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Dana White's Contender Series Week 9 Preview & Full Betting Odds

Check out a preview of this week's DWCS card.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC

The penultimate episode for Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series takes place this Tuesday (October 8) when ten more prospects compete for UFC contracts on Week 9.

All odds via DraftKings (odds subject to change).

Men’s Flyweight: Sean Gauci (-195) vs. Anthony Drilich (+150)

Sean Gauci

Gauci enters his DWCS opportunity after winning the vacant HEX Fight Series flyweight title early this year to become a two-division champion.

He’ll remain at flyweight here for an all-Australian matchup against Drilich that was previously booked to take place at Eternal MMA 65 in 2022, and the 28-year-old’s record notably includes a unanimous decision victory over UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg in 2017.

Anthony Drilich

Unbeaten since dropping a decision in his third pro bout, Drilich’s last fight saw him defend his Eternal MMA flyweight title via first-round finish in June.

That fight marked the second time he’d successfully defended his belt, and his current three-fight finishing streak means Drilich has now stopped his opponent in six out of his eight pro victories.

Welterweight: Islam Dulatov (-580) vs. Vanilto Antunes (+380)

Islam Dulatov

Currently riding the momentum of an 11-fight win streak, Germany’s Dulatov lost his pro debut via unanimous decision in 2019 but is unbeaten since.

“The Ripper” has stopped every opponent he’s faced during that run, and so far Giorgi Kankava was the only fighter to make it out of the first round when the two men met in 2021.

Vanilto Antunes

A veteran of the Brazilian regional scene, Antunes finally made his LFA debut in March and stopped Geraldo Neto in the opening round to claim the promotion’s welterweight title.

That was Antunes’ first fight since December 2022 following a pair of cancelled matchups in the LFA, and the 29-year-old has stopped three-straight opponents since being submitted by Willker Lemos in his last loss in 2022.

Heavyweight: Mario Pinto (-620) vs. Lucas Camacho (+400)

Mario Pinto

One of the heaviest favorites on this card, Pinto's last two outings saw him successfully defend the Levels Fight League heavyweight belt after claiming the title in a one-night tournament last year.

The Portuguese fighter began his pro career with four-straight wins in the first round, but since then he’s also proven himself capable of besting opponents over the distance and went five full rounds to take a unanimous decision in his last outing.

Lucas Camacho

Also undefeated as a professional, Camacho will return to the cage for the first time in more than a year when he meets Pinto on DWCS.

“Lucão” began his career at 4-0 while competing in Brazil before a nearly four-year layoff, but Camacho successfully returned to action last year when he stopped the formerly-unbeaten Guilherme Uriel in his LFA debut before he also finished Carlos Sena at LFA 179 in March.

Lightweight: Kody Steele (-245) vs. Chasen Blair (+185)

Kody Steele

Steele was originally supposed to fight for a UFC contract on Week 5 of DWCS before his opponent Quemuel Ottoni unfortunately withdrew midway through the event.

A perfect 6-0 in his professional career, Steele boasts extensive competitive grappling experience but has recently started to flash considerable power in his hands with three-straight wins via strikes in Fury FC.

Chasen Blair

Currently on a three-fight win streak where he’s stopped every opponent in the first round, Blair made his debut in 2022 and has spent the entirety of his pro career competing in Cage Warriors.

“Mestizo” has scored finishes in all six of his pro victories, and he hasn’t gone past the opening round since back-to-back fights with Kona Oliveira and Jeffrey Craig the year that he turned pro.

Heavyweight: Artem Vakhitov (-580) vs. Islem Masraf (+380)

Artem Vakhitov

Fans got to see Alex Pereira defend his light heavyweight title for the third time at UFC 307 last weekend, and just a few days later Pereira’s old kickboxing rival Vakhitov will fight for a UFC contract in Las Vegas.

The 33-year-old’s MMA debut ended in disappointment last year when he suffered an injury just 57 seconds into the fight, but Vakhitov rebounded this year with a pair of first-round finishes to earn an opportunity on DWCS.

Islem Masraf

France’s Masraf collected a pair of amateur wins in 2023 before turning pro later that year, and he maintained his perfect finishing rate when he submitted Azamat Aboukhanov in his pro debut at Ares FC 15.

“Lightning” has already collected two knockout-wins this year, and his most recent outing at PFL Europe only lasted 10 seconds before he floored Mickaël Groguhe with a head kick.

Be sure to check back with MMA Knockout on fight night for live results and highlights from all the action at Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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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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