Week 7 of Dana White's Contender Series (2026) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we're grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex. With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
Damian Piwowarczyk
- Weight class: Light heavyweight
- Result: Damian Piwowarczyk def. Emilio Quissua via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:55
- Grade: B-
Kicking off a night of slop-filled action was Damian Piwowarczryk and Emilio Quissua.
Although I can
usually sympathize with slow starters who need to fight back from negative spots more than most, I had a hard time giving Piwowarczyk anything higher than a B- due to the absolutely uninspiring backfoot effort and sloppiness he opened the first half of the round with.
In fact, if Quissua didn't needlessly crowd his punches along the cage, I'm not sure Piwowarczyk would've survived the stanzas (especially in front of more capable fighters). Luckily for Piwowarczyk, the bar at light heavyweight is incredibly low these days, so a finish was more than enough to get the Pole signed.
Although Piwowarczyk could be perfect action fodder for a fighter like Lui Ce, I'd like to see the matchmakers throw perennial B-sider Brendson Ribeiro a potential bone by booking him in a slopfest opposite the Polish newcomer.
Piero Guaylupo
- Weight class: Lightweight
- Result: Piero Guaylupo def. Callum Connor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Grade: A
In what was easily the best fight of the night, Pieroo Guaylupo (and Callum Connor, for that matter) earned solid A grades and UFC contracts alike for the wild war they put on for our entertainment.
Moreover, these two showed the skills and style to, at the very least, offer some solid undercard action fights to whatever card they're added to.
Connor, a dynamic range striker who showed some cheeky intercepting elbows in close, offered a ton of solid looks while attacking his opponent at all three levels. Whereas Guaylupo, who was a bit more straightforward with his bodywork and boxing, applied a terminator-like pressure that was likely giving Connor's father and chief corner, John Connor, some form of PTSD.
Between the excitement in the air and the precedent that this style of fight has traditionally set on the show, it comes as no surprise to see Dana White sign both men.
I hope they don't rush either due to their age and current stage of development, but I also hope that they're both matched in action-friendly affairs. If it were me, I'd pair Guaylupo up with Don Mar Fan and match Connor with Milos Janicic.
Marcos Degli
- Weight class: Flyweight
- Result: Marcos Degli def. Paris Moran via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:46
- Grade: A
Although this fight may not have been as entertaining as other recent flyweight fights, both Marcos Degli and Paris Moran were more than deserving of their slots tonight.
Both men were featured in my annual prospects to watch column last year, so it was almost a shame to see these two have to face off so early in their careers. But with this same predicament happening with my 2023 prospects Joshua Van and Rei Tsuruya, I wouldn't let this be a death knell for the Moran side.
That said, I'm glad that White made the right choice in signing Degli despite his more straightforward approach of smothering grappling. Degli can also unleash bombs on the feet and is a flyweight whom the matchmakers can plug and play with a large part of their roster.
I'm not sure they give Degli the Mitch Roposo or Charles Johnson tests quite yet, so don't be shocked to see the Brazilian booked against someone like Namsrai Batbayar on a future Asia or Australia card.
Alvi Dasuyev
- Weight class: Welterweight
- Result: Alvi Dasuyev def. Jaden Ortega via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Grade: C
Despite this fight delivering for many from an entertainment perspective, I can't say that I was too impressed with either side of this welterweight equation between Alvi Dasuyev and Jaden Ortega.
As I've been shouting for years, there's no more volatile striking matchup than a pairing of two southpaws when you consider that most lefties tend to predicate their games against orthodox opposition in open-stance affairs. Because of this, even Dasuyev, who was largely winning the exchanges standing, still seemed off and awkward when trying to find his distance (either coming up just short on kicks or arguably crowding his punches in tight).
And though I can forgive the Russian-born fighter from Belgium for trying to be entertaining, Dasuyev, like way too many other fighters on this card for my liking, almost gave the fight away by getting "Homer Simpson'd" for their extreme fatigue and poor pace management.
Luckily for Dasuyev, Ortega couldn't capitalize on any of it due to the American's propensity to both crowd his punches and needlessly reset with a bounce that even had me, a former taekwondo national competitor, unusually annoyed with the stupid level of bounciness in that bout.
Don't get me wrong: I'm sure Ortega is capable of better performances and will continue to improve as a young fighter, but I honestly didn't see anything that impressed me or stuck out about the Sikjitsu fighter, and I am genuinely surprised Sean Shelby wanted him.
I mean that with no disrespect and wish Ortega the best in the UFC, but I believe signing fighters that are that green and undeveloped does more harm than help at this stage of their careers. But I digress.
As for Dasuyev, I'm not shocked he got signed despite holding similar criticisms for him.
I know that Dasuyev said that jet lag really affected his performance, but fighters who are used to getting first-round finishes like himself are traditionally prone to tiring down the stretch. Even though Dasuyev has prepared for potentially longer fights when fighting for titles on the regional scene, he'll now need to prove his process at the UFC level.
I would love to see Dasuyev paired with someone like Ty Miller in the future, but suspect that the winner between Eric Nolan and Court McGee makes more sense.
Norbert Novenyi Jr.
- Weight class: Middleweight
- Result: Norbert Novenyi Jr. def. Theo Haig via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Grade: C
Despite being reminded week in and week out that the lighter-weight classes are where the bulk of the good and entertaining action lies, the UFC matchmakers continue to shove milktoast middleweights down our throats any chance they get.
In Norbert Novenyi Jr.'s defense, the Hungarian-born fighter arguably deserved a shot in the organization without having to roll the dice on this show. And though I respected Theo Haig arguably outperforming his expectations this evening, neither man gave me much to write home about.
I don't blame Dana White for not signing the London Shootfighters product, but I do feel bad that Novenyi Jr. ended up minimizing his own resume and prospects with a poor performance. I hope that White stands by giving Novenyi Jr. another shot to get signed in the future.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White's Contender Series 93: Grading the winners
