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Dana White's Contender Series 2024 Week 3: Preview, Breakdown & Betting Odds

Dana White's Contender Series continues with Week 3 this Tuesday.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

Eight UFC contracts have been handed out on Dana White’s Contender Series so far this season, and on Tuesday (August 27) ten more prospects will step into the cage at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

Dana White's Contender Series Results & Highlights (Season 8, Week 2)

All odds via DraftKings (odds subject to change).

Flyweight: Jack Duffy (+230) vs. Nick Piccininni (-315)

Jack Duffy

Duffy was previously scheduled to face both Mitch Raposo and Jose Ochoa on DWCS before being matched with another unbeaten flyweight in Piccininni.

“The Fury” has been plagued by fight cancellations during the last few years, but he did secure a pair of victories in Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat in his two most recent outings and has scored finishes in six out of his seven pro fights.

Nick Piccininni

Coming off a submission-win in his first Fury FC main event in June, Piccininni has put together a 6-0 record since making his pro debut in 2021.

The 27-year-old has only gone the distance once so far, and his other five victories all came via submission with three of those fights ending inside the first round.

Bantamweight: Malcolm Wellmaker (-210) vs. Adam Bramhald (+160)

Malcolm Wellmaker

A 9-1 amateur career preceded Wellmaker’s pro debut in 2022, and the 30-year-old has been perfect since then.

“The Machine” hasn’t faced an especially high level of competition thus far, but he’ll have chance to prove he’s capable of hanging with top bantamweights when he meets an experienced fighter in Bramhald.

Adam Bramhald

England's Bramhald successfully defended his Caged Steel bantamweight title for the first time last September in his first fight in nearly two years.

The 30-year-old suffered back-to-back losses in the first round after starting his pro career at 2-0, but since then he’s put together an 11-fight win streak with eight finishes.

Middleweight: Marco Tulio (-475) vs. Matthieu Duclos (+325)

Marco Tulio

The largest favorite competing on this card, Tulio took a unanimous decision over Yousri Belgaroui on DWCS last year but failed to earn a UFC contract.

The Brazilian returned to LFA in January and stopped Cemey dos Santos with strikes in the second round, which put him on a seven-fight win streak dating back to his only pro loss in 2018.

Matthieu Duclos

A veteran of French regional promotion Hexagone MMA, Duclos claimed Hexagone’s interim middleweight title in his last outing against Alexis Fontes in February.

That title fight victory did come as the result of an eye injury in the first round, but after a lone Bellator appearance in 2022 the Frenchman has collected four stoppage-wins in Hexagone.

Featherweight: Michael Aswell (-105) vs. Bogdan Grad (-125)

Michael Aswell

The youngest fighter competing on this card, the 23-year-old Aswell has put together a 9-1 pro record after going 5-1 as an amateur.

“Texas Kid” stopped former GLORY kickboxer Nate Richardson to claim the Fury FC featherweight title when he fought in April, and his only pro loss came at the hands of still-undefeated Fury FC prospect Yadier DelValle last year.

Bogdan Grad

The second DWCS-returnee fighting on Week 3, Grad was knocked out by Tom Nolan when the pair met in Las Vegas just over a year ago.

“The Unleashed” returned to Cage FS and rebounded from the loss with a flying knee KO and first-round submission, and now he’ll try to make the most of his second chance at joining the UFC when he meets Aswell.

Middleweight: Andrey Pulyaev (+154) vs. Liam Anderson (-200)

Andrey Pulyaev

Pulyaev went the distance when he defeated Evgeny Chernyshko in his pro debut in 2022, but since then all of his wins have come via finish.

The 26-year-old has competed for several regional organizations in Russia, and in addition to his current 4-fight streak of finishes he holds a perfect 6-0 record in Alexander Shlemenko’s promotion Shlemenko FC.

Liam Anderson

An impressive win against Maurice Morris at LFA 177 in February put Anderson firmly on the UFC’s radar, and although he’s only 6-2 as a professional “White Widow” also put together a perfect 8-0 amateur career where he stopped every opponent he faced.

All of the 29-year-old’s pro victories have also come via stoppage, and he’s currently on a four-fight win streak that’s only seen him go past the first round once.

Be sure to check back with MMA Knockout on fight night for live results and highlights from all the action at Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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