Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the four-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 to fill their roster 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.
Luis Pajuelo
Weight class: Featherweight
Result: Luis Pajuelo def. Robbie Ring via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 1, 3:43
Grade: A
Summary: Setting a strong tone for the night was a one-round barnburner between Luis Pajuelos and Robbie Ring.
Despite some questionable fight IQ that briefly cost Pajuelos position, I found it difficult to deny the Peruvian fighter an A for his unyielding ferocity and ability to punish the body.
Ring did his best to gain Pajuelos’ respect early with hard kicks and counters, but the 23-year-old American got too aggressive opposite a skilled puncher and paid for in the form of sneaky inside hooks to crushing liver shots.
After hurting Ring on the feet with a left hook to the liver, Pajuelos was eventually able to follow his man to the floor and land a brutal body knee that finished the fight.
I wouldn’t get crazy when trying to forecast his ceiling, but I’m glad that Dana White signed Pajuelos considering the action he’ll bring to the division. Given current availabilities, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pajuelos matched up with someone like Nick Aguirre or Westin Wilson for his first UFC assignment.
Josefine Knutsson
Weight class: Strawweight
Result: Josefine Knutsson def. Isis Verbeek via unanimous decision (30-27, 20-27, 20-27)
Grade: A-
Summary Although Josefine Knutsson is clearly good enough to compete with the majority of her potential peers in the UFC’s strawweight division, the UFC president decided to pass on the Sweedish prospect – which made Knutsson the first winner to not receive a contract this season.
Considering both the amount of contracts given out to the level of fighters White has already gotten behind this season (like Ciao Machado, for example), it’s completely understandable for people to point out the hypocrisies and inconsistencies that exist on the show.
That said, as someone who is definitely not afraid to voice my critiques of White and the UFC brass, I can’t say that the disagreed with what White was saying (at least in spirit), hence the slightly lower grade given here.
Knutsson may arguably have a higher ceiling than the rest of the people on this list given their respective divisions, but she also ended up in the fight with the largest skill disparity and still failed to style in front of the UFC boss despite having her opponent hurt on multiple occasions.
Even though I don’t agree with the contract situation, per se, I also can’t be surprised to see a fighter punished for an overabundance of cage wrestling (as that is something that the UFC brass actually have been consistent about since the Joe Silva days).
But don’t fret, folks. Given the trend of the UFC matchmakers in recent years, I’m sure that we’ll still see Knutsson pop up on a future card as short-notice filler to help the machine meet its quota.
Oban Elliott
Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Oban Elliot def. Kaik Brito via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Grade: A
Summary: Even though this fight got all sorts of ugly, I found it very difficult to deny Oban Elliott an A for the insane recoverability and heart shown opposite Kaik Brito.
Elliott started the fight well by demonstrating better footwork between the two, which allowed the Welshman to be in a superior position to counter the aggressive advances of Brito.
Brito had his moments throughout, and was able to eventually start finding his mark by the second round. Although the Brazilian had Elliott arguably out on his feet at certain points, Brito failed to mix in measuring shots or bodywork as he insisted on spamming sloppy, big-swinging hooks.
The flurries and near-armbar finish toward the end of the frame were enough to earn Brito a 10-8 in my eyes, but only one of the three judges scored it that way (possibly saving us from a draw scenario).
That said, you could also make an argument in Elliott’s favor for a 10-8 in round three given the damage that the Welsh fighter was able to get off in the final thirty-or-so seconds (in what was an insane comeback round overall).
Either way, I have no issue with Elliott being awarded a victory – as well as a UFC contract – for such a dogged performance.
There are still some holes that Elliott needs to shore up, but I suspect that he’ll provide for some fun, action-filled affairs toward the lower end of the division. I say throw him in there will fellow action-friendly fighters like Adam Fugitt or Josh Quinlan.
Zach Reese
Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Zachary Reese def. Eli Aronov via submission (armbar) – round 1, 1:14
Grade: A
Summary: Although it was yet another first-round finish for his resume, it was hard to deny Zachary Reese anything short of an A for quickly disposing of Eli Aronov.
Between his long frame and ability to launch kicks from a southpaw stance, Reese was giving me all the Luke Rockhold vibes last night.
I’m guessing there is more to Reese’s game than impressive leg dexterity and opportunistic finishes, but we’ll ultimately need to see more of him against opposition that can extend into later rounds and force him to further flesh out his game.
Despite Aronov doing his best to close the distance and get things to his comfort zone of the floor, the Israeli fighter ended up showing some of the worst submission defense I’ve seen in some time (I mean, I’m not trying to be disrespectful but even Daniel Cormier couldn’t help but audibly laugh out loud on the live broadcast).
Considering the current roster availabilities and resume depth at hand, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Reese paired up with someone like Tresean Gore for his first octagon appearance.
