Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) 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.

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 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.

Bolaji Oki

Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Bolaji Oki def. Dylan Salvador via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:46
Grade: A+
Summary: Setting a strong tone for the night was a one-round barnburner between Bolaji Oki and Dylan Salvador.

I was familiar with Salvador and his striking background heading into this match – which is probably why I came away so impressed with Oki.

Not intimidated by his opponent’s pedigree, Oki did exactly what he needed to do to a fighter who is used to the pacing of a muay Thai/kickboxing bout by pressing the action immediately.

Oki utilized his cross beautifully by both doubling up on it and variating it to the body, which interrupted the kicks and striking rhythms of Salvador. Once Oki attached a solid left hook to the liver, Salvador clearly felt winded and backed up to the cage (crumbling soon after).

Between this being a body-shot stoppage to Oki being a near 2-1 underdog, I couldn’t help but give Oki the ever-elusive A+ for pulling off the upset in impressive fashion. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him paired up with someone like Yanal Ashmouz or Anshul Jubli for his first UFC assignment.

Thomas Peterson

Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Thomas Peterson def. Chandler Cole via submission (Americana) – round 2, 1:08
Grade: B+
Summary: Despite doing basically everything he could’ve done as a fighter in his position, I still couldn’t quite get to an A when grading Thomas Peterson’s winning performance opposite Chandler Cole.

Don’t get me wrong: Peterson showed serviceable southpaw striking on the feet, as well as a fluid enough takedown and top game to stand out in the heavyweight division.

It’s just hard to get a good idea of Peterson’s potential ceiling given the quality of opposition he was against (with all due respect). Still, I don’t blame the UFC president for bringing Peterson aboard given the lack of grappling threats north of 205 pounds.

I say match him up with his British doppelganger, Mick Parkin, for an action-filled affair.

Timothy Cuamba

Weight class: Featherweight
Result: Timothy Cuamba def. Mateo Vogel via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B
Summary: Despite Timothy Cuamba being a fighter who carries a lot of Las Vegas support, I can’t say that I disagreed with Dana White in this spot.

Aside from the fact that Cuamba is still incredibly young, I didn’t like how he both let off the bodywork and the gas overall in regard to his output.

Although I have no issue with Cuamba winning two rounds to one, many (including myself) thought that Mateo Vogel had a solid argument to win on the cards due to the Canadian’s consistent leg kicks in the second frame.

Thankfully for Cuamba, he avoided that costly lesson marking up his resume and will live to fight another day. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cuamba called up on short notice (for hopefully a better contract) on a future UFC card due to his clear skills and athletic potential.

Marcos Silva

Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Marcos Silva def. Yousri Belgaroui via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B
Summary: Even though this ended up being sloppier than a steak at Truffonis, I couldn’t help but award Marcos Silva a B for doing what he had to do to come through as an underdog opposite Yousri Belgaroui.

An accoladed kickboxer who fought the likes of Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, it’s safe to say that there were a lot of eyes on Belgaroui.

The former Glory kickboxer actually demonstrated solid takedown defense and clinch fundamentals up against the fence, but he was unable to string together more than one meaningful strike at a time (which left little room for error inside of the smaller cage). And by the end of the first round, Silva was already picking up steam, seemingly sensing a potential momentum shift.

Silva was able to clearly outwork Belgaroui for the rest of the contest, but it wasn’t enough to get Dana White to recruit the Chute Boxe Diego Lima product.

That said, if I were a betting man (which I am), I’d be willing to wager that Silva will get the call to fill in for a short-notice spot somewhere within the next three months given the way the UFC keeps their relentless schedule running these days.

Carlos Prates

Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Carlos Prates def. Mitch Ramirez via TKO (punch) – round 2, 1:14
Grade: A+
Summary: Closing out the night was an impressive performance from Carlos Prates, who took out an ultra-tough Mitch Ramirez.

Even though Prates wooed us with a fully-fledged muay Thai arsenal from multiple ranges, the Brazilian’s ability to effortlessly land long, lethal left-hands reminded me of former UFC featherweight, Kevin Souza.

The UFC president used Anderson Silva as his comparison, and I don’t blame him given the 70 percent accuracy that Prates was working with in that first round.

From mixing straight to circular to his consistent building off the bodywork, Prates was able to push all of the right buttons to get me to pull out another A+ on this card. I agree with White in regard to Prates being UFC-ready, so don’t be surprised to see him thrown on the upcoming Sao Paulo card against someone like Gabe Green or Adam Fugitt.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie

Former world champion Sergio Mora believes that Daniel Dubois did not deserve the win against Oleksandr Usyk. 

The two heavyweights fought over the weekend in Poland, with Usyk successfully defending his IBF, WBO and WBO belts.

He ended the fight with a ninth-round jab that left Dubois counted out for the second time in his career. 

However, the 25-year-old Briton might have had victory if Usyk had not recovered from his own knockdown in the fifth round. But the referee allowed the Ukrainian several minutes to recover instead, after ruling the shot to be a low blow.

Dubois rejected the interpretation from the ref after the fight, but with the punch coming on Usyk’s waistband, there is argument on both sides of the dispute. 

Speaking on JABS on DAZN, Mora believes it was not a low blow, but Dubois failed to take advantage when he had the chance.

He explained: “The punch wasn’t low, it was borderline, and borderline isn’t low, but all this is to the discretion of a referee, so what I like to do, as a fighter, is take a look two times and know it’s a borderline shot. It wasn’t flagrant, it wasn’t on purpose like a lot of others do when they’re hurt. It was in the middle of a moment. 

“The trajectory of the punch was an uppercut, when it landed, the moment of impact, it was above the hip line. You have to forget about the belly button or the trunks. It’s the hip line that you have to focus on, not the navel, not the trunks. If you look at Usyk’s trunks, you couldn’t even see his belly button.

“You have to imagine where the punch landed, it landed right on the money, it was a fair shot, it should have counted as a knockdown.

“Do I think Dubois deserved to win? No, Usyk dominated. It wasn’t a low blow and Usyk won fair and square and got up like a champion. Did he use the rules to his favor? Absolutely, like a lot of sly fighters do. 

“That’s why Usyk is a great champion, he soaked up that time. He had more than three minutes, an entire round on the floor, and that’s Luis Pabon’s fault right there. Usyk should have gotten up. We’ve seen Usyk hurt to the body for, if you studied his amateurs. Anthony Joshua hurt him with the same body punch. You can tell that the punch was studied by Dubois and his trainer, but it just didn’t go in his favour.”

[dazn]

Manchester City have reached a verbal agreement with Wolves to buy midfielder Matheus Nunes for £47m.

The two clubs have settled on the fee – which is yet to be formally ratified – after City’s first offer for the Portugal international was rejected last week.

Nunes has refused to train with Wolves this week as he tried to force a move from Molineux and seems set to become City’s fourth summer signing before the transfer window closes on Friday.

Personal terms are not expected to be an issue for the 25-year-old, who was sent off in what is set to prove his final game as a Wolves player, the 4-1 defeat by Brighton.

Wolves are set to gain a replacement from City with Tommy Doyle set to go in the opposite direction and in a separate deal.

The 21-year-old, who helped Sheffield United win promotion to the Premier League last year, will move to the Midlands on a season-long loan. Wolves will have an option to buy him in a deal that would bring City a substantial sell-on clause.

Nunes only joined Wolves a year ago from Sporting Lisbon for a club record £38m and has scored one goal in 40 appearances for them.

City turned their attentions to him after Kevin de Bruyne was ruled out for four months with a hamstring injury and they had to abandon their interest in West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, who faces an FA investigation into potential breaches of betting regulations.

[independent]

Former Premier League striker, Gabby Agbonlahor, has questioned Manchester United’s transfer decisions.

The Red Devils are being linked with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Tottenham’s Piere-Emile Hojbjerg.

These transfer decisions have left Agbonlahor confused as he believes United should be targeting the best legs.

Erik ten Hag is desperate to bring in at least two players before Saturday.

The Red Devils are in advanced talks to sign Cucurella and Hojbjerg in the remaining days of the transfer window.

The Old Trafford landlords have been able to sign the likes of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund this summer.

And Gabby has questioned their targets.

“Man Utd should be out for the best!”

“I don’t see them being that team that goes for players Chelsea and Tottenham don’t want.”

[DailyPost]

The Cottagers have agreed to pay £12m up front for the Argentine with a further £3m in add-ons.

However, the 29-year-old is yet to agree to the move despite the chance to double his salary to around £70,000-a-week at Craven Cottage.

Ocampos is reluctant having grown settled in Spain and will soon have the chance to play Champions League football after winning the Europa League in May.

Fulham believe they will ultimately get their man having switched their focus from Callum Hudson-Odoi after they failed to agree a fee with Chelsea.

The Cottagers are also chasing an additional striker and have sounded out Germany international Fullkrug.

The 30-year-old Werder Bremen frontman is one of a host of options being looked at including Flamengo’s Pedro, Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata and Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike.

Marco Silva also wants a midfielder, with Everton’s Alex Iwobi reportedly of interest, and is chasing a further full-back despite the £15m signing of Leicester City’s Timothy Castagne.

AC Milan’s Fode Ballo-Toure, Union Berlin’s Josip Juranovic and Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters are some of the additional defenders being discussed in west London.

[standard]

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has subtly confirmed the exit of Super Falcons’ coach to the just concluded Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Randy Waldrum, from his position as the country’s senior women national team manager.

Yesterday, the NFF charged its technical committee to search for new handlers for the team ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics’ qualifiers. Waldrum and the federation had a frosty relationship on the eve of the World Cup, but the country’s subsequent impressive performance at the championship papered over the feud. However, there were rumours after the championship that the NFF would not renew the American’s contract, which expired with the competition.

Speaking while inaugurating the recently constituted NFF Technical Committee in Abuja, the federation’s president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, tasked them to constitute fresh technical crews for most of the national teams, and provide direction for them.
 
He said: “The Super Falcons are back from the FIFA World Cup with aplomb, but we must remember that they have 2024 Olympics and 2024 Women AFCON qualifying matches shortly and should start to prepare for those games. The home-based professionals have qualifiers for the CHAN and the male and female U17 and U20 teams have qualification matches of high importance in a few months to come.”
 
Gusau promised that the NFF would support the committee to accomplish its work while emphasising that meetings could be either physical or by video conference.
 
Responding, Chairman of the committee, Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, stated that the committee would discharge its duties with every sense of responsibility and be guided by the vision of the Gusau-led administration to work proactively and energetically to ensure the real growth of the game of football in Nigeria in all its aspects and ramifications.

[Guardian]

The second day of the US Open didn’t turn out to be one of those days when seeds drop like ripe cherries. Indeed the favourites of the bookmakers and the public came up with emphatic wins.

Daniil Medvedev was the first to step onto court, where he stayed no longer than 1 hour and 14 minutes to put away Hungarian Attila Balazs 61 61 60 in the swiftest grand slam match of his career. His next opponent will be Cristopher O’Connell, who won the all-Australian clash against  Max Purcell in four sets. 

Sacha Zverev faced a much tougher challenge in the person of Aleksandar Vukic, one of the hot players of the American summer, finalist in Atlanta. The German played consistently and never relented pressure, earning a three-set win 64 64 64. In the first two sets he only conceded one break point, and broke Vukic once per set. He snatched an early break in the third game of the third set as well, but the Aussie broke back in the eighth game. He also had a chance to move ahead 5-4, but Zverev eventually succeeded in snatching a second break and closed off the match with a comfortable serve hold.

Andrey Rublev won in three sets against French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux, ranked 119. The 21-year old Frenchman set up a valiant fight in the first two sets, serving proficiently, hammering forehands and frequently raiding the net. Rublev kept his bearings though, and after prevailing in a close second set tiebreak, cruised away. 64 76 61 the final score. In the second round he is awaited by yet another French player: veteran Gael Monfils, who defeated Taro Daniel in four sets. That will be some match.

Among the other seeds, Cameron Norrie scored a convincing win, 62 64 62 over the young Russian talent Alexander Shevchenko, conceding and saving only one break point in the whole match.

Though not seeded, after a year which has been hindered by physical issues, Matteo Berrettini, US Open semi-finalist in 2019, played his best tennis to dismiss 29^th seed Ugo Humbert in three sets, 64 64 62. His greater overall power and some excellent returning made the difference, as well as his service, which got him through a few critical moments, such as the eighth game of the first set, when he saved three break points. By steering the gameplay away from Humbert’s most impressive weapon, his leftie two-handed backhand, he retained control of the match. Berrettini too will face another Frenchman in the second round: Arthur Rinderknech, who beat Diego Schwartzman 63 64 62.

We conclude with the feats of tennis greats: Stan Wawrinka, and John Isner, who joined their fellow veterans, Andy Murray and Gael Monfils, in the second round. The Swiss, US Open Champion 2016, just struggled in the first set, which he won in a battled tiebreaker, against Yoshihito Nishioka, and then cruised away to win 76 62 64. John Isner showed he is in no hurry to enjoy retirement and in three sets, 64 63 76, breezed past Argentine Diaz Acosta, currently ranked above him at 94. When rankings do not tell the whole story.

In the second round Long John will be up against Michael Mmoh, the American wild card who set up the greatest upset of the afternoon, knocking out 11^th seed Karen Khachanov, who is still struggling to get back to his best form after injury.

Isner vs Mmoh will be an enthralling generation clash to look forward to.

[ubitennis]