August Fight Schedule for Dana White's Contender Series 2025
Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) is set to return for its ninth season in August 2025, offering a new batch of aspiring fighters a chance to earn a UFC contract. The season, which runs from August 12 through October 14, will feature weekly fights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The first week of the season will kick off with a Middleweight bout between Ilian Bouafia and Neemias Santana, as well as a Featherweight division match-up between Radley da Silva and George Mangos. In the same card, Christopher Ewert will square off against Yuri Panferov in the Middleweight division, while the Heavyweight division will see Brando Peričić take on Elisha Ellison.
Moving on to Week 3, the Lightweight division will see Cristian Pérez face off against Manoel Sousa, and Vitor Ferreira Costa will battle Ryan Gandra in the Light Heavyweight division. Another Light Heavyweight bout will feature Alik Lorenz against Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev. The Heavyweight division will also be represented by a bout between Ty Miller and Jimmy Drago, and a Light Heavyweight bout between Damian Pinas and Murtaza Talha is also scheduled.
The season with the highest number of contracts doled out was in 2023, with 46 contracts. In 2022, 43 contracts were offered, while in 2024, 42 fighters were given deals. Before Season 6 in 2022, the most contracts White offered was 39 in Season 4. Since 2019, the DWCS season has held steady at 10 events per year.
Each week of the season, five fights are held, with impressive wins leading to UFC deals. The fights from the ninth season will be streamed on ESPN. The DWCS has been the primary pathway for new fighters to earn UFC contracts since its inception in 2017, and it continues to be the UFC's main talent source, regularly signing new competitors through these contracts.
For more detailed records of the number of contracts awarded per season, comprehensive records may be found through DWCS event summaries or official UFC communications. The total number of UFC contracts awarded over the past three seasons of the DWCS is 131. Don't miss the action when DWCS Season 9 kicks off in August 2025!
Sports enthusiasts and mixed-martial-arts aficionados alike can look forward to the return of Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) for its ninth season in August 2025. This season, which will air on ESPN, promises a fresh batch of aspiring fighters the opportunity to earn UFC contracts through weekly fights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, from August 12 to October 14.
