Champions From Dana White’s Contender Series

There is no doubt that “Suga” Sean is the biggest superstar to come from the show. O’Malley burst onto the scene with a viral performance called by Snoop Dogg on season one and he hasn’t slowed down.

O’Malley’s UFC career since DWCS has been full of walk-off knockouts, dominant performances, and controversy. There has truly been a little bit of everything, and it’s been incredible to watch O’Malley build his brand into one of the biggest in the sport.

At UFC 292, O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion. With the performance, he became the second DWCS fighter to win a belt and, more importantly, he accomplished what he had been manifesting since 2017.

UFC 299 Embedded

This weekend, O’Malley is slated to make his first title defense when he faces Marlon “Chito” Vera for the second time. The two have plenty of history – with Vera handing O’Malley his lone defeat in 2020. The bout is headlining UFC 299 in Miami and O’Malley will be sporting pink shorts to match the vibe.

With a win over Vera, O’Malley would become the first DWCS alum to successfully defend a UFC title.

Jamahal Hill

On season three of DWCS, UFC fans were introduced to Jamahal Hill, the dean of Touch ‘em Up University.

The man also known as “Sweet Dreams” started his run to the light heavyweight title in January of 2020. He beat Ovince Saint Preux, Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, and Thiago Santos on the way to a title shot versus Glover Teixeira.

At UFC 282, the light heavyweight title was up for grabs between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev, but with the fight ending in a draw, the UFC selected former champ Teixeira and rising contender Hill to fight for the gold in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 283.

Hill stepped up to the plate and put on the performance of a lifetime, handling everything that Teixeira threw his way while besting the legendary light heavyweight in dominant fashion. Hill’s win made him the first fighter from DWCS to become a UFC champion. Unfortunately, Hill suffered a significant injury, forcing him to relinquish the title.

How To Watch UFC 299 In Your Country

In February of 2024, it was announced that Hill would return to action against current champ Alex Pereira, with the two light heavyweights serving as the main event for UFC 300. It’s a massive fight on a massive milestone event for the UFC – and it’s headlined by a DWCS alum.

Potential Title Contenders From Dana White’s Contender Series

Maycee Barber

When Maycee Barber got her shot on season two of Dana White’s Contender Series, she was a 19-year-old undefeated prospect with all the hype in the world.

Initially a strawweight, she chose to make the move up to flyweight early in her UFC tenure. She suffered a knee injury in her first professional loss, which sidelined her for over a year. She returned to the Octagon in February of 2021, losing a decision to Alexa Grasso. Although she didn’t win, there were plenty of positive moments in the fight with Grasso that propelled Barber to a five-fight win streak.

On season five of DWCS, the light heavyweight division thought they were getting a dominant force added to the ranks. But after winning his UFC debut at light heavyweight, Jailton Almeida decided to move up to heavyweight.

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The Brazilian grappler has been an absolute problem for each of the five heavyweight fighters he’s stepped into the Octagon with, beating Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Derrick Lewis. Of those wins, Almeida finished all but Lewis, and he’s currently on a 15-fight winning streak.

The wins over Rozenstruik and Lewis were both main event spotlights for Almeida. The fight with Lewis was initially scheduled to be a showdown with Curtis Blaydes, but an injury to Blaydes forced the fight to be postponed and at UFC 299 the two will finally get to tango.

Almeida’s grappling-heavy style and dangerous submission game have caused his opponents fits, but with Blaydes’ excellent grappling skill set, we are set to learn a lot about Almeida and if he’s ready to compete for the heavyweight title against Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall.

Brendan Allen

Since earning a contract on season three, middleweight Brendan Allen has secured the second most wins by a fighter from DWCS. “All In” Allen has 11 UFC victories, including six in a row. What’s made Allen’s run particularly impressive is that he’s finished five of those six wins, and his only UFC losses have come against Chris Curtis and Sean Strickland.

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Allen’s last fight out was his first UFC main event, in a showdown with submission specialist Paul Craig. He submitted Craig early in the third round and proved that he’s ready for a run at the top tier of the 185-pound division.

The Louisiana native is scheduled to face former title challenger Marvin Vettori in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event taking place in Las Vegas on April 6. It’s great timing for Allen to stack another win and stake his claim as one of the future challengers for the middleweight belt.