Dana White's Contender Series 2024: Season 8 Week 6 - Tau vs. Smith is a mixed martial arts event to take place on September 17, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
Fight Card
Main Card (ESPN+)
Bantamweight Aaron Tau vs. Elijah Smith Heavyweight Talisson Teixeira vs. Arthur Guilherme Lopes Welterweight Benjamin Bannett vs. Joey Hart Middleweight Yura Naito vs. Ateba Abega Gautier Lightweight Ahmad Hassanzada vs. Dylan Mantello
Background
Season 8 of Dana White's Contender Series will run every Tuesday from August 13 to October 10, 2024.
The sixth week of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 is here, arriving Tuesday night!
The expected fight Quang Le vs. Aaron Tau was cancelled due to Le signing with the UFC. Aaron Tau will instead fight Elijah Smith.
A bout between Daniel Frunza and Matt Dixon was cancelled due to Dixon sustaining an injury.
DWCS debuted in 2017 with an eight-episode inaugural season. Season 2 was held in 2018 with eight episodes, followed by a three-episode DWCS: Brasil. In 2019, DWCS was extended to 10 episodes, which it has been from Season 3 onward.
Each season, the number of fighters signed has increased. So far, the show has produced UFC notables like bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Sodiq Yusuff, Jamahal Hill, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Alex Perez, Bo Nickal, Jailton Almeida, Jack Della Maddalena and Marina Rodriguez, among others.
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Post subject: Re: [Event] Contender Series 2024 - S08E06 - Tau vs. Smith - Sep 17
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2024 4:22 am
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Dana White's Contender Series
Week 6 Preview | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 8
Setting The Table For Tuesday’s Action At the UFC APEX
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series opened and closed with statement efforts, as Nicolle Caliari kicked off the week with a first-round armbar finish of Corrine Laframboise while City Kickboxing representative Navajo Stirling wrapped things up with a second-round knockout win over Phillip Latu.
Joining those two in making the move from the regional ranks to the UFC roster was unbeaten bantamweight Josias Musasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who scored a split decision win over Otari Tanzilovi, showcasing an abundance of upside and promise while still admittedly being more than a little green.
With three athletes getting the call to the Octagon in Week 5, that brings the Season 8 total at the midway point of the year to 20, and this week, five more pairs of hopefuls make the walk at the UFC APEX, hoping to be part of the growing Class of ’24.
Here’s a closer look at this week’s matchups.
Dylan Mantello vs Ahmad Suhail Hassanzada
Lightweights Dylan Mantello and Ahmad Suhail Hassanzada look to have a much better second appearance at the UFC APEX this week as they return to face off against one another in the opening bout of Tuesday’s slate.
A member of the Longo and Weidman MMA squad, the 31-year-old Mantello competed last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, losing by first-round technical submission to Brazilian Kaynan Kruschewsky. It was his first loss in four fights and he’s since rebounded with a second-round stoppage win, moving to 8-3 overall as he heads into his second attempt to impress the UFC brass.
Hassanzada fought two seasons back on the annual talent search series, losing to Martello’s teammate, Nazim Sadykhov, who has gone on to post a 2-0-1 record through his first three UFC starts. Since then, the 28-year-old “Lion of the Ring” has collected a pair of stoppage wins — one in Cage Warriors, one in Tuff-N-Uff — to move to 11-3 for his career.
Ateba Gautier vs Yura Naito
The action continues in the middleweight division, as unbeaten Japanese fighter Yura Naito takes on Cameroon’s Ateba Gautier in a matchup that should provide plenty of fireworks.
Unbeaten in six pro fights, Naito has competed exclusively under the Pancrase banner, logging five first-round stoppages to date. The 28-year-old has yet to face any truly established opponents, but has effectively handled his business thus far.
A Muay Thai stylist with a 5-1 professional mixed martial arts record, Gautier looks to build on his current four-fight winning streak. He’s earned first-round finishes in each of those outings and has been prepping for battle with the crew at Manchester Top Team.
Joey Hart vs Benjamin Bennett
It’s a clash of welterweights with identical records in the middle of the card, as Benjamin Bennett and Joey Hart share the cage to determine which 6-1 fighter will depart with a second career loss.
Winner of the 2017 IMMAF World Championships, Bannett has had a start-and-stop run to his career to this point, logging just seven appearances despite debuting in 2018. He trains alongside UFC standouts like Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, and Neil Magny in Denver, was once penciled in to face Khamzat Chimaev under the Brave CF banner, and his only loss came against current UFC welterweight and DWCS grad Trey Waters.
Fighting out of St. Cloud, Minnesota, the 27-year-old “Hitman” has registered four straight stoppage victories heading into Tuesday’s clash with Bennett. He sports a 100-percent finishing rate, with his only loss coming by decision.
Talisson Teixeira vs Arthur Lopes
Brazilian heavyweights Talisson Teixeira and Arthur Lopes meet in Las Vegas, each walking into the UFC APEX with dreams of walking out with a UFC contract.
Just 24 years old, Teixeira is a physical presence, standing six-foot-seven with an 83-inch reach, and arrives having won all six of his professional appearances to date. Each of those victories has come inside the distance, and the fact that he trains with a quality team led by UFC vet Lucas “Mineiro” Martins ensures he’ll turn up ready to perform on Tuesday.
Seven years senior than Teixeira, Lopes has earned five straight victories to move to 6-1 overall. That being said, he only recently ended a nearly six-year absence, registering a 20-second knockout win, so it’s difficult to know what to expect from him here.
Aaron Tau vs Elijah Smith
Aaron Tau and Elijah Smith face off in a tremendous bantamweight fight between prospects with a combined 14-1 record.
Another member of the City Kickboxing crew, Tau touches down in Las Vegas with an 8-0 record. He won and successfully defended the XFC bantamweight title before being sidelined throughout 2023, only to returning February and collect a second-round stoppage win to register his fifth straight finish.
Smith looks to continue following in the footsteps of his father, Ultimate Fighter alum Gilbert Smith Jr., by punching his own ticket to the UFC. The Victory MMA representative is 6-1 as a pro and riding a four-fight winning streak, with his lone setback coming against two-time DWCS contestant Reyes Cortez.
Week 6 Official Weigh-In Results
Bantamweight Featured Bout: Aaron Tau (135.5) vs Elijah Smith (136)
Heavyweight Bout: Talisson Teixeira (259) vs Arthur Lopes (218)
Welterweight Bout: Joey Hart (170.5) vs Benjamin Bennett (171)
Middleweight Bout: Ateba Gautier (186) vs Yura Naito (186)
Lightweight Bout: Ahmad Hassanzada (154.5) vs Dylan Mantello (156)
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Contender Series 2024 - Week 5 - Stirling vs. Latu
