For the first time all season, we had more fighters than winners receive contracts, as UFC President Dana White rewarded both Jeisla Chaves and Sofia Montenegro for their hard-fought and bloody battle in the middle of the card, while the four victorious male athletes — Kondratavicius, Murtazali Magomedov, Javier Reyes, and Rafael Tobias — all secured the opportunity to compete on the big stage next time out as well. For the season, that brings the total number of contracts awarded to 31, meaning the possibility of a new all-time record remains, but it will take some riveting performances and a couple of unsuccessful competitors getting the nod to exceed the 46 contracts awarded in Season 6.
Order UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2
Before we get to this week’s matchups, a Since Score update: after coming out of the gates uneven — and sitting level at 7-7 through the first three weeks — fighters with the greater Since Score have gone 12-7 (.632 winning percentage) over the last four weeks. As always, it’s far from a perfect indicator, but with a growing sample size, it seems to be providing at least a few useful insights.
Here’s a look at the matchups for Week 8.
