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Dana White's Contender Series Week 6 Preview & Full Betting Odds

Check out a preview of this week's Dana White's Contender Series card.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

Hot on the heels of a huge UFC 306 event at Sphere, Dana White’s Contender Series returns this Tuesday (September 17) with ten more prospects fighting for UFC contracts at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

All odds via DraftKings (odds subject to change).

Middleweight: Yura Naito (-188) vs. Ateba Gautier (+145)

Yura Naito

A veteran of top Japanese promotion Pancrase, Naito claimed the vacant Pancrase Middleweight Championship by stopping Ryo Kawamura in just 42 seconds back in 2022.

A layoff of more than two years saw the unbeaten talent relinquish that belt before he returned with another first-round finish in June, and aside from a unanimous decision against Fernando Matsuki in 2021 he’s stopped all of his opponents in less than two minutes.

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Ateba Gautier

Hailing from Cameroon, Gautier began his career pro career by going 1-1 in a pair of decisions but hasn’t seen the judge’s scorecards since then.

His current four-fight win streak has seen “The Silent Assassin” stop all of his opponents with strikes, and he hasn’t even seen a second round since his split decision loss to Glenn Williams in 2022.

Heavyweight: Tallison Teixeira (-720) vs. Arthur Lopes (+450)

Tallison Teixeira

The towering Teixeira made short work of most of his opposition on the Brazilian regional scene before he joined LFA earlier this year and scored another pair of finishes.

All six of his MMA wins have come in the first round, and outside of a submission in his pro debut against Carlos Sena in 2021 the Brazilian has stopped all of his opponents with strikes.

Arthur Lopes

Dana White's Contender Series Week 6 Preview & Full Betting Odds
(Zuffa LLC)

The largest underdog on Week 6 of DWCS, Lopes has the chance to score a sizeable upset that would likely earn him a UFC contract when he meets his countryman Teixeira.

“Demolidor” began his career at 5-1 before experiencing a length layoff following a 2018 win over Argemiro Delmandes, but Lopes finally returned last March and claimed the Souza Combat MV Heavyweight Championship when he finished Daniel Bucher in just 20 seconds.

Welterweight: Benjamin Bennett (-105) vs. Joey Hart (-125)

Benjamin Bennett

A member of Denver’s Elevation Fight Team, Bennett had a 21-fight amateur career that included a meeting with current top UFC middleweight Brendan Allen and a win over reigning Ares FC Lightweight champion Axel Solva in his final amateur bout in 2017.

His only pro loss came against DWCS alum and current UFC welterweight Trey Waters in 2022, but “Mr. Alaska” has rebounded from that result with three-straight wins.

Joey Hart

Though not quite as extensive as Bennett’s amateur career, Hart did go 7-3-1 as an amateur before turning pro in 2022.

“The Hitman” went the distance in his only pro loss to Diyar Kiraev last year, but aside from that he’s scored finishes in all of his pro wins and is currently on a four-fight win streak that includes a pair of appearances in LFA.

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Bantamweight: Aaron Tau (+154) vs. Elijah Smith (-200)

Aaron Tau

Tau was originally slated to meet Quang Le in a battle between unbeaten bantamweights before Le was pulled to make his short-notice UFC debut against Chris Gutierrez in August.

“Tauzemup” previously held titles at both bantamweight and featherweight in Australia’s Xtreme Fighting Championship, and after a layoff of well over a year Tau made his return to the promotion last February and collected the sixth stoppage-win of his pro career.

Elijah Smith

Stepping in to replace the aforementioned Le, Smith heads into his DWCS opportunity riding the momentum of four-straight wins.

Only one of his seven pro bouts have gone to the judges’ scorecards, and this year has already seen “Swift” stop two opponents with strikes in the first round.

Lightweight: Dylan Mantello (+140) vs. Ahmad Hazzanzada (-180)

Dylan Mantello

Mantello returns to DWCS for the second time in the featured bout of Week 6.

A first-round submission loss against Kaynan Kruschewksy last year briefly halted his hopes of fighting in the UFC, but after scoring a flying knee knockout against Nate Williams in Cage Fury FC earlier this year “The Quiet Man” will try to make the most of his second DWCS opportunity.

Ahmad Hazzanzada

Hazzanzada also came up short in his first DWCS appearance last year when Nazim Sadykhov knocked him out in the third round.

“Lion of the Ring” came up short against Josh Streacker in his next outing for the first back-to-back losses of his career, but Hazzanzada rebounded with a pair of stoppage-wins in Cage Warriors and Tuff-N-Uff to set up this matchup between DWCS veterans.

Dana White's Contender Series Week 5 Results & Highlights

Be sure to check back with MMA Knockout on fight night for live results and highlights from all the action at Week 6 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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