Dana White's Contender Series 69: Grading the winners

Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2024) took place on 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.

Nick Piccininni

Weight class: Flyweight
Result: Nick Piccininni def. Jack Duffy via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B

Summary: Setting the tone for the night was an impromptu dogfight between Nick Piccininni and Jack Duffy.

Despite my inherent bias for Piccininni as one of my : prospects to watch in 2023, I have to agree with the UFC president as far as scoring it two rounds to one for Duffy (giving him the first and third for the more varied striking volume and impact).

In Piccininni’s defense, the former All-American wrestler stepped up on just ten days’ notice, so not looking incredibly sharp or prepared is perhaps somewhat understandable for the OSU alum. Still, that same change-up also affected Duffy, who was previously scheduled to face more striking-based fighters.

Duffy acquitted himself well opposite Piccininni’s superior wrestling, and even stayed composed when finding himself wearing the Fortis MMA product as a backpack. Ultimately, it was the diverse striking and multi-dimensional threats of Duffy that set him apart in my eyes.

I feel like both fighters could’ve been justified signings for the UFC, but Dana White, unfortunately, felt different, calling for a Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo-type audible (something the UFC president seems to do when getting a result that he really disdains).

Considering that both flyweights and wrestlers alike have traditionally been given the short end of the stick from White, seeing these guys forced to jump through more hoops on short notice is sadly something we shouldn’t be surprised by. I just feel bad for both Piccininni and Duffy for only having six weeks between now and the final week of this season of the Contender Series to heal their bodies from this war and be ready for another.

Malcolm Wellmaker

Weight class: Bantamweight
Result: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Adam Bramhald via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:29
Grade: A

Summary: Despite walking a fine tightrope to entertain us in his audition for Dana White, Malcolm Wellmaker earns the easiest A of the night in my book.

Wellmaker, who has apparent swagger and savvy from both stances, is a high-risk, high-reward striker who seemingly has an inherent feel for range.

Whether Wellmaker is slipping just outside of punches or darting to an outside angle, the American pokes and prods his opponents with trapping responses in mind. And once he gets the bite he’s looking for, Wellmaker clearly keeps heavy counters on a hair-trigger

Bramhald, to his credit, did a decent job of keeping Wellmaker’s lowered guard in check by looking to counter in combination. Unfortunately for the Englishman, he committed a little too hard with a jab that his opponent was waiting for.

Signing Wellmaker was a no-brainer, and I expect to see him thrown into action sooner than later – likely in a showcase spot opposite the likes of Steve Nguyen or Connor Matthews.

Marco Tulio

Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Marco Tulio def. Matthieu Duclos via TKO (spinning back kick) – Round 2, 2:38
Grade: A

Summary: Someone cue Phil Collin’s “Sussudio,” because Marco Tulio just earned a UFC contract on what was his second swing at bat.

Despite besting noted kickboxer, Yousri Belgaroui, Tulio failed to earn the thumbs up from the UFC president on last year’s season of the Contender Series.

Although this fight started as another classic middleweight slogfest that ran the risk of failing to impress the big boss, Tulio was able to build off his steady leg and bodywork to land an emphatic spinning back kick to Mattheiu Duclos’ liver that closed the show.

It’s nice to see another Chute Boxe Diego Lima product get signed off a clean stoppage win, so don’t be surprised to see Tulio compete again this year. For my money, I’d be willing to bet that we see Tulio booked opposite Americans like Zachary Reese or Sedriques Dumas for his first UFC assignment.

Bogdan Grad

Weight class: Featherweight
Result: Bogdan Grad def. Michael Aswell via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Grade: B

Summary: Despite this being another split decision where I disagreed with the judges, I was hard-pressed to deny Bogdan Grad anything lower than a B for his insane effort over three rounds.

Coming out like hell on wheels, Grad quickly turned the Apex’s octagon into the World War 2 battleground that his name sounds like.

This aggressive approach ran Grad right into the jab-cross continuums of Michael Aswell, who won the first round on my card. That said, Grad’s aggression and pressure steadily began the pay dividends by the middle of the fight, where the Austrian fighter was able to start winning exchanges and force a cut on his American counterpart.

Unfortunately for Aswell, the blood from said cut provided a solid distraction from the solid counters and bodywork that MMA judges continually undervalue (which is a shame since the most reaction-drawing offense in the final frame was clearly Aswell’s body punches).

Aswell is getting his name moved to the top of the queue when it comes to the UFC’s constant need for short-notice call-ups, while Grad gets the contract that both of the flyweights who opened the card were denied.

To be fair, Grad should make for a fun addition to the featherweight division. And though I’d love to see him paired straight away with recent Ultimate Fighter winner, Mairon Santos, I suspect that the matchmakers will book him on an upcoming international card against someone like Jeka Saragih.

Andrey Pulyaev

Weight class: Middleweight
Result: Andrey Pulyaev def. Liam Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 20-27, 20-27)
Grade: B

Summary: Despite failing to find the finish that he was trying hard for, I found it hard to deny Andrey Pulyaev anything less than a B for the effort he put up against Liam Anderson.

Tougher than a two-dollar steak, it was reminiscent of a Rocky movie watching Anderson take the damage he took this past Tuesday.

To his credit, Anderson had his moments throughout the fifteen-minute affair by making things ugly and getting to the grappling realm (where this fight was supposed to favor him on paper). Unfortunately for Anderson, Pulyaev proved to be just as scrappy on the floor – winning out on scrambles down the stretch.

Pulyaev may not be a top-shelf prospect coming out of Russia or your stereotypical ‘Dagestani destroyer,’ but the 26-year-old has a solid arsenal from southpaw that I see keeping him competitive with the bottom half of the division.

If Jose Medina and Robert Valentin get matched up like I suspect they do, then don’t be surprised to see Pulyaev paired up with anyone from Cody Brundage to Christian Leroy Duncan on the next international card (if those last two names are booked against each other, that is).