Dana White’s Contender Series 26 took place Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
With a refreshing 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 whom the UFC matchmakers can use for future events. So, with that trend in mind, I will once again be taking a look at the winning fighters regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, grading their performances in regards to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
T.J. Brown
Weight class: Featherweight
Result: T.J. Brown def. Dylan Lockard via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:59
Grade: A
Summary: In what was one of the more technical fights of the night, I had a hard time giving T.J. Brown anything but an A for overcoming adversities en route to his third-round submission win over Dylan Lockard.
The fight didn’t start out optimally for Brown, who got dropped by a Lockard right hand within the first 20 seconds of the opening frame. Brown quickly got the fight to the ground shortly after, but the Arkansas native, unfortunately, landed an illegal knee amidst the subsequent back-and-forth scrambles.
Referee Jason Herzog deducted a point from Brown for the incident, while Lockard seemingly composed himself and valiantly pushed on as best he could. The fun scrambles on the floor would continue into the second round, which saw Brown use his slick transitional skills to get on top, as well as things like cradles to kill Lockard’s sweep attempts from bottom.
The third round saw Brown come out much more energized than Lockard, which allowed him to dictate positions once again – an opportunity Brown used to sink in his patented head-and-arm choke off of a smooth transition from the back mount.
The illegal knee was an unfortunate part of the fight, but overcoming the mental and physical adversities of the first round spoke just as loud as Brown’s skills, which impressed me, as well. Featherweight is a deep division to dive into, so I say throw Brown into some fun matchups with the likes of Bobby Moffett or Sung Bin Jo to see how well he swims.
Ben Sosoli and Dustin Joynson
Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Ben Sosoli and Dustin Joynson ends declared a no contest
Grade: N/A
Summary: Ben Sosoli vs. Dustin Joynson looked to be a fun time on paper, but it unfortunately didn’t get far before being ruled a “no contest.”
Sosoli, who was an underdog pick whom I made a solid case for on our Contender Series pre-show, came out proving my suspicions right as he smartly pressed his taller foe towards the fence. And with these bouts taking place in the small cage, the 6-foot, 5-inch Joynson quickly found himself running out of places to hide his head.
The Kiwi-born Australian resident was able to land some quality shots on Joynson within the first two minutes, but the Canadian fighter would seemingly call for his own timeout – something that referee Chris Tognoni somewhat surprisingly obliged.
Joynson claimed he was poked in the eye, but the replay – even with multiple, slow-motion angles – left us with little clarity as to whether or not Sosoli’s thumb was extended, or if it was just a case of the protruding thumb portion of the glove catching Joynson’s eye (which, sadly, is quite common and commonly mistaken for an eye poke). Joynson verbalized that he could no longer see soon after, which prompted the officials to stop the fight.
These anticlimactic results are never fun for anyone, but they especially sting for the fighters when fighting in this type of format. Thankfully, despite Sosoli’s bad luck with UFC showcases, Dana White already booked the heavyweight to have another shot on the latest “Lookin’ For a Fight,” which goes down in Hawaii later this year.
Peter Barrett
Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Peter Barrett def. Sang Hoon Yoo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B
Summary: In what was one of the more competitive fights on paper, Peter Barrett was able to overcome a rough start in his dogged effort over Sang Hoon Yoo.
Yoo, who is big for the lightweight division, came out strong against his former featherweight foe, landing a takedown that he was able to quickly advance off of. After passing Barrett’s guard and landing some strikes, Yoo jumped for an armbar that cost him his dominant position.
Once the fighters returned to their feet, Yoo immediately went to work with a flying knee and punches that seemed to rock Barrett, who practically spent the rest of the round fending off the aggressive South Korean. But Barrett (who is no stranger to adversity if you read Nolan King’s feature on him), showed his vaunted heart and will as he entered the second round smiling – forcing Yoo into a dogfight against the fence.
It wasn’t the most exciting approach, but it was exactly what Barrett needed to do to mute Yoo’s offense and wear on his spirit. Yoo was able to separate and land a nice head kick toward the end of the round, but he seemed to clearly be fatiguing from Barrett’s pressure. Round three saw more of the same, with Barrett solidifying the final frame more convincingly to earn himself a judges’ decision.
I honestly didn’t think Barrett would earn a contract based on how the fight played out, but the UFC president seemed like he was won over by both the underdog will and heartbreaking story of the southpaw from Massachusetts (and I don’t blame him). Barrett claimed he wants on the upcoming Boston card and that he’s ultimately headed back down to featherweight, so I say match him up with either Austin Arnett or Seung Woo Choi to help fill out that undercard.
Impa Kasanganay
Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Impa Kasanganay def. Kailan Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Grade: B+
Summary: Coming through as the biggest underdog on the card, I found it very hard to not be impressed by Impa Kasanganay’s winning effort, especially considering the surrounding circumstances.
Kasanganay’s opponent, Kailan Hill, was a highly-hyped regional prospect due to his impressive run of highlight-reel finishes that earned him some air-time on SportsCenter (as well as a wide betting line here). Hill came out looking to use space and get his striking flow going, but Kasanganay stayed composed and caught a Hill head kick to secure a takedown.
Hill was able to get back to his feet and start launching his patent southpaw kicks, though his single-shot approach made it difficult for him to land effectively. And once Hill did put a combination together, it seemingly led to him losing position on the feet, which sparked off a takedown battle between the two.
The second and third rounds saw Kasanganay smartly pressure his flashy foe, crowding Hill’s kicks and attempting to punish him along the fence. Kasanganay also shut down Hill’s takedown attempts, showing both his strength and knack for counter wrestling, despite having trouble capitalizing on certain positions.
That said, Kasanganay has only been training martial arts for a couple of years, so I have a hard time criticizing the inexperience of the African fighter. In fact, considering Kasanganay has only been a pro since this year, I came away very impressed with his natural fighting instincts (and smart instincts, mind you), which is something that’s hard to teach.
White opted to pass on Kasanganay for his obvious inexperience but made sure to acknowledge the clear potential he displayed. Though I didn’t disagree with White’s reasonings, per se, I did wonder why the UFC brass continued to bring in talent that fits this dichotomy of contender this season. Either way, expect to see Kasanganay signed with a major MMA promotion by year’s end.
Dusko Todorovic
Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Dusko Todorovic def. Teddy Ash via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B
Summary: Despite looking like an action-packed fight on paper, Dusko Todorovic found himself in a somewhat grinding affair opposite Teddy Ash.
Both men are heavy-handed fighters who are very capable on the feet, but the striking exchanges in this battle didn’t seem to last too long before clinching/pushing toward the fence ensued (which, of course, is a style of fight that UFC brass traditionally doesn’t favor).
To each fighter’s credit, Todorovic – the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt – was pushing toward something, but Ash was able to cancel out his efforts by using his frame to help him defend the potential takedowns. Todorovic displayed brief instances of slick kicks and stellar head movement when he wasn’t pushing toward clinch exchanges, but those moments were few and far between in the first two rounds.
Although sustaining some damage under his right eye, Ash wasn’t shy when it came swinging during separations. Todorovic, however, was able to turn things up in the third, incorporating some nice bodywork along the cage to help him secure the scorecards in his favor.
White was forgiving of the Serbian prospect’s performance, chalking it up to nerves and travel. And though I don’t disagree with the decision to give Todorovic a contract, I am curious as to who the UFC will match him up with first. For my money, I say throw him on the next European card against the likes of either Oskar Piechota or Abu Azaitar.
