As the 12 fighters who constitute the lineup of DWCS Week 3 prepare to square off in the UFC Apex on Tuesday, they can take comfort that the boss has been in an incredibly welcoming mood of late.
In its first two episodes of the season, Dana White's Contender Series has sent 10 fighters to the Ultimate Fighting Championship: all five winning fighters from last week and all four winners from Week 1 — as well as one losing fighter, Carlos Candelario, whose close split decision setback against Victor Altamirano impressed White enough that he signed both flyweights.
This week, there’s no telling whether a win will automatically result in a UFC contract, but the lineup is loaded with interesting prospects, including a few who could easily have been signed by the promotion before now. Topping that list — and the card — are light heavyweights Jailton Almeida (13-2) and Nasrudin Nasrudinov (9-0). The 30-year-old “Malhadinho” is on an eight-fight win streak, all by finish, that includes UFC veterans Ildemar Alcantara and Ednaldo Oliveira, while Absolute Championship Akhmat contender Nasrudinov has built his perfect record against a very credible slate of opposition.
Dana White’s Contender Series 2021: Week 3 — which airs live on ESPN+ at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT — will also feature the first women’s matchup of the 2021 Contender Series, as Brazil’s Julia Polastri (8-2) meets the 5-1 Jasmine Jasudavicius of Canada in a flyweight bout.
THE LINEUP
205: Jailton Almeida vs. Nasrudin Nasrudinov135: Mo Miller vs. Brandon Lewis
185: Albert Duraev vs. Caio Bittencourt
HW: Lukasz Brzeski vs. Dylan Potter
170: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ange Loosa
125: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Julia Polastri