini now on the fence.
00:17:46Grab that cage.
00:17:52Pretty critical final minute here. Indeed.
00:17:56Turns up significant strikes.
00:17:58Gurule has landed twice as many as Piccinini, but he has those seven takedowns.
00:18:04Let's see if he can do damage here in the final 45.
00:18:10Oh, man. Piccinini landed some left hooks here.
00:18:16Gurule has to defend this here.
00:18:25Final 30.
00:18:28Oh, Gurule waving him on.
00:18:30Guinness warmed up for Corian Holloway. Indeed.
00:18:35Oh, that's his best combo, that left uppercut to right hook.
00:18:39Beautiful.
00:18:41Nice work by Gurule to get to the fence as he's had to hold that one leg.
00:18:46Battling the single leg takedown.
00:18:48Break off and go crazy. Break off and go crazy.
00:18:50Go crazy. Go crazy. Go crazy.
00:18:53Big shot to Piccinini there.
00:18:58And again, Dana White on his feet.
00:19:03As are the fans. Nick Piccinini back for a second time.
00:19:06Coming over for a chat.
00:19:08Yeah, a bunch of respect for coming back and doing it again.
00:19:17What a fight.
00:19:18Tonight has been an absolute treat.
00:19:20That was a great fight.
00:19:21I mean, Piccinini showing off the wrestling.
00:19:24The mat returns, the back right here.
00:19:27Love that front kick.
00:19:29Knocks down Gurule.
00:19:31I mean, the penetration on those shots lets you know everything you need to know about his wrestling pedigree.
00:19:35But the striking of Gurule was really where he showed that he had a big power differential.
00:19:41Putting together longer combinations and touching Nick Piccinini.
00:19:45But guys, this is a close fight.
00:19:46I genuinely don't know how you score it.
00:19:50A lot of damage though for Gurule in terms of the striking.
00:19:53Well, I can't tell you this, Senko.
00:19:55The 108 significant strikes landed by Gurule.
00:19:59Unofficially the most in a flyweight fight in Tender Series history.
00:20:06But you heard Dana White say to Nick Piccinini, much respect for coming back.
00:20:10He won back on week three.
00:20:12It was a split decision win.
00:20:15Dana didn't agree with the decision, but wanted him to come back and do it all over again.
00:20:19And he did.
00:20:20Let's find out who won this one.
00:20:24Ladies and gentlemen, after three rounds, we go to the judges scorecards for decision.
00:20:29Judge Bell scores about 29-28, Piccinini.
00:20:33Judge D'Amato scores about 29-28, Gurule.
00:20:38And Judge Camillo scores about 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Luis Gurule.
00:20:49Yeah!
00:20:58Hell of a performance by the Sheridan, Colorado native, Luis Gurule improves to 10-0
00:21:06with the split decision victory over Nick Piccinini.
00:21:12Man, what a couple fights in a row had here.
00:21:17Four days notice.
00:21:2024-hour wait time.
00:21:24Short notice fight.
00:21:27Luis Gurule said he was giving himself three and a half years once he dove into MMA to get into the UFC.
00:21:36And he is right at that mark right now.
00:21:38Yeah, let's take a look here. He really watched the striking and scrambling that Gurule just showed off.
00:21:44I mean, unbelievable combinations. Look at this head kick.
00:21:47While holding on to the fence there, maybe a little illegally, but look at the combinations.
00:21:52That left uppercut, right hook, just putting things together.
00:21:56Good calf kick as well. Just really laid it on the line, came in here and put on a damn show.
00:22:03Love that fight. And now, Gurule's with Laura Sanko.
00:22:06Thank you so much, guys. Luis, still undefeated, 10-0.
00:22:1010-0. You came out here on seven days notice, from all accounts, had a crazy weight cut.
00:22:16And you went out there and went to war.
00:22:19Sir, that just goes to show the team I have, the coaches I have.
00:22:24I saw Roy Volk cut weight. He did it like a fucking G.
00:22:28And I said, no matter what, I'm going to make the weight and I'm going to win that fight.
00:22:32I owe it to the team and I owe it too much to myself and my family.
00:22:35Everything that I've sacrificed, there's no way I wasn't going home without W.
00:22:39Round one, Piccinini came out super hot, but you settled in, stayed composed.
00:22:44And it seemed like you really had a power differential on the feet.
00:22:48Yeah, for sure. I picked myself against anybody on the feet at that division.
00:22:52We knew he was going to come in hot and go for that takedown.
00:22:54That's what he's known for. It's what he's best at.
00:22:57And I said, look, I'll stop the wrestling enough to make it a dogfight. And I did it.
00:23:01Were you confident that you would get the judges' nod when they were reading the scorecards?
00:23:04I knew it was going to be close, but I thought I did way more damage than him.
00:23:08His shots weren't hurting me at all. Everything I touched him with was hurting him.
00:23:12So I knew I could get off damage.
00:23:14You just had a tremendous fight. It was a decision, though. It was an amazing fight.
00:23:19I know Dana was clapping. He was impressed. What is your message to Dana?
00:23:24My message to Dana is, look what I did on seven days' notice.
00:23:29Out of shape, just finished fighting two weeks before.
00:23:33Two weeks, no camp.
00:23:35All we did was, I was already going to be out here in Vegas for Royval's cornering him.
00:23:39So he said, look what I can do on this short notice.
00:23:42Imagine if I had a real camp.
00:23:44It was like, I'm going to destroy everybody in that division.
00:23:47It's a scary proposition. I hope I get a chance to see it. Thank you so much, Luis.
00:23:50Guys, we'll send it back to you.
00:23:52What a performance by Luis.
00:23:54Guru Lay improving to 10-0.
00:23:57A heck of a weekend for his teammate, Brandon Royval.
00:24:01And Guru Lay as well.
00:24:04His last fight coming on September 22nd.
00:24:08This man is a fun fighter to watch inside the Octagon.
00:24:13Speaking of fun fighters, Brandon Moreno is in the house.
00:24:17Taking on Amir Al-Bazi November 2nd in Edmonton.
00:24:21Here is the former champion looking to get right back into the mix.
00:24:24You know when you pour concrete from sunup to sundown, you earn the nickname Blue Collar.
00:24:29That is Nick Cline. He's not only proud of it, he carries it with him into the Octagon
00:24:34where he's coming off back-to-back first round wins.
00:24:37Fighting for the first time in almost a year, he's ready to take that Blue Collar work ethic to the UFC.
00:24:42For Geraldo Souza, the goal is the same.
00:24:44After serving three years in the Brazilian Navy,
00:24:47the jiu-jitsu black belt is aiming to keep his sixth fight unbeaten streak alive
00:24:51in his first fight outside of Brazil.
00:24:54He was so hungry for this opportunity that he moved up a weight class
00:24:58with the expectation that his next fight will be in the big leagues.
00:25:05UFC 300, how good is this, folks?
00:25:07Holloway just told them, they're right here.
00:25:09One second to go.
00:25:14Oh my goodness!
00:25:17An absolute stunner at 300.
00:25:21That was crazy.
00:25:22That's a warrior. That's a real warrior.
00:25:25There's El Maldador. He's right away from a booth.
00:25:28I'm right here. Let's go!
00:25:34While Spain's Ilya Toporia is an undefeated force...
00:25:37His power is phenomenal. His technique is so precise.
00:25:41He is one of the best fighters alive.
00:25:44He got him!
00:25:45The belt is headed to Spain!
00:25:47You gonna get exactly what you're looking for.
00:25:49I already proved that I'm the best fighter in the world.
00:25:52To be the best, you gotta be the best, and the best is blessed.
00:25:56Ladies and gentlemen, one of the best of all time, Max Holloway!
00:26:00He wants to show everybody that he's the greatest fighter that ever existed.
00:26:04This dude's a bad, bad man.
00:26:06Homie, I ain't the one to play with.
00:26:08Ilya Toporia!
00:26:10Welcome to super stardom.
00:26:1215 at all. 13 finishes.
00:26:14Destruction of everyone in front of him, and I am so fired up for this fight.
00:26:20A force unlike anything the Fight Game has ever seen.
00:26:24Nobody can stop me.
00:26:26Shemaya!
00:26:27I told you I ain't the one to play with.
00:26:29You gotta play with this dude, man.
00:26:30He loves people.
00:26:32Robert Whittaker!
00:26:34He only knows big fights.
00:26:36And he wants to become the champion again.
00:26:38It happened because I was outside the mind of the one to play with.
00:26:43It is the final fight of the night,
00:26:47in the final episode of the season on Dana White's Contender Series,
00:26:52which means it is time for the Irish Dragon's Power Rankings.
00:26:57Paul Felder, how are you feeling about this crew that you have seen thus far tonight?
00:27:01Because I think it's been pretty spectacular.
00:27:03I also think it's been spectacular.
00:27:05Those last two fights were quite a treat.
00:27:07Unbelievable.
00:27:08But we gotta get these Power Rankings going,
00:27:11and I think Delvai, just that performance, that grit that he showed,
00:27:16I'm gonna put him number one.
00:27:18Mae Khalifa, I think this guy is just unreal, super strong,
00:27:24really dominated.
00:27:26Gurule, let's throw him in there.
00:27:28I mean, that guy's unreal.
00:27:29And I think Martinez, I think all four of these are getting contracts.
00:27:32You could shift these numbers really all around.
00:27:34I think they all showed that they're UFC ready.
00:27:37Yeah, I completely agree with your rankings.
00:27:39I mean, right there.
00:27:41I would never disagree with you, Paul.
00:27:43You have, you have before.
00:27:44Please, please disagree with him.
00:27:46No, but Juliet Martinez in particular, I might put her a little higher,
00:27:49but then I look at him like I don't know who she would go in front of.
00:27:51But I was just so impressed with her skill set at just barely 20 years old.
00:27:57Incredible.
00:27:58And that strawweight division, I can see her fitting right into
00:28:02already the beginning of the top 15, if I'm being honest.
00:28:05I was really, really impressed with her.
00:28:07Her skill set is remarkable.
00:28:09And that's the one thing we've seen in contender series, right?
00:28:11We've seen 22-year-olds, 23-year-olds, a 20-year-old like Julieta,
00:28:16perhaps going to be fighting in the UFC the next time around.
00:28:19So good times here.
00:28:20What a season it has been.
00:28:21And the ride ain't over yet.
00:28:23One more to go, and it's the featured bout of the night
00:28:25between a couple of heavy-handed middleweights.
00:28:28With finishes in eight of his nine wins, Brazil's Geraldo Souza
00:28:32brings the heat, whatever his name is called.
00:28:34But Wisconsin's Nick Klein answered the opportunity when it was knocking,
00:28:39and he's intent on seizing the moment.
00:29:05When I close the door of Octagon, I'm a wild guy in my decisions.
00:29:09And there, it's always to kill.
00:29:12I've always liked to fight.
00:29:14I've always been tested where I was born.
00:29:18I was in the UFC, in Belém, in the audience,
00:29:20watching El Tomati by Erik Andrews.
00:29:23And I've always had this flame burning in me.
00:29:27And I had to make a decision, become a professional fighter.
00:29:31And since then, this decision has been a part of my life.
00:29:39I'm willing to kill my opponent, to win,
00:29:42to leave everything in there.
00:29:44I just get out of there with an open arm.
00:29:47I'm about to become a fighter with a huge mental power.
00:29:51So after this victory, via knockout or finalization,
00:29:54you'll be ready to meet your new UFC champion.
00:30:02My name's Nick Blue Collar Klein.
00:30:04I'm fighting out of Pura Vida BJJ and MMA.
00:30:06I'm here to put on for the people in this world who get their hands dirty.
00:30:09I think what separates me from the rest of the guys in the sport
00:30:12is that I force myself to do the hardest parts of training.
00:30:16You know, on some days, when everybody's taking a rest day,
00:30:18I'm running hills, thinking about how everybody's sitting on the couch,
00:30:21doing whatever I can to go the extra mile
00:30:23to make sure I get where I want to go in the sport.
00:30:28I just think the people in this world who get their hands dirty
00:30:30deserve some recognition, because at the end of the day,
00:30:32they're the ones that are making sure everybody lives a comfortable life.
00:30:37What keeps me committed to this sport
00:30:39is just an everlasting hunger for success.
00:30:45When I get in that octagon, I'm going to put it all on the line,
00:30:47and it's going to be eight years of hard work
00:30:49dialed down to 15 minutes in front of the guy
00:30:51that decides whether I get into the gate or not.
00:30:54It's not like a big relief of pressure getting into the UFC.
00:30:57You know, it almost increases more,
00:30:59but at least now I'm in the place I deserve to be.
00:31:04Earning this contract means eight years of hard work coming to fruition,
00:31:08but I'm on that same page.
00:31:10The work's only just getting started there.
00:31:17It's the third different scheduled opponent for Geraldo Sosa,
00:31:22but he's coming in hot.
00:31:23A six-fight unbeaten streak at 5-0-1.
00:31:28This just his second pro fight at middleweight.
00:31:31Most of them have been at welterweight, Paul.
00:31:34Yeah, and you know, that just shows how hungry he is to be in the UFC,
00:31:38how much he wants to go out there and have his opportunity
00:31:40to fight in front of the matchmakers,
00:31:42to fight in front of Dana White and show off those skills.
00:31:45And when you're riding that six-fight win streak,
00:31:47you know that you're knocking right on that door,
00:31:49and you don't want to waste that opportunity.
00:31:51You can tell this man doesn't care who is going to be in the octagon tonight.
00:31:55He wants to go out there and get his hands on them.
00:31:58And this guy has shown skills absolutely everywhere,
00:32:00whether it be in the jiu-jitsu department.
00:32:02He's got finishes there. He's got good boxing.
00:32:04And you talked about it as well, Laura, that early on in his career
00:32:07it was more the hands that got it done, but lately it's been the submission game.
00:32:11Yeah, he's definitely a threat on the ground,
00:32:13but when you watch his most recent fights,
00:32:15I love the way that he approaches the striking.
00:32:17He does such a good job of mixing his targets,
00:32:19forcing his opponent to move their guard up and down,
00:32:22and then he finds his opportunity to crack him.
00:32:24And that really has been the story of his success in the last couple of fights.
00:32:28Yeah, his last fight, a first-round TKO against Andre Fisher
00:32:32for the title in April 7th.
00:32:39Blue collar, that's what they call Nick Cline,
00:32:42a country boy, grew up in a rural area.
00:32:45His job is pouring concrete from sunup to sundown,
00:32:48and in true blue-collar fashion,
00:32:51he is taking this fight on eight days' notice,
00:32:54replacing his teammate Wes Schultz,
00:32:57who's already in training camp for a fight on October 12th.
00:33:00So not a ton of difference.
00:33:02Yeah, I mean, it seems kind of trite to say,
00:33:04but that blue-collar work ethic really does shine through when you watch him fight.
00:33:09He doesn't need it to be clean. He doesn't need it to be pretty or easy.
00:33:13He's willing to go in there and just find a way to win.
00:33:17He'll go to work.
00:33:19And that last two-fight segue, I should say,
00:33:21a win over Colin Huckabody, Dana White contender series alumni.
00:33:25Ten seconds left in the third round is when he was finally able to lock up the submission.
00:33:30Never gave up on finishing that fight,
00:33:32and just a tremendous performance that he said gives him a lot of confidence coming into this tournament.
00:33:38And there is a look at Cline's family and friends, and here's his daughter.
00:33:43How about that? That is the number one fan.
00:33:46That's the cutest thing I have ever seen.
00:33:49Three kids with his girlfriend, Davida.
00:33:52Nick Cline, ready to go tonight.
00:33:57Here's the tail-to-tape for Geraldo Savage, Sosa, and Nick blue-collar Cline, both men 29 years old.
00:34:04And it's a pretty big reach advantage for the young man from Wisconsin.
00:34:08Herb Dean is our referee for our final fight of the evening.
00:34:16Ready to fight?
00:34:17Thank you very much. Here we go.
00:34:22Sosa in the blue, Nick Cline in the red trunks.
00:34:28Cline not wasting any time getting this fight to the mat.
00:34:35Cline does have three points.
00:34:37Oh, he's under the chin!
00:34:39He doesn't have the hooks, but he definitely has the angle on the choke.
00:34:43It's tight.
00:34:44It is underneath the chin.
00:34:46It's deep.
00:34:47Can he keep the squeeze?
00:34:49He's going to lose it.
00:34:51Maybe not.
00:34:52Oh, I think he's got to pull!
00:34:54Oh!
00:34:56Nick blue-collar Cline!
00:35:08He took this fight on eight days' notice, and he just did the deal.
00:35:14Oh, my gosh!
00:35:15I brought you back home!
00:35:17Hey, I'm one of you!
00:35:18This shit ain't going to change me!
00:35:19You got dreams?
00:35:20Go take that shit!
00:35:21This world is yours!
00:35:26Go take your dreams, indeed.
00:35:28Wow.
00:35:29He showed off laying concrete for as many years as he did.
00:35:32He got that squeeze.
00:35:35He was not letting go, boy.
00:35:37No, he was not letting go of that neck for nothing.
00:35:42Incredible.
00:35:43I mean, we can talk about the fight for as long as it lasted,
00:35:45but he went right to work immediately.
00:35:47Gets this back position with no hooks.
00:35:50He went for the choke first and was so confident in the angle of the choke,
00:35:55in the depth of his squeeze, that he waited until he got that locked up,
00:35:59fought it, floated, kept the angle,
00:36:02and then finally was able to force those to go belly down,
00:36:05find his hooks, and the tap was so fast after that.
00:36:09I mean, you said it, Paul.
00:36:10That choke was deep.
00:36:12From the moment that he had it.
00:36:14Sometimes, submission before position.
00:36:17Sometimes, you never know.
00:36:21All right.
00:36:22Justin Bernard for the final time tonight, for the final time this season.
00:36:26Ladies and gentlemen, after 37 seconds into round number one,
00:36:30referee Herb Dean calls a stop to the fight
00:36:32for the winner by submission via rear naked choke,
00:36:35Nick Klein!
00:36:42The third rear naked choke win of Nick Klein's career,
00:36:47and there is no doubt none have been bigger than this one.
00:36:51Incredible, man.
00:36:53You know, we talk about going out there and getting it.
00:36:56You know, that comes in a lot of different forms and a lot of different ways.
00:36:59Nick Klein said, no, I'm going out there, I'm getting it, and I'm done.
00:37:02I'm getting out of here.
00:37:03On short notice, to come in and put a performance like that.
00:37:07Unreal.
00:37:09First fight in 11 months, and he takes it on eight days notice.
00:37:14Now, three wins in a row.
00:37:16Three rear naked choke submissions in the first round in a row for Nick Klein.
00:37:23He's got to squeeze. There's no doubt about that.
00:37:26And Dana is on his way to the back to decide how many contracts will be handed out
00:37:31on the final show of the season.
00:37:35Last week, there were four. Here's another look.
00:37:38Unreal. Yeah, I mean, he gets that grip.
00:37:40He was going to switch to palm to palm.
00:37:42Didn't have the hooks in like we talked about.
00:37:45And man, now he's with Lars Sanko.
00:37:48Thank you so much, guys.
00:37:49Nick, this was a last minute opportunity for you.
00:37:53You came out here and you snatched your dreams.
00:37:58I don't even know what to say, man.
00:38:00This is so much larger than life.
00:38:03I want to thank my teammates, man.
00:38:04I got three badass middleweights back home, man.
00:38:06Brian Sullivan, Wesley Schultz, who's going to be in the UFC, man.
00:38:10He dropped one early this season, but he's going to be back.
00:38:12And if he's not back on contenders, he's going to get a finish on the regional scene
00:38:15and they're going to call him up.
00:38:16And finally, Dylan Dibitz, man, who is a hoss of a middleweight
00:38:19that nobody knows about yet, but that dude is coming from the underground.
00:38:22We're all going to be there.
00:38:23We got a quad pot of middleweights from Pura Vida and Milwaukee,
00:38:25and we're all going to be middleweights in the UFC.
00:38:28You started this fight so hot, immediately took the back and that squeeze.
00:38:33I mean, you didn't even have your hooks in.
00:38:34How much belief do you have in that squeeze?
00:38:37I pour concrete five days a week, man.
00:38:39I'm a tradesman.
00:38:40Hey, shout out to the guys tying rebar, man.
00:38:42Nailing off trusses.
00:38:43I'm one of you, man.
00:38:44I'm a tradesman.
00:38:45Blue collar boy, man.
00:38:46Shout out to the blue collar.
00:38:48And shout out back home.
00:38:49Thank you guys for tuning in.
00:38:50Thank you for the support.
00:38:51My girls are watching this right now.
00:38:53Raven Phoenix, I love you babies, and I'll be home soon.
00:38:55All right, you give Titan a hug when you get home tonight.
00:38:58I want to show you a picture of your family here.
00:39:00Who is this?
00:39:01Daddy's number one fan.
00:39:05I love you, baby.
00:39:11How much does it mean to you to come out here and fight,
00:39:13not just for your dreams, but for the dreams of your family as well?
00:39:18I wouldn't say I do this for my family, man,
00:39:20but I do this because I want my kids to follow their dreams too, man.
00:39:23Dad's chased this for years,
00:39:24and I want them to see that it's possible to do whatever you set your mind to.
00:39:28And I really hope, you know, I don't care what they do.
00:39:31I don't care if it's soccer or dance or whatever,
00:39:33but whatever you pick, man, go for it.
00:39:35Don't just keep one leg in.
00:39:36Go for it.
00:39:37Chase your dreams.
00:39:39I cannot imagine a better example to show your kids
00:39:42than what you just did here tonight.
00:39:43I have a very strong feeling.
00:39:45I'm going to be talking to you again here pretty soon.
00:39:47Congratulations, Nick.
00:39:48Go enjoy this win.
00:39:49Thank you so much.
00:39:50Guys, back to you.
00:39:52What a night.
00:39:53What a moment.
00:39:55Nick Cline on short notice, just doing what he's done the last two times out,
00:40:00finishing in the first round by rear naked choke once again.
00:40:04Man, no bigger win in his career.
00:40:07What a night for Nick Cline.
00:40:09If I remember correctly, Yanni the Greek liked this guy going into the night, right, Yanni?
00:40:14Yeah, and just didn't get a chance to give him out.
00:40:16But I tell you when I win, I tell you when I lose,
00:40:18and I had a losing night tonight.
00:40:19But hopefully somebody out there cashed a couple of tickets
00:40:22because we had some really good fights.
00:40:23Start off with some props that paid.
00:40:25Mekele by submission gets it done.
00:40:28Paid a nice 450 as he moves to 7-1.
00:40:31And then Garul at plus 275 to win that fight by decision.
00:40:37No surprise there.
00:40:38And finally, Cline on only eight days notice gets it done by submission at plus 500.
00:40:44Tie that one up.
00:40:45Get paid over 12 dimes.
00:40:47That's 120 to 1.
00:40:48Nice payday if you got that ticket out there.
00:40:51All right, Yanni, thank you very much.
00:40:53Yadier Delvai wins by unanimous decision tonight as we take a look at the winner's room.
00:40:59All five winners waiting to see if they earned a UFC contract.
00:41:04Let's take a look at Antonio Montero and Yadier Delvai.
00:41:08Delvai, the slight underdog, wins this one by unanimous decision.
00:41:11Yeah, and this is by far the fight of the night.
00:41:14These two dudes laid it out.
00:41:15But Delvai really just showed that ability to do damage in close.
00:41:20Beautiful, dirty boxing, knees to the body, elbows, and just came with that ferocity.
00:41:26And even when it looked like, oh, maybe he's going to slow down,
00:41:29he found a way to dig down deep and find some more energy
00:41:33and kept applying that pressure and credit to Montero,
00:41:36who just stayed in there, ate some big shots and kept swinging back,
00:41:40which gave us just an unbelievable battle between these two.
00:41:44But Delvai deservedly so got that decision and, I believe, a contract as well.
00:41:49Over 130 significant strikes for Delvai landed in that one.
00:41:53Meanwhile, this was the next one that we had on deck.
00:41:57Mohamed Adu and Jonathan Mikhailov.
00:42:00Mikhailov was the biggest favorite on the card, and he came in and delivered.
00:42:06Yeah, he absolutely delivered.
00:42:07It looks like he won at that top position,
00:42:09but he showed his versatility and his submission skills
00:42:12and transferred beautifully, transitioned, I should say, beautifully to that triangle choke
00:42:17and just locked that up and put his opponent to sleep.
00:42:20This kid's good.
00:42:21And it's time. Dana's with Laura now.
00:42:25Thank you so much, guys.
00:42:26Well, Dana, what a way to finish out this season.
00:42:29What did you see tonight?
00:42:30Yeah, you couldn't script it better than tonight.
00:42:33You really couldn't.
00:42:34All right, let's start with Jonathan.
00:42:37So I did looking for a fight up in Canada, and Mohamed was very hyped up in Canada.
00:42:43Everybody was talking about him.
00:42:44This guy's going to be the future.
00:42:47You're 7 and 1.
00:42:48You're 25 years old.
00:42:49You made it look easy.
00:42:51And let me tell you what.
00:42:52I love people who know what they want.
00:42:55They go after it.
00:42:57I love your story about your baby and how you handled that.
00:42:59I did the same exact thing.
00:43:02How old are you?
00:43:04Yeah, I was older than you.
00:43:05But I did the same exact thing.
00:43:09When you want something bad enough, you figure it out.
00:43:11Came out here.
00:43:12You delivered.
00:43:13You looked like an absolute stud.
00:43:14Congratulations.
00:43:15Welcome to the UFC.
00:43:16Jonathan Mikhailov, welcome to the UFC.
00:43:20All right.
00:43:23Julietta, so let me say this.
00:43:26I cannot express to you enough how much we like you.
00:43:31And there is no doubt that you are incredibly talented.
00:43:36You're just too young right now.
00:43:38You're a baby.
00:43:39You're 20 years old.
00:43:40You just turned 20 years old.
00:43:42And you're undersized for the division.
00:43:45You came in here tonight.
00:43:46You showed that you are incredibly talented.
00:43:48You have a future in the sport.
00:43:50I love that Dominic Cruz is in your corner.
00:43:52We're going to keep you at the PI in Mexico and let you keep fighting some fights down there.
00:43:57But we love you.
00:43:58We want you.
00:43:59We want you in the UFC.
00:44:01We just think we would be doing you a horrible disservice if we signed you right now at just turning 20 years old
00:44:08and moved you into this division in the UFC.
00:44:11We want you.
00:44:12We love you.
00:44:13We're going to keep you at the PI and keep training.
00:44:15And we'll determine when we think you're ready for the UFC.
00:44:19Okay?
00:44:21All right.
00:44:22Thank you, honey.
00:44:23I know.
00:44:24It sucks, but believe me, I'm making the right decision on this one.
00:44:27I know I am.
00:44:29All right.
00:44:30All right.
00:44:31Where am I here?
00:44:32Yeah.
00:44:33Yeah.
00:44:34You.
00:44:35As soon as the fight started, I don't know what the hell it was, I liked you.
00:44:38I liked you from the minute the fight started.
00:44:40Then as the fight went on and we got into the second round, you fought a guy tonight.
00:44:45You're 7-0.
00:44:47You have seven fights.
00:44:48You fought a guy tonight with 22 fights with a chin of steel.
00:44:51When you cut him, I thought, like, metal was going to come out of his face or something.
00:44:56Like, this guy is a fucking Terminator.
00:44:58He's never been knocked out.
00:45:00You hit this guy with it.
00:45:01You landed 135 significant strikes and a total of 168.
00:45:08He landed 42 with a total of 54.
00:45:11One of the most dominant performances I've ever seen.
00:45:15I'm imagining after that second round, when you threw the kitchen sink at this guy,
00:45:20you had to feel as close to death as you possibly could.
00:45:23Like, you had nothing left of the tank.
00:45:25You dug deep.
00:45:26You fought like a savage.
00:45:27I love how you stepped on the gas and just kept it going.
00:45:30You are fun to watch.
00:45:32I cannot wait to watch you fight in the UFC.
00:45:36Welcome to the UFC.
00:45:41Yeah.
00:45:42Okay.
00:45:43All right.
00:45:44Now, you back that one up with Luis.
00:45:47What an incredible fight.
00:45:49And let me start here.
00:45:51Much respect to Nick for coming back.
00:45:53I felt like he didn't win the fight in the first show.
00:45:56He came back.
00:45:57And let me tell you what.
00:45:58He came back to win this time, man.
00:46:00But unfortunately, he ran into you.
00:46:03All right?
00:46:05And for those of you out there right now that are watching or that are here that don't know,
00:46:10Luis came here last week to corner Roy Vaughn in his fight last weekend.
00:46:16And the fight fell out, and Luis accepted this fight on a week's notice.
00:46:21On a week's notice.
00:46:22You are a savage.
00:46:24An absolute savage.
00:46:25Took this thing on short notice and put on one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen.
00:46:33Things are meant to happen for a reason.
00:46:35My brother, you were meant to be in the UFC.
00:46:38Congratulations.
00:46:39Get over here.
00:46:40Luis Gourlay, welcome to the UFC.
00:46:45All right.
00:46:46Last but not least.
00:46:49All right.
00:46:50Nick, you are the same story.
00:46:53You took this fight on a week's notice.
00:46:56You're a 2-1 underdog.
00:46:5950-1.
00:47:01The odds were 50-1 for you to win in the first round.
00:47:04You're a purple belt, and you choked out a black belt in under a minute.
00:47:11This is a no-brainer.
00:47:13Get your ass over here and welcome to the UFC.
00:47:15Nick Klein, welcome to the UFC.
00:47:19Mandina, what a way to finish the season, like I said.
00:47:23It's funny because I think about the war room scenes that we see recently,
00:47:28and all I see is Contender Series blue over and over again on those boards.
00:47:33When you look at the crop of talent from this season, what do you see?
00:47:39Yeah.
00:47:40I mean, if you look at the past and what the show has accomplished as far as world champions
00:47:45and top ten ranked fighters and the entire board being blue,
00:47:50it's a testament to how good this show really is.
00:47:53And when you have people that, like myself, you, the other commentators,
00:47:58that do this every single Saturday,
00:48:00and we get so excited for Tuesday and all the fights that happen,
00:48:04and then to be standing here talking about these kids like this,
00:48:07this is, I say it all the time, this is the best show on television,
00:48:10and it's definitely the best show on Tuesday nights.
00:48:14It's special. Thank you so much, Dana.
00:48:15I'll see you next year.
00:48:16All right, we'll see you next year, Dana.
00:48:17Guys, back to you.
00:48:19All right, Laura, thank you very much.
00:48:21You can see the passion.
00:48:22You can see the enthusiasm that Dana White has for this show,
00:48:26has for these fighters, and I love the way you put it with Nick Kline.
00:48:32You're a purple belt, and you choked out a black belt in under a minute.
00:48:38Of course you get a contract.
00:48:40Yeah, yeah.
00:48:41And just the way he brought it, man, the way he just went out there,
00:48:44got that takedown, got that neck.
00:48:46This was really a way to cap off this season, man.
00:48:50Incredible fights across the board, deserving contracts.
00:48:54I'm just holding my list, one, two, and three.
00:48:57I feel like I nailed my power rankings.
00:49:00You did.
00:49:01I will say, and I totally understand the rationale for Julieta Martinez,
00:49:05just 20 years old, a little bit undersized,
00:49:07but how nice is it that she has the P.I. in Mexico
00:49:13and has a guy like Dominic Cruz in her corner who also trains down there
00:49:18and can help her train in addition to the coaches who are there.
00:49:21That's actually the perfect scenario for her.
00:49:23She goes another four months, six months, maybe even a year,
00:49:26and then she finds herself in the UFC.
00:49:28Yeah, and that's why Dana's saying that.
00:49:29Listen, we don't want to send you in there.
00:49:31We want you to develop.
00:49:32We know that you could be a star.
00:49:33We know that you could be an absolute contender in this division,
00:49:36and you don't want to rush the process, and that's something those guys,
00:49:39they have to make that decision, right?
00:49:41And with Raul Rosas, he seemed a little bit more mature,
00:49:44a little more ready and true to size for his weight classes,
00:49:47where they can tell that she still can grow into her body,
00:49:49she can become bigger and be stronger for that weight class.
00:49:52Laura Senko with our first winner tonight
00:49:53and our first contract winner tonight, Jonathan Mikhailov.
00:49:57Thank you so much, guys.
00:49:58Jonathan, welcome to the UFC.
00:50:00I mean, I would imagine you had an idea that we would probably be speaking,
00:50:03but it had to feel good to hear Dana White singing your praises.
00:50:06Yeah, 100%.
00:50:07I had the feeling that I would get in,
00:50:09but, you know, until you hear it from the man's mouth,
00:50:12you can't be too sure, but, yeah, incredible.
00:50:15Now we've made our way to Mount Everest,
00:50:18now we need to keep climbing.
00:50:20How soon can we see you competing in that welterweight division, you think?
00:50:22Well, I hear that the UFC is coming to Sydney.
00:50:25That would be incredible to jump on that.
00:50:26So, yeah, hopefully get in there in February, I think it is.
00:50:29Set it up, guys.
00:50:30I can't wait to see it.
00:50:31Congratulations and welcome to the UFC.
00:50:33Appreciate it.
00:50:34Guys, we'll send it back to you.
00:50:36What a way to get things started by Jonathan Mikhailov.
00:50:38As you can see, Dana there talking to Julian Martinez.
00:50:44I mean, that's the thing.
00:50:45And here's the other thing, too, Felder.
00:50:48You look at the list of guys in the UFC who fought on the contender series
00:50:54but weren't awarded a contract,
00:50:56it's outrageous how many guys are ranked and fought here
00:51:01but didn't get a contract after the fight
00:51:03and then found themselves in the UFC.
00:51:05Yadier Del Valle is with Lorna.
00:51:08Thank you so much.
00:51:09Well, Yadier, welcome to the UFC,
00:51:11the UFC's latest addition to the flyweight division.
00:51:14What a moment.
00:51:31A dream come true.
00:51:32Working hard 9, 10 years towards this dream to make it come true.
00:51:37How soon can we see you rocking that featherweight division in the UFC, you think?
00:51:56We're going to be training hard.
00:51:58God willing, start of the year maybe, start of the debut of the UFC.
00:52:02Dana said he can't wait to see it.
00:52:04I know, I can't wait to see it.
00:52:05Congratulations.
00:52:06Welcome to the UFC and go enjoy that contract.
00:52:08Thank you so much.
00:52:09Luis, come on over.
00:52:13Congrats, man.
00:52:14I mean, wow.
00:52:15What a moment.
00:52:16I know you've worked so hard to get here,
00:52:18but also at the same time, this felt like serendipity.
00:52:21It felt like destiny for you this week.
00:52:23Yeah, it really did.
00:52:24As soon as I got that call,
00:52:25I knew there was nothing that was going to stop me from making weight
00:52:27and winning that fight.
00:52:30I'd given too much to the sport already,
00:52:32and the work's only just begun.
00:52:35Pretty surreal to be calling yourself a UFC fighter
00:52:38along with your teammate, Brandon Royval.
00:52:40Yeah, it's been my dream since I walked into that Factory X gym
00:52:44and I saw everybody fight,
00:52:46and I was like, man, I think I can do this.
00:52:48It's crazy because now here we are.
00:52:50What a couple of weeks.
00:52:51What a change.
00:52:52It's amazing.
00:52:53Luis, I can't wait to see you fight in the UFC.
00:52:55Congrats again.
00:52:56Thank you so much.
00:52:57Appreciate it.
00:52:58Nick, come on over.
00:53:01Nick, welcome to the UFC, man.
00:53:03I mean, this must just feel like an absolute whirlwind.
00:53:07Ten days ago, you didn't even have this opportunity.
00:53:09You are a UFC fighter.
00:53:11I want to hear, though, what it meant to you
00:53:14to see your daughter standing there, daddy's number one fan.
00:53:18This is all larger than life.
00:53:20It's so surreal for me right now.
00:53:23Yeah, man, I love them more than anything, man.
00:53:26This is just too much.
00:53:28I don't even know what to say, honestly.
00:53:30I'm just so happy that all the work I've put into this
00:53:33has finally come to fruition
00:53:35and that being in the middleweight merits everything.
00:53:38Being a middleweight in the UFC,
00:53:41it really just merits all the work that I've put in.
00:53:45But now the real work starts.
00:53:47The skill levels now are tripled,
00:53:49and the work's going to have to as well.
00:53:52But I'd like to fight as soon as possible, man.
00:53:54I know Anthony Hernandez and Michelle Pereira
00:53:56are fighting this Friday.
00:53:57If someone falls out, put me in, man.
00:53:59I'm in shape, I'm ready.
00:54:01I want to fight before the end of the year in the UFC.
00:54:03We know you're not afraid of hard work, Nick.
00:54:05Congratulations. Welcome to the UFC.
00:54:07Thank you so much.
00:54:08Guys, we'll send it back to you.
00:54:10Wow, already calling out the fight that's coming up
00:54:13right around the corner on Saturday.
00:54:15And we've seen, though, we have seen guys fight this season,
00:54:18and then within four, five, six weeks,
00:54:21they already have their first UFC fight.
00:54:23Well, look at it. He's not a purple belt anymore.
00:54:25Wow.
00:54:26He's a brown belt now.
00:54:27And, man, after that performance,
00:54:29that is the time that you get to wrap somebody with a new belt.
00:54:33Congrats to him, going out there,
00:54:35getting that on short notice,
00:54:37and just everybody in general tonight.
00:54:39What a show. What a night.
00:54:40What a way to cap this season.
00:54:42What a feel-good night it is on Dana White's Contender Series.
00:54:47Laura is with somebody
00:54:48who wasn't technically awarded a contract
00:54:50and Julieta Martinez, but there is no doubt
00:54:52she has a future in the UFC.
00:54:54Thank you so much, guys.
00:54:55Well, Julieta, I know that this is not exactly
00:54:58how you wanted this night to end,
00:55:01but it had to feel good to have Dana White stand here
00:55:04and say how much he loved you,
00:55:06how much the UFC wants to have you,
00:55:08but perhaps a little bit of disappointment as well.
00:55:11First of all, I imagine that this is not the result
00:55:14you expected when you came here,
00:55:16but there must be some pride,
00:55:18a good feeling to hear that Dana White said,
00:55:20we love you, we want you here,
00:55:22you have to come here.
00:55:24How do you feel right now?
00:55:27I feel very happy.
00:55:29Obviously, it wasn't what I expected,
00:55:31but I'm very happy for the words she said,
00:55:34saying, I'm doing her a favor.
00:55:37So she's right, and I'm going to keep training.
00:55:40This is not going to stop me.
00:55:41I'm going to keep training,
00:55:42and I'm going to be better each time.
00:55:44And when I'm really in the UFC,
00:55:46I'm going to be 100% prepared, more than I am now.
00:56:17Just so you know, Dana,
00:56:19I really wanted us to do this interview
00:56:21to talk to you about what you did.
00:56:23Now, what are your plans?
00:56:25You're back in the PI,
00:56:26you have access to everything the PI gives you.
00:56:28What are your plans for Julio?
00:56:30Well, my plans are, obviously,
00:56:32to keep training in the PI,
00:56:33to keep improving.
00:56:34It's an incredible place to train.
00:56:36I evolve every day.
00:56:38So the idea is to stay there until I fight again,
00:56:41and so on, constantly.
00:56:46Enjoy every resource that they have out there.
00:56:48Continue to train.
00:56:49Listen, I get better every day,
00:56:51and continue to train,
00:56:52and getting better to come back.
00:56:53Well, I have no doubt
00:56:54that this will not be the last time I interview you.
00:56:56I can't wait to see you again.
00:56:57Thank you so much, Julio, and congrats.
00:56:59Guys, back to you.
00:57:01Julio Martinez improves to 8-0,
00:57:03as good as she is now.
00:57:05I'm actually scared to see her
00:57:06when she gets to be 21, 22 years old.
00:57:08You know what I mean?
00:57:09Yeah, for real.
00:57:10Yeah, she's an incredible talent,
00:57:11and still just 20, and still growing.
00:57:13Again, I think where the real problem would be
00:57:16is that she's still got to grow.
00:57:17She's got to get a little bigger, a little stronger,
00:57:19because she fought a lot at 105,
00:57:21and has to be in the UFC at 115.
00:57:23A lot of those women are bigger and stronger,
00:57:25and over time, she'll get more muscle mass,
00:57:28grow into that weight class, and perform.
00:57:30She showed out tonight.
00:57:31Dana made sure to really stamp that,
00:57:34that, listen, we're not denying you.
00:57:36Which is awesome, and what a luxury
00:57:37to be able to do that at the PI in Mexico.
00:57:40Here's a look at the upcoming schedule.
00:57:43Coming up on the 19th,
00:57:45it's Hernandez and Padena right here in Las Vegas,
00:57:48and then Abu Dhabi.
00:57:50What an unbelievable card this is.
00:57:53By the way, Title V between Ilia Tafuria
00:57:55and future Hall of Famer Max Holloway,
00:57:58and then it's Brandon Moreno
00:57:59and Amir Al-Fazi in Edmonton on November 2nd,
00:58:04and then on November 9th, it's Prates and Magni.
00:58:08She's back.
00:58:09I'm back.
00:58:10She's doing everything.
00:58:11She's back.
00:58:12What a night.
00:58:13What a way to finish season eight
00:58:14of Dana White's Contender Series.
00:58:15I just love this show.
00:58:16It's awesome.
00:58:17I really just love this show.
00:58:18I could just do this all year long.
00:58:19Actually, I would be exhausted.
00:58:20Yeah, every week, Tuesday, you'd be crushed.
00:58:22Well, let me give you a minute to compose yourself
00:58:24since you've been running around all over the place.
00:58:27Final thought after eight seasons.
00:58:30We've all been here since the beginning.
00:58:32Yeah, yeah.
00:58:33I mean, eight seasons is incredible
00:58:35to think that we've been doing this,
00:58:37and to think that this launched my career
00:58:40as well as many fighters and contenders and us.
00:58:43Yeah, day one right here, guys.
00:58:45Let's get a shot, guys.
00:58:46What are we doing here?
00:58:47Boom, boom.
00:58:48All right, what about in terms of from this season,
00:58:51a fighter that really stood out to you, Sanko?
00:58:54So your most memorable moment, I guess you could say.
00:58:56I mean, I've got to go with Janeezy Dubin.
00:58:59I mean, that was one of the most insane knockouts
00:59:02that we have ever seen on the history
00:59:04of the Contender Series.
00:59:05She was a plus 800 underdog,
00:59:08the biggest underdog to win ever on the show,
00:59:12to come out there that big of an underdog
00:59:14and just chuck a softball,
00:59:17chalked that girl flat.
00:59:19That was memorable for sure.
00:59:21Crazy.
00:59:22What about you, Felder?
00:59:23I mean, Loni Kavanaugh stands out to me.
00:59:25I think that was what, the first fight of the first episode?
00:59:28I think it was that.
00:59:29And this kid comes out here.
00:59:30We're expecting this flyweight absolute battle,
00:59:33and he just sleeps his opponent with that left hook.
00:59:36And it was devastating.
00:59:37I mean, we were worried for his opponent
00:59:39who ended up being totally fine,
00:59:40but it was just an incredible performance.
00:59:42And I look forward to him fighting in the future.
00:59:45I think he's got a fight lined up soon.
00:59:46I think he does.
00:59:47Yeah.
00:59:48Mine was Malcolm Wellmaker.
00:59:49The story, he was a pipe fitter in Augusta, Georgia.
00:59:53Very cerebral guy.
00:59:54Said he was going to win with his right hand.
00:59:56That's exactly what he did.
00:59:57A wicked counter right here in the first round.
01:00:00Gets the knockout over Adam Bramhoff.
01:00:03Oh, so much to his coach, Jason Fegler,
01:00:06who discovered him and convinced him to pursue fighting.
01:00:10And now seven years after he walked into a gym
01:00:12where he knew nothing about combat sports,
01:00:14he finds himself in the UFC.
01:00:16So many stories like that across the board
01:00:18in the Contender Series.
01:00:19It makes the show so great.
01:00:20Yeah.
01:00:21Yeah.
01:00:22Well, thanks for coming along on the ride with me, guys.
01:00:24Thanks for letting me be a part of it.
01:00:25It's been so fun.
01:00:26And thank you to you at home for letting
01:00:28us come into your living rooms each and every Tuesday
01:00:31night for the 10-week season.
01:00:33Who knows?
01:00:34Maybe next year it could be a little longer.
01:00:36But it's been a lot of fun.
01:00:38What?
01:00:39It's been a lot of fun.
01:00:40Thanks for watching, everybody.
01:00:41Thanks for joining us.
01:00:42Season 8 of Dana White's Contender Series
01:00:45is officially in the books.
01:00:47And what a ride.
01:00:48It has been four more contracts awarded tonight.
01:00:52We had four last week.
01:00:5410 combined the previous two weeks.
01:00:57So that's 18 contracts.
01:00:59I don't know if I've seen Dana on his feet
01:01:01clapping more than I have tonight.
01:01:03Certainly, he enjoys Tuesdays much more than most.
01:01:06I don't know if he enjoys it much more than us.
01:01:08But at least that's much.
01:01:09Thanks again, everybody.
01:01:10It's been fun.
01:01:12Contender Series, season 8, in the books.
01:01:15We'll see you on season 9.
01:01:17We'll see you on season 9.
01:01:18We'll see you on season 9.
01:01:19We'll see you on season 9.