The sporting season we've been waiting all summer for is finally upon us. Not the NFL, it's the Contender Series, where 100 or so UFC hopefuls will battle in hopes of earning a UFC contract.
Last week's episode was one of the more forgettable ones, both for the UFC and for this column. They signed just two fighters, while we turned a loss thanks to a weird final fight marred by an egregious headbutt. We get a chance to get back after it this week, with five more fights.
Check out the latest Dana White's Contender Series Week 2 odds with my picks and predictions for each bout on the Tuesday, August 19, fight card.
DWCS Season 9 Episode 2 of Contender Series streams tonight on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.
As with all DWCS events, some of the winners – and even some of the losers – could earn an official UFC contract tonight. In fact, the Contender Series has become the UFC's primary feeder system for new talent.
UFC CEO Dana White will be cageside tonight. The UFC boss will determine which fighters have earned a contract with their performances, which also count as official MMA bouts on the fighters' records.
As a reminder, some sportsbooks can be slow to open Contender Series odds and betting markets, though nearly every major sportsbook eventually does post them. And don't forget that you can track your Contender Series bets in the Action App.
Dana White's Contender Series odds as of Tuesday afternoon and via DraftKings. Bet on DWCS Week 2 with our DraftKings promo code.
Dana White's Contender Series Week 2 Odds & Best Bets
Featherweight: Ramiro Jiminez (-500) vs. Tommy Cuozzi (+350)
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 8:15 p.m. ET
This week's Contender Series is notable for the amount of heavy favorites on the card. At -500 odds, Ramiro Jiminez isn't even the biggest of the group, but he's reasonably close.
Jiminez is a 10-0 26 year old prospect fighting out of Mexico. While he hasn't fought since December of 2023, his performance on that weekend was enough to leave an impression. Jiminez emerged the winner of a two-night, eight-man tournament, picking up three wins in about 24 hours.
Impressively, he earned wins by all three methods — knockout, submission, and decision, showing he can do it all. Across his career most of his wins have been on the ground, though, and he spends some of his training time at "The Goat Shed" in Miami, home to a handful of UFC fighters who primarily grapple.
He's a deserving favorite against Cuozzi, who is also undefeated at 8-0. However, he's fought lesser competition, with seven of those bouts contested on the same South Carolina promotion.
He also trains at a gym where the head coach is his father, and he's the only listed pro fighter. Those aren't great signs. Cuozzi does hold a BJJ black belt, however, so he shouldn't be totally lost on the ground.
I'm not willing to lay the -500 on Jiminez, but I don't have any interest in Cuozzi either. If we can get a better price on Jiminez to finish the fight it could be worth taking, but otherwise it's a pass from me.
Prediction: Ramiro Jiminez wins by TKO (Ground and Pound)
Billy's Bet: Pass
Heavyweight: Josh Hokit (-440) vs. Guilherme Uriel (+340)
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 8:45 p.m. ET
The first heavyweight fight of the season features a classic DWCS trope — a former NFL player transitioning to MMA. That would be Hokit, who spent time on the Cardinals and 49ers practice squads as a fullback following a career at Fresno State.
The twist is that Hokit also wrestled in college, where he was a two-time (second team) All-American. While he's been an MMA fighter for just two years, his prior combat sports background gives him a leg up over the Greg Hardy or Austen Lane types.
Hokit makes no attempt to disguise his gameplan, shooting within the first few seconds of each of his pro fights. He's gone on record saying he'll keep doing it until someone stops him, but his combination of wrestling skill and athletic ability has made that a non issue against regional heavyweights.
From what I can tell he's still fairly raw, but hits hard on the ground while looking to soften up his opponents for submission opportunities. His opponents have been so physically overmatched it's hard to get a real read on his skill level, especially striking, but he's been brutally effective.
Guilherme Uriel is a much, much, worse athlete than Hokit — but he might be the better fighter. He weighed in 20 lbs heavier than Hokit for this bout, none of which I would describe as "good weight."
However, he's also a BJJ black belt with a pro boxing win, and considerably more experience in striking and submission arts than Hokit.
Uriel likes to brawl on the feet, before occasionally mixing in a takedown and working from there. He's 6-1 as a pro with the sole loss coming to former DWCS fighter Lucas Camacho — a fight Uriel was dominating before running out of gas.
That he ran out of gas in the first round is a bad sign, but this one isn't likely to last long anyway. Given the wide odds here I'm taking my first big underdog shot of the season on Uriel, who could get it done either by defending takedowns or using his BJJ to win positions on the ground.
The line at FanDuel is also a bit off market at +360, so grab it before it drops.
Prediction: Guilherme Uriel by knockout
Billy's Bets: Uriel +360 (FanDuel)
Bantamweight: Louis Lee Scott (-395) vs. Kaushik Saikumar (+310)
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 9:15 p.m. ET
Manchester Top Team's Louis Lee Scott reminds me a lot of my favorite prospect from last season of the Contender Series, fellow Brit Lone'er Kavanagh.
The 9-0 bantamweight also has plenty of amateur experience, fighting 16 times before turning pro, starting at the tender age of 15. Now 25, he's coming close to his physical prime, with the skill set to match.
I described him as "effectively wild" while taking notes on his fights. He carries his hands low, but has the speed and reflexes to avoid getting hit. He's also long for the division, and does a good job staying out of his opponents range.
While striking from the outside, his main weapon is his fast and powerful left kicks from a southpaw stance. He'll chop down the legs before working up to the body and head, with a head kick knockout on his record.
He can also grapple, mixing in the occasional takedown but more often punishing opponents who initiate wrestling sequences against him. He's a quick scrambler who has shown the ability to keep up the pace even into the third round, and he's also pulled off some slick submissions, including an armbar from the back.
That grappling could be the x-factor against Kaushik Saikumar, an Indian born fighter who grew up doing striking martial arts. While Saikumar now trains at 50/fifty MMA in Virgina, led by grappling ace and former UFC fighter Ryan Hall, he's clearly more comfortable on the feet.
He's extremely calm on the feet, picking his shots at range or looking to counter. I was impressed by his ability to deflect punches before countering with his own kicks, or throw straight shots to counter the kicks of his opponents.
He also lands hard, with all of his shots thrown with purpose.
However, he's not especially quick, and relies too much on one big shot to win fights or the round. He was losing his last fight before a third round knockout thanks to the superior volume from his opponent. Scott should be able to overwhelm him with output, and can fall back on his wrestling if needed.
Scott should also look to push the pace here, as he's a long shot to get a contract without a huge performance after missing weight. My initial read was Scott inside the distance at +100 — but we're getting the same price on "Fight To Start Round 3: No" at DraftKings.
I make the odds of Saikumar landing a big counter higher than that of a third-round finish from Scott, so I'll be taking that prop on DK.
Prediction: Louis Lee Scott by knockout
Billy's Bet: Fight to Start Round 3: No +100 (DraftKings)
Middleweight: Brandon Holmes (-142) vs. Cam Rowston (+130)
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 9:45 p.m. ET
In a nice change of pace, we have just one fighter returning to the Contender Series following a failed bid. That's "The Battle Giraffe" Cam Rowston, a City Kickboxing prospect who dropped a somewhat competitive decision to Torrez Finney in his first attempt.
Rowston's nickname is appropriate, as a 6'3" middleweight with an awkward striking style. While he uses the City Kickboxing feint-heavy approach, he carries his hands well in front of his body, and isn't nearly as fluid as the more well-known fighters from that gym.
However, he's extremely effective at long range, landing straight punches and kicks with his 78" reach. His ace in the hole is his grappling, as opponents who get too overzealous closing the distance typically find themselves on their back.
While Brandon Holmes is just an inch shorter, his reach is 6" less than Rowston. That should force him to step in to land strikes, where Rowston can look to apply his wrestling.
Not that Rowston needs a reason to fight in close. He prefers to push forward, brawling from the inside. That's where his relatively short arms (for his height, at least) come in handy, as his strikes take a shorter path to his opponents from close up.
However, he was picked apart by an opponent with a 78" reach in his last fight, before using his superior athleticism to find a third round knockout. That's likely to be the general shape of how this one goes, but Rowston's wrestling and superior defense should save him from the knockout.
My biggest concern with Rowston is his cardio, but Holmes is taking this on on short notice, and has an aggressive style that probably doesn't hold up well down the stretch. His third round knockout was aided by five or six breaks when his opponents mouthguard came out, so isn't a fair representation of his gas tank.
Therefore, I'm happy to grab the plus-money on Rowston, with FanDuel's +134 being the best line.
Prediction: Cam Rowston by decision
Billy's Bet: Rowston +134 (FD)
Featherweight: Jose Delano (-625) vs. Manuel Exposito (+455)
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 9:40 p.m. ET
The final fight of Week 2 is the only one without an undefeated prospect, but features two more experienced fighters who are both still in their 20s.
The heavy favorite is the Brazilian Delano, a former LFA champion with a 15-3 record. Two of his three losses came when he was still a teenager, with the third coming against current UFC fighter Gabriel Santos.
Delano is an exciting striker, mostly out of a southpaw stance. He's bouncy on his feet, moving well laterally in order to find the angle for his big left hand. While I was concerned that bouncing would open takedown opportunities for his opponents, he showcased an excellent sprawl in his last fight, which came against an undefeated Dagestani opponent.
My only real criticism of Delano is that he relies too heavily on just punches, and would be better served to mix in kicks and knees. However, it's possible that was a function of his opponents wanting to take him down, which could be the case here against Exposito.
The 25 year old Exposito is a BJJ black belt who uses his grappling ability as deterrence for takedowns, allowing him to strike wildly and aggressively on the feet. I'm not sure he threw a single straight punch in any of the tape I watched, instead winging hooks at his opponents.
He's the more active kicker, but drops his hands badly when throwing leg kicks, which should leave plenty of straight-left counter opportunities for Delano.
While Exposito is the better grappler I doubt he'll be able (or maybe even willing) to initiate, so we should have a pretty fun striking affair in this one.
I made a small bet on the under 2.5 round prop when it first opened, but that one quickly got steamed up to -170. Delano is the far likelier finish here and his knockout prop is a more-appealing +120, so I'll be looking to that bet instead.
Prediction: Delano by knockout
Billy's Bet: Delano by KO/TKO/DQ +120 (DraftKings)
