Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 1 Full Fight Card, Date & Details
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 1
United States
Main Card • Final
Brazil
R3, 5:00
Contract Winner
Australia
R1, 1:23
Contract Winner
Austria
R3, 5:00
Contract Winner
Poland
R3, 5:00
Contract Winner
Peru
R3, 5:00
Contract Winner
Official Event Results
UFC Contract
UFC Contract
UFC Contract
UFC Contract
Official Contract Awards
UFC Promotional Contracts Awarded
Post-Fight Bonuses: No standard Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night cash bonuses were awarded for this event.
UFC Contract Awards: UFC CEO Dana White officially awarded promotional UFC contracts to all five victorious fighters on the card: Cesar Almeida, Tom Nolan, Caio Machado, Payton Talbott, and Kevin Borjas.
Reported Payouts & Disclosed Purses
Fighter Purses & Total Payout Estimates
| Fighter | Result | Base Purse | Win / Finish Bonus | Performance Bonus | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN | $5,000 | $5,000 | — | $10,000 | |
| LOSS | $5,000 | — | — | $5,000 | |
| WIN | $5,000 | $5,000 | — | $10,000 | |
| LOSS | $5,000 | — | — | $5,000 | |
| WIN | $5,000 | $5,000 | — | $10,000 | |
| LOSS | $5,000 | — | — | $5,000 | |
| WIN | $5,000 | $5,000 | — | $10,000 | |
| LOSS | $5,000 | — | — | $5,000 | |
| WIN | $5,000 | $5,000 | — | $10,000 | |
| LOSS | $5,000 | — | — | $5,000 |
*Purses on Dana White’s Contender Series are regulated by standard Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) developmental contracts, featuring a baseline of $5,000 to show and $5,000 to win. Monetary post-fight performance bonuses were not awarded; all five victorious fighters earned official promotional UFC contracts.
Historic Promotional Records Set
Promotional Milestones Established at Season 7, Week 1
Dana White awarded UFC promotional contracts to all five victorious fighters (Cesar Almeida, Tom Nolan, Caio Machado, Payton Talbott, and Kevin Borjas), securing a rare 100% contract clean sweep to launch Season 7.
Decorated kickboxing world champion Cesar Almeida earned a UFC contract in only his fourth professional MMA fight, outlanding reigning LFA champion Lucas Fernando across three hard-fought rounds.
Future top contender Payton Talbott landed 145 significant strikes from 282 attempts, recording one of the highest significant strike totals in Dana White’s Contender Series bantamweight history.
Australian lightweight Tom Nolan scored two knockdowns in just 1 minute and 23 seconds of round 1 to finish Bogdan Grad, recording the fastest stoppage of Season 7’s opening week.
Caio Machado connected with 121 significant strikes against Kevin Szaflarski, establishing a single-fight promotional record for significant strikes landed in a three-round DWCS heavyweight contest.
Kevin Borjas withstood five takedowns and nearly eight minutes of control time from former LFA champion Victor Dias, relying on 87 significant strikes to secure Peru’s newest UFC contract.
The card featured reigning LFA middleweight champion Lucas Fernando and former LFA flyweight champion Victor Dias competing on the same DWCS event.
Week 1 inaugurated the seventh season of Dana White’s Contender Series, which ultimately set an all-time record for total athletes signed to the UFC roster in a single calendar season.
In the main event, Cesar Almeida more than doubled Lucas Fernando in significant strikes (71 to 28) and total strikes (96 to 38) to earn scores as wide as 30-26 from cageside judges.
Across the five bouts, competitors combined to land 441 significant strikes, making Week 1 one of the highest-output season openers in series history.
Despite Reyes Cortez Jr. attempting 17 takedowns across 15 minutes, Payton Talbott successfully defended 16 attempts while maintaining non-stop forward striking pressure.
Three undefeated prospects (Cesar Almeida, Tom Nolan, and Payton Talbott) successfully protected their spotless professional records while punching their tickets to the UFC.
When and where did Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 1 take place?
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 1 took place on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Who won the main event between Cesar Almeida and Lucas Fernando?
Former GLORY kickboxer Cesar Almeida defeated LFA middleweight champion Lucas Fernando via unanimous decision (30–26, 29–28, 29–27) over three rounds.
Which fighters earned UFC contracts on Season 7, Week 1?
Dana White awarded contracts to all five winners on the card: Cesar Almeida, Tom Nolan, Caio Machado, Payton Talbott, and Kevin Borjas.
How did Tom Nolan defeat Bogdan Grad?
Australian lightweight Tom Nolan scored two knockdowns and finished Bogdan Grad via KO (punch) at 1:23 of Round 1.
What records did Payton Talbott set against Reyes Cortez Jr.?
Payton Talbott landed 145 significant strikes from 282 attempts while successfully defending 16 of 17 takedown attempts to win a unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).
Who won the heavyweight fight between Caio Machado and Kevin Szaflarski?
Brazil’s Caio Machado defeated Kevin Szaflarski via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) after landing 121 significant strikes.
How did Kevin Borjas defeat Victor Dias?
Peru’s Kevin Borjas outstruck former LFA champion Victor Dias 87 to 43 in significant strikes to earn a unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) victory.
Were there any monetary post-fight performance bonuses awarded?
No standard Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night cash bonuses are distributed on Contender Series events. The primary reward is securing a multi-fight UFC promotional contract.
How was the event broadcast in the United States?
The entire 5-fight event streamed live exclusively across the United States on ESPN+.
Who called the fights on the broadcast commentary team?
The broadcast booth featured play-by-play announcer Brendan Fitzgerald alongside color commentator Paul Felder, with Laura Sanko conducting post-fight interviews.
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