Contender Series 2025 – Week 3: Five More Fighters Earn UFC Contracts

On August 26 in Las Vegas, the third episode of Dana White’s Contender Series 2025 took place. The event featured five bouts. Just like last week, all five winners impressed Dana White and earned UFC contracts.

The fighters who signed with the UFC: Brazilians Ryan Gandra, Marcio Barbosa, Manoel Souza, Russian-Turkish representative Abdulrahman Yakhyaev, and American Donte Johnson.

DWCS 2025 Week 3 Results

• Middleweight: Ryan Gandra (8-1, Brazil) defeated Trent Miller (8-3, USA) via first-round knockout. The 30-year-old earned a UFC contract and joined the middleweight roster.

• Featherweight: Marcio Barbosa (17-2, Brazil) defeated Damon Wilson (9-3, USA) via first-round knockout. The 27-year-old earned a UFC contract and joined the featherweight division.

• Light Heavyweight: Abdulrahman Yakhyaev (7-0, Turkey/Russia) defeated Alec Lorenz (6-2, USA) via first-round knockout. The 24-year-old earned a UFC contract and joined the light heavyweight roster.

• Lightweight: Manoel Souza (13-1, Brazil) defeated Cristian Perez (13-2, Mexico) via third-round knockout. The 28-year-old earned a UFC contract and joined the lightweight division.

• Heavyweight: Donte Johnson (6-0, USA) defeated Cristian Perez (13-2, Mexico) via first-round knockout. The 26-year-old earned a UFC contract and joined the heavyweight roster.

The next episode of the Contender Series will take place on September 3 in Las Vegas, featuring Armenian fighters David Mgoyan and Jean-Paul Bosnoyan.