This week’s contests spanned nearly the entire expanse of weight classes in the UFC, with the four pairs of athletes making the walk at the UFC APEX in hopes of impressing White and the matchmaking tandem of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard representing the flyweight, bantamweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions, with the group including one returning competitor, three undefeated prospects, and a Canadian that was originally slated to take part in Season 7 looking to finally get the Great White North on the board this year.
Tuesday’s slate lost a fight during the broadcast, as the lightweight contest between Quemuel Ottoni and Kody Steele was cancelled after Ottoni withdrew, changed his mind, and then changed his mind once more. The undefeated Steele will be re-booked against a new opponent later in the season according to White.
In the bouts that did make it to the cage, the victors all impressed, with three of the four successful combatants earning a call to the Octagon, as flyweight Nicolle Caliari, bantamweight Josias Musasa, and light heavyweight Navajo Stirling all joined the list of fighters graduating from Season 8 to the UFC roster.
Here’s a look at how things played out at the UFC APEX on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.