Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place on 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 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.
Charalampos Grigoriou
Weight class: Bantamweight
Result: Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:00
Grade: A
Summary: Setting the tone for the rest of the night, Charalampos Grigoriou kicked off the card with a quick finish over Cameron Smotherman.
Smotherman has an analyst-friendly style (as I’m still curious to see the American’s career progress), but his propensity to get stung early really cost him against a heavy hitter like Grigoriou.
We didn’t get to see much of Grigoriou’s vaunted leg kicks or the rest of his game, but his explosive nature and ability to finish will fit nicely into the UFC’s bantamweight landscape.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him matched up in fun fights with fellow action fighters like Chad Anheliger or Gaston Bolanos.
Eduarda Moura
Weight class: Strawweight
Result: Eduarda Moura def. Janaina Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:00
Grade: A
Summary Although this goes down as another first-round finish for the books, Eduarda Moura was able to demonstrate a solid amount of her skills in a single frame of fighting.
Moura started off the fight by securing a quick takedown on Janaina Silva, who came in hot.
Silva did her best to re-guard and get herself back into the fight, but after a couple of minutes, it became apparent that her options were limited as she sunk further into Moura’s brand of grappling quicksand.
From leg drag variations to help set up strikes to passes that helped secure submission positions, Moura already appears to be a well-equipped problem on the floor whom I see making some early waves at the lower end of the division.
Given the current availabilities, don’t be shocked to see Moura in another Brazil versus Brazil spot opposite someone like Bruna Brasil or Denise Gomes.
Hyder Amil
Weight class: Featherweight
Result: Hyder Amil def. Emrah Sonmez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: C+
Summary: Even though the fight started off as a classic barnburner, I found it difficult to justify anything north of a C+ for Hyder Amil, despite his admirable effort opposite Emrah Sonmez.
Amil started strong and appeared to stagger Sonmez with solid punches from a southpaw stance, but that triggered the relentless wrestling gears of Sonmez.
Although he did his best to defend and scramble, Amil eventually succame to Sonmez’s dogged determination in the chain wrestling department and found him stuck in a crucifix to finish the first round.
It was at this point that the fight really began to get sloppy.
Don’t get me wrong, the amount of effort both fighters put into the adrenaline rush associated with near finishes makes their fatigue more than justifiable, but I still have to grade the technique and decision-making that’s demonstrated.
Even though part of me gives each man a deserved pass for said valiant efforts, it’s hard to ignore the insanely obvious instances to strike that Amil was missing out on.
I never bet on DWCS in order to keep my grading biases clean, but boy did it feel like I had money on this fight with the way I was echoing color commentator Paul Felder’s frustrations with Amil’s inability to take what was being handed to him on a silver platter.
I’m sorry but if you’re south of 155 pounds, your excuses for gassing in a fight become fewer and fewer.
Considering that the UFC is practically signing every winner to fill their roster, I wasn’t shocked to see Dana White offer Amil a contract.
In Amil’s defense, the 33-year-old appears to be a fun action fighter from his regional tape, so signing him makes for an easy upside considering the amount the organization puts up for these contracts. I’m guessing we see Amil booked against more striking-friendly fighters like Westin Wilson or Jeong Yeong Lee.
Ibo Aslan
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Ibo Aslan def. Paulo Renato Jr. via knockout (punches) – round 1, 2:22
Grade: A
Summary: Although it was another first-round finish, it was hard to deny Ibo Aslan anything short of an A for quickly disposing of Paulo Renato Jr.
Given that both fighters come with thudding leg kicks in tow, there was a brief feeling-out period to start the fight.
However, after feeling emboldened enough to engage, Renato Jr. quickly looked to close the distance with punches off of kicks but appeared to be out-gunned from the jump.
Clear size and reach discrepancy aside, Aslan was simply the more accurate and powerful puncher in the pocket. Once he had Renato Jr. hurt, the Turkish fighter showed the second-nature killer instinct that is needed at 205 pounds.
I’m not sure what Aslan’s ceiling is at this stage of his career, but I suspect that his power and finishing instincts will allow him to find some early success. Considering the current availabilities at light heavyweight, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Aslan paired up with someone like Ihor Potieria or Zac Pauga next.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. George Hardwick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Grade: A
Summary: Closing out the night was an impressive performance from Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, who defeated the highly touted George Hardwick.
Although I was among the pundits who were high on Hardwick for his body of work across the pond at Cage Warriors, I was also aware from those in the know about Al-Sewady – who was among the names I credited for my decision to award Fortis MMA as MMA Junkie’s 2022 Gym of the Year.
From the first bell, Al-Selwady showed why there was also a lot of hype about his name.
Whether he was punctuating exchanges with power shots or disrupting Hardwick’s rhythm with feints and timing changes, Al-Selwady was firing on all cylinders while maintaining an incredible pace.
Despite being a big fan of Hardwick’s bodywork, his lack of corralling range weapons and reliance on a high guard matched up poorly with Al-Selwady’s style (which was an observation that was made even more apparent given that they were operating in the small cage).
Couple that with the fact that Al-Selwady didn’t even have to rely on his vaunted wrestling abilities, and I couldn’t be more impressed and happy for the Fortis MMA product.
There’s a slew of options for Al-Selwady’s first fight in the shark tank that is the UFC’s lightweight division, but I’d love to see an all-action affair between him and someone like Esteban Ribovics.
