Dana White’s Contender SeriesThis week, Dana White's Contender Series will test the structural integrity of the UFC Apex’s Octagon with one of the better heavyweight matchups in the show’s history.
The 10 prospects scheduled to appear before the UFC president this week are a solid bunch overall, with five undefeated fighters and several champions from top feeder leagues, such as Jungle Fight lightweight titleholder Kaynan Kruschewsky. However, the spotlight falls on the main event, which features a pair of undefeated big men who—at least by the eyeball test and the dictates of MMA math—could already beat quite a few UFC heavyweights. Greg Velasco sports a perfect 6-0 record and the Cage Fury Fighting Championships heavyweight title, lending him more championship-fight experience than fighters with far more overall bouts. As promising as Velasco may be, however, he comes in as a nearly 5-to-1 underdog against Shamil Gaziev. The 33-year-old Russian by way of Bahrain is 10-0 as a professional, the last several of those wins coming in Brave Combat Federation, and he holds a crushing TKO win over UFC veteran and onetime KSW title challenger Darko Stosic.
DWCS 2023, Week 7 takes place on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams live to ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
A closer look at the DWCS 2023, Week 7 particulars:
THE LINEUP:
HW: Shamil Gaziev vs. Greg Velasco155: Jacobi Jones vs. Daniel James Allen
115: Stephanie Luciano vs. Talita Alencar
155: Kaynan Kruschewsky vs. Dylan Mantello
125: Igor da Silva vs. Jhonata Silva
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