On Tuesday, the first batch of UFC
hopefuls stepped into the Octagon for their Dana White Contender Series bout.
In which eight upcoming fighters will compete in front of UFC president Dana
White and make their fortunes. This was the first week of the Dana White
Contender Series. But over the next 10 weeks, a handful of fighters will earn
themselves the coveted contract.
In the main event of the first week of the Dana White Contender Series,
Bellator and LFA veteran Ozzie Diaz, who enters the fight with five consecutive
finishes inside two rounds, takes on Joseph Pyfer of Philadelphia. Pyfer, in
his second DWCS appearance, is looking to secure a contract in a middleweight
bout.
Joseph Pyfer suffered a setback in
his first DWCS appearance when he suffered an elbow injury. And his UFC dream
was shattered. But in his second appearance, Pyfer surprised everyone when he
scored a second-round knockout of Ozzy Diaz.
Pyfer's win largely ended a night of
tactical issues that went down to the scorecards – and immediately caught the
attention of UFC president Dana White. The executive rewarded the performance
with a single UFC contract a night, a stark contrast to many previous events in
which as many as five fighters received deals.
Pifer was the only fighter White
awarded a UFC contract on Tuesday, with the other three fights on the card
going the distance.
Now that he's officially part of the
UFC roster, Pyfer has a first date in mind. Assuming he doesn't suffer a major
injury from Tuesday's fight, "I'd like to go on the Abu Dhabi card with
Sean Brady," he said, expressing his desire to fight alongside his
teammate.
Full results of DWCS Week 1 can be found below:
Joseph Pyfer def. Ozzy Diaz via KO
(punches) - Round 2, 1:39
Anton Turkalj def. Acacio dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Dennis Buzukja def. Kaleio Romero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alessandro Costa def. Andres Luna
Martinetti via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)