Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2025) took place Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.
With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
Luke Fernandez
Summary: Akin to the wide range of 10-9 round scores in MMA, A’s in my Contender Series columns can cover a wide array of outcomes.
And though I’m arguably one of the biggest haters of fast finishes on these streets, I also can’t punish someone like Luke Fernandez for understanding what the assignment was as the biggest betting favorite on the card.
Outside of a clear size edge over Rafael Pergentino, Fernandez did manage to show some solid fundamental striking offense by smartly using his lead hand to set up a kill shot down the pike.
Frenandez looks like he slots in perfectly with today’s pool of light heavyweight talent, so I wasn’t shocked to see Dana White sign the CFFC champion. I’m not sure if the UFC plans on holding onto names like Raffael Cercquiera or Ivan Erslan, but I suspect that one of them will be slated for Fernandez’s first test.
Luis Felipe Dias
Summary: No shade to Luis Felipe Dias, but it’s always difficult to give out an A when you come away more impressed with the fighter who lost (on five days’ notice, no less).
Although you also have to give credit to the fighter who accepted a short-notice replacement, it’s hard not to like what I saw from Donavon Hedrick.
Maybe it was the slight karate-like bounce in his step, but Hedrick reminded me of a young Robert Whittaker with how he composed himself on his feet. From solid head movement to hard kicks, Hedricks provided a lot of good looks at different ranges.
The problem, however, came in the second frame when Hedrick started to slow and surrendered a takedown to the hulking force that is Dias.
An absolute unit who looks like he’s never missed a dose of Flintstone vitamins, Dias displayed solid instincts on the floor, as well as in transition. And when Dias was able to establish a dominant position, he was diligent about maintaining it and punishing his opposition.
It sounded like Mick Maynard – the matchmaker likely responsible for the disproportionate slew of featured middleweight fights in this promotion – was heavily in Dana White’s ear for this signing, so it’s not surprising that the UFC president pulled the trigger on recruiting the walking Brazilian pharmacy that is Dias.
That said, I hope that the middleweight-loving Maynard keeps Hedrick in mind for a future booking. As for Dias, don’t be surprised to see him fill out an upcoming international card, likely against a name like Andrey Pulyaev.
Imanol Rodriguez
Summary: Earning an easy A is Imanol Rodriguez for his destruction of Roque Conceicao.
To be fair, Conceicao is also a prospect worth keeping an eye out for given the speed and power he brings to the table. That said, it only took one opening for Rodriguez to pounce and put his Brazilian foe away.
Rodriguez looked to flow fluidly through all the phases, all while pouring it on offensively. Rodriguez, who has seemingly linked up with Daniel Cormier post their time spent together on “The Ultimate Fighter,” appears to be well-trained and in excellent hands.
Signing Rodriguez is a no-brainer, I just hope that they don’t rush him too fast. That said, Rodriguez is already calling for a rematch with UFC veteran and TUF alum Joseph Morales (something he’ll probably get given the matchmakers’ low-key fetish for booking rematches).
Adrian Luna Martinetti
Summary: Although I was honestly more impressed with Mark Vologdin, I couldn’t deny Adrian Luna Martinetti an A for his part in one of the best fights that this series has produced.
Vologdin, who was the much shorter and smaller of the two bantamweights, brought all the southpaw/switch-stance savvy that I love to see on the feet. From rolling and returning to seamlessly connecting his kicks to his punches, Vologdin brings the technical game analysts crave – all while also having the balls to walk through the fire of a senseless brawl.
Unfortunately for Vologdin, he got sucked into the latter, a place where Martinelli was all but happy to oblige.
Although Martinelli was using his size in conjunction with some cardio and chin bullying, the Ecuadorian did offer some vicious knees and elbows in all phases (even getting veteran MMA judge Sal D’amato to react from cageside).
Props to Dana White for doing the right thing by throwing some extra money both men’s way for what they gave in there. I say match Martinelli up with Colby Thicknesse and Vologdin with Josias Musasa for guaranteed action.
Magomed Zaynukov
Summary: Closing out the night was Magomed Zaynukov, who earns a solid A for his three-round striking performance opposite an incredibly durable Lucas Caldas.
Although Caldas was able to briefly catch Zaynukov early with a knockdown, the Russian standout was able to quickly recover and put it on his Brazilian foe down the stretch.
Despite being a fighter who prefers to counter, Zaynukov still displayed an ability to keep a high output throughout three frames – something that will certainly come in handy at the UFC level.
I’ll be curious to see more of Zaynukov’s grappling in the future, but he showed sharp eyes in exchanges and the proper hardwiring to return. This fight probably would’ve gotten a lot more love if the barnburner that was Martinelli-Vologdin hadn’t immediately preceded it, but Zaynukov gets a deserved contract nonetheless.
Zaynukov seems like he can be plugged right in against mid-tier talent from the jump, but I suspect we could see him in there with anyone ranging from Mark Choinski to Bolaji Oki for his first official assignment (as the UFC schedule is the ultimate decider on all things).
