By The Numbers: Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022

Another productive season of Dana White’s Contender Series has come and gone. What started with the first installment on July 26 ended 63 days later with Week 10 on Sept. 27, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship feeder organization fronted by UFC President Dana White continued to funnel promising talent into the world’s most prominent mixed martial arts promotion.

With the series on hiatus until sometime in the middle of 2023, a look at some of the numbers it generated in its most recent iteration:

10: Events staged by Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. Nearly 200 prospective fighters have made their way onto the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster directly through the series since its inception in 2017.

49: Fights promoted by DWCS over the past 12 months. A total of 17 of them concluded without a true finish: 15 unanimous decisions and two split decisions.

43: UFC contracts awarded to Dana White’s Contender Series participants in 2022. Only one of them was handed out during Week 1 of the series, as former Ring of Combat champion Joseph Pyfer cashed in with a second-round technical knockout of Osman Diaz on July 26.

22: DWCS bouts ended by knockout or technical knockout in the last year, accounting for 69% of the finishes inside the cage.

25: Seconds needed for Claudio Ribeiro to punch out Ivan Valenzuela during Week 4 of DWCS on Aug. 16. It was the fastest finish via KO/TKO under the series flag in 2022.

116: Significant strikes landed by undefeated Xtreme Couture prospect Farid Basharat in a three-round unanimous decision over Allan Begosso during Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series. It was the highest total posted by any fighter during the season.

11: Takedowns completed by Anton Turkalj in a three-round unanimous decision over Acacio dos Santos during Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series on July 26. It was the highest total credited to any fighter during the season. Turkalj secured those 11 takedowns on 16 attempts and used them to compile nearly 12 minutes of control time.

10: Dana White’s Contender Series bouts ended by submission in the last year, accounting for 31% of the finishes inside the cage.

47: Seconds needed for Sedriques Dumas to put away Matej Penaz with a guillotine choke during Week 6 of DWCS on Aug. 30. It was the fastest finish via submission under the series banner in 2022.

3: Fighters who earned a 10-8 round on a scorecard during the 10-week season. Former Oktagon MMA women’s flyweight champion Tereza Bleda earned three of them in a lopsided unanimous decision over Nayara Arnault Maia Correia during Week 7 of DWCS on Sept. 6.