#dwtncs

[cloacacarnage]

[theanticool]

So The DWCS actually has a fighter I’m looking forward to seeing this weeks in Taneisha Tennant. Tenant just won the Invicta FC Bantamweight Phoenix arising one night tournament in like March and she looks to be a good talent.

The woman the show has decided to match Tennant up against has no MMA fights. She was a former amateur boxer though. 3x USA national champion according to her twitter bio. Fought some pretty good amateurs too like Raquel Miller, Alicia Napoleon, Franchon Crew Dezurn, and Oshae Jones. But, Danyelle Wolf is a 37 year old with 0 MMA experience.

[mma21plus]

dwight grant catches tyler hill with this brutal 1, 2 to get the knockout win in the second round at dana white’s tuesday night contender series.

[asmm-brett]

@bad_mmama The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. Looking forward to getting another one of these reactions. @danawhite @seanshelby @mickmaynard2 ...sooner than later 😊 ————— #mondaymotivation #mmamotivation #ufc #contenderseries #dwtncs #ufcfightpass #strawweight #heavyhitter #headhunter #thefinisher #jamiecolleen #badmmama #eefc #danielgracieteam #renzograciephilly #fnao #Ateam #lionheart #noquit @danielgracie @eefc.john @mike_eefc

[thesportssoundoff]

So About That Tuesday Night Contenders Series

Joey

June 26th

Watch any UFC event recently and you'll notice the constant pushing and dare I say shilling of Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders Series.  The UFC's attempt to push its own content on its own digital platform (a novel concept!) is slowly creeping towards its air date on July 11th. The concept is a simple enough one even if some aspects of it seem to be ever so slightly and ever so gingerly getting modified before the start. Five fights every week with the winners and losers competing for the opportunity to get into the UFC. It'll be held in front of Dana White and what I'm assuming are an audience of his friends and peers given how there is no live attendance. While the original concept suggested UFC fighters would get the opportunity to rebuild their careers, it seems like the UFC has walked that back somewhat given how not a single current UFC fighter is assigned to a spot on the show.

The concept is a fresh enough approach, essentially taking out Dana White's LFAF antics and bringing us what fight fans really want to see; less of Dana hanging with the BOOOOOOYZ and more of the prospects and overlooked guys with potential getting the opportunity to get a UFC gig. As of this point, much of the format is hidden although the general onus seems to be similar to Looking For A Fight's "Win impressively and depending on how the wind is blowing and the whims of one man are at that time, you might get a deal!" That's all fine and good I guess although leaving the future of athletes up to such a vague concept as an impressive win is always going to lead to some problems. At the very least, a lot of good regional talents are going to get the opportunity they all dream of chasing when they sign up for this wacky gig. The chance to fight in front of Dana White and his friends in Vegas for more than you've ever made up until that point with the allure of a potential UFC gig is all good for the sport I'd argue.  Unfortunately quite a few questions remain on how this is all going to work out BUT before we get into that, I just want to poke around a bit on some numbers I've scrounged up.

30.5- The average age of the HWs confirmed for Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender's Series.

The age at light heavyweight and heavyweight will always be a somewhat touchy subject. As has probably been discussed time and time again, MMA's ability to chase elite athletes above 205 lbs is never going to be up there with the bigger sports even though it could/would stand to do a better job at attempting to recruit them. Outside of Stipe Miocic, the UFC's HW division in its current form is a collection of aging but well known guys from the Pride/2008 to 2011 era of the UFC and a small group of guys who rose from the ashes of a broken HW division to carve out niches for themselves. Now to their credit, the UFC HAS been aggressively signing new HWs but the division still lacks depth, prospects and the ability to let guys go on winning streaks before you violently feed them up to somebody at the top. The decision to focus on the HW division is a refreshing approaching and of the six HWs they've roped in thus far, they combine for an average age of about 31 years old (30.5 to be exact). That number is heavily skewed by the 35 year old Greg Rabello. Just for a comparison point, the top 6 in the division (Stipe plus the five contenders under him) come out at about a solid 34.5 years old. So here's my opinion on this one; sign all of them even if they lose. Turn the HW division into the undercard gamblers division and load up FP prelims with big doughy guys. You might luck into one!

10-20- Record for fights either in the UFC or against fighters who have been in the UFC

Yeah, this number isn't too pretty I suppose. Now granted there are guys like Daniel Spohn, Justin Jones and Daniel Jolly who really tip the scales here but as is often the case with TUF seasons, the prospects here haven't faired all too well when they've faced UFC quality competition. People CAN improve of course but going on pure raw data, it's looking rough to start.

0- Women's MMA fights confirmed thus far

This is a concerning number. It's not that I think the UFC is deliberately ignoring the women of mixed martial arts, I just don't know if they're out there to be had. Part of the problem with having an Invicta is that the WMMA community is so small that just about everybody winds up there at some point; most before they're ready. Tuesday Night Contenders becoming ANOTHER Invicta where ladies like Rachel Ostovich are fed to elite talents over and over is probably not good for anybody. What's more with TUF 25 being flyweights, you're not going to send them to Tuesday Night Contenders because you pretty much NEED all of them for that. And of course it's like flyweight or bantamweight TUFs, chances are if you're a good one they're just going to sign you so why bother? The UFC can't keep pilfering talents from Invicta without waiting for the stock to replenish and while a guy like TheAnticool would clearly know more as it pertains to whether it IS being replenished, there needs to be concern about how long it's taking.  Ronda's ascension to the top of the MMA landscape was expected to jolt WMMA and in many ways it did---but it's 2017 and we're still waiting to see the fruits of that labor.

7- flyweights

Be it petty posturing or a genuine warning, Dana White coming out and admitting that the last three years have featured them considering the removal of flyweight has to be concerning for all MMA fans. The UFC removing flyweights from the equation would ultimately be a bad thing for MMA (a hell of a boon to 135 tho!) and would further blur the lines between sport of business and the business of sport. Even if you acknowledge that fighters can always make their money overseas, all of the US orgs (since Bellator has shown no interest in flyweights and I'm not even sure the new chain at WSOF know what flyweights are) abandoning the division would do serious damage to the growth of MMA. As such, it's refreshing to see Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series has thus far cornered the market on flyweights not in the organization.

4- Fighters coming off a loss

The idea of DWTCS was the best prospects vs the best prospects and old UFC guys trying to regroup and rebound after a series of losses. When names started getting announced and people started to complete the picture, there was some rankling about signing guys to compete who were coming off losses. That, at least so far, is overstated. Just four of the guys on the show are coming off of a loss.

So those are just some things I wanted to dig through and look over. Despite this, questions STILL remain. Such as....

1- How are they going to make money off of this?

Seriously. There's no TV rights deal (here or abroad) and there's no gate because the show is attended by Dana's friends and fam. One would assume that the UFC is paying for crapola even if the UFC owns the venue and etc etc. Right off the bat, you're talking about 50K going out (5K for 10 guys plus 25K on top for the winners). So how ya paying for this? Fight Pass subs?

2- Is it possible to LOSE and get into the UFC?

We see it all of the time. The "win and get in" style of UFC TUF Finale is bent slightly so that guys who put on an amazing fight and lose can still get a chance. Will the UFC keep with that mentality here? Given that so much of this is the whim of one man, is it win and get in only?

3- What will the outfits look like?

It'd be...awkward if Dana White's side league project featured fighters wearing sponsored swag. Is it going to be like 2013 where dudes had big sponsorship lapses and so they had guys wearing UFC trunks? I know that they're treating Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders where it's like an alternate organization BUT if I'm a fighter and I make it into the UFC off the show, I want this fight to count for my UFC record.

4- Production? Any ideas?

Again with no real way to make money, what will the production look like? I hate to make the comp here but I don't think this product is going to succeed if it feels like a dark match/house show with no video packages, no commentary and no sizzle with their graphics. I'd really like to see what they do with the commentary spot. One thing I'd really like to see is different guys being given the opportunity to try their hand at live commentary. If they're bad, it's not going to be the end of the world and if they're good, as guys like Cruz proved to be, then you can start grooming your next crop of rotating commentators. I bet the UFC would LOVE a day where they can just sandblast the sports world with a show from Asia that starts at 8 on ESPN/FS1, a show from England that starts at 12 on ESPN 2/FS2 and then a big show at 8 PM that goes back onto the main network. To pull that shit off, you need developed competent commentators and MAYBE this can be an attempt to pull that off.

5- Where are the international guys at?

The current crop are 95% Americans with 5% delegated to some Europeans who live and operate within the US. I'd LOVE to see them move in some guys from Asia to get a chance. There's a lot of PXC guys who aren't good enough in theory for the UFC but could benefit from the opportunity to at least compete there.

6- Ringer Fights

Obviously any REALLY REALLY great prospects are getting UFC calls and not wasting their time on this. But let's say you do so decide to go to the UFC through Tuesday Night Contenders. Let's use Jose "Shorty" Torres for a sec, k? Would you take a Jose Torres and give him an obvious squash match set up so he looks super impressive to get the hype going? If so, can they handle the backlash if we see through it?

In the end, this is somewhere between a regional organization and a UFC lite. It's Dana White attempting to create a Looking For A Fight without having to look for it. It's a chance for prospects, veterans who live under the radar and potential organizational filler to get fights. For fighters on the regional circuit, it represents a substantial jump up in pay. There are just too many questions and concerns for this project to get out of the "cautiously optimistic" stage.

[commentsfromthepeanutgallery1]

Hi, my name is "Hurricane" @ianheinischmma and I'm looking for a fight! · 👊 👊 #CFTPG #FactoryX #xonthechest #UFC #UFCFighter #UFCMiddleweight #MMA #contentmarketing #contentcreator #brandbuilding #surroundedbygreatness #HurricaneHeinisch #IridiumSports #Darkside #LandowPerformance #DWTNCS https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs9WWS7gtxi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=sxn4ynqb2764

[cloacacarnage]

[villeccojr]

NEW YEARS SPECIAL

EVil Eddie is back with PureEVilMMA.com Staff Member of the year, Donny Rockett just seconds after covering PFL and watching the Ball drop in Time Square.

They guys relive all the best moments of 2019 and highlight the weekends most memorable moments between BELLATOR/ RIZIN + PFL. But first they head back in time and reflect on where they were during the year 2000 ball drop and the “END OF…

[theanticool]

Alonzo Menifield vs DaShawn Boatwright

Light heavyweight prospect Alonzo Menifield (8-0) returns after showing out in his UFC debut with a first round TKO win. He’ll get a step up in competition when he faces off with Scotland’s Paul Craig (11-3) at UFC on ESPN 3 this Saturday (June 29).

[joseaesquea]

Regrann from @notoriousnewell - There is no challenge I am not prepared for. Been fighting for over a decade & I'm ready to leave my mark on the @ufc lightweight division #July24th #DWTNCS #NewellWorldOrder - #regrann

[sports-live-stream24-blog]

Cageed Minds Uncensored Ep. 130

Cageed Minds Uncensored Ep. 130

UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards Watch Live

Recapping week 2 of DWTNCS, PFL 2, LFA 43, UFC Struggle Night time 132,, & Legacy Boxing Promotions Path to Glory 2 Unhealthy Blood. Information from Bellator and a glance in direction of Bellator 201, LFA 44, Jackson’s MMA Sequence XXV, & AFL: Southwest Brawl 8.

UFC Struggle…

[thesportssoundoff]

I’m really gonna give this a chance.

[live-stream247]

Cageed Minds Uncensored Ep. 130

Cageed Minds Uncensored Ep. 130

UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards Watch Live

Recapping week 2 of DWTNCS, PFL 2, LFA 43, UFC Struggle Night time 132,, & Legacy Boxing Promotions Path to Glory 2 Unhealthy Blood. Information from Bellator and a glance in direction of Bellator 201, LFA 44, Jackson’s MMA Sequence XXV, & AFL: Southwest Brawl 8.

UFC Struggle…

[wearemmauk-blog]

The Pacific Hawk featuring DWTNCS season two alum Austin Springer

The Pacific Hawk featuring DWTNCS season two alum Austin Springer - http://mmauk.net/2018/10/05/the-pacific-hawk-featuring-dwtncs-season-two-alum-austin-springer/

The Pacific Hawk featuring DWTNCS season two alum Austin Springer

Sometimes on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, there have been fighters who have stepped up on short notice and know how to impress. In today’s episode of Across The Pond, you will meet a pacific hawk with a keen knack for the finish. A professional since September 2007 and representing Gracie Barra Portland and Vancouver Elite Martial Arts, Austin Springer holds an 11-3 record in 14 career bouts as a professional comprised of seven knockouts, two submissions and two decisions. Springer appeared on week two of season two of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in 2018 and has fought for various promotions including Bellator MMA and Titan FC.

In his MMA debut at Combat Caged Warriors, he defeated John Martinez via TKO in the first round. Springer defeated his next four opponents that saw wins over Zach Skinner and Aaron Martin. Then at Main Event Sports Main Event MMA 2, he defeated Damon Jordan via TKO in the first round. Springer also defeated his next two opponents via TKO in Josh Sollis and Ryan Mulvihill. At Prime Fighting 6, he defeated fellow DWTNCS season two alum Toby Misech. Springer knocked out Tony Berglund in the third round at Conquest of the Cage.

At DWTNCS 2, he submitted knockout artist Giga Chikadze in round three via rear naked choke to earn his second submission win as a professional. At 11-3 with seven of those coming via knockout, it would not be a total surprise if Springer gets the chance to hone his skills in other promotions like LFA or a Bellator MMA return before season three of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender starts up again next summer. I  can’t wait to see what promotion picks up this pacific finisher next because whatever promotion lands him, they are getting a prospect who many believe is top of the line when it comes to featherweights in the Pacific Northwest!

[cloacacarnage]

[theanticool]

Julian Marquez vs Phillip Hawes - DWTNCS 4

27 year old Julian Marquez (6-1) has picked up some pretty impressive wins in his early career name-wise beating UFC veteran Matt Hamill and highly touted prospect Phillip Hawes. Marquez has done so well he earned himself UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series show.

He’ll be making his UFC debut against Darren Stewart (7-2) at UFC on FOX 26 this Saturday (Dec. 16).