Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Week 2 Full Fight Card, Date & Details
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Week 2
United States
Main Card • Final
Sweden
R2, 3:20
UFC Contract
Canada
Russia
R1, 4:59
UFC Contract
Brazil
R3, 5:00
UFC Contract
R3, 5:00
Australia
R1, 3:09
UFC Contract
Official Event Results
UFC Contract
Official Contract Awards & Fighter Honors
DWCS Season 8, Week 2 Contract Winners
UFC Contracts Awarded (4): UFC CEO Dana White officially awarded promotional contracts to four athletes: Andreas Gustafsson, Rizvan Kuniev, Cortavious Romious, and Cody Haddon.
Historic Promotional Milestone: With his dynamic first-round rear-naked choke victory, Australia’s Cody Haddon was signed as the 250th lifetime contract recipient in Dana White’s Contender Series history.
Contract Decision Note: Despite picking up a dominant unanimous decision win and securing 10 takedowns, Torrez Finney was not awarded a contract on this night, with Dana White encouraging him to continue developing his mixed martial arts skill set.
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 reflect standard Dana White’s Contender Series contract baselines ($5,000 show / $5,000 win). Four fighters (Andreas Gustafsson, Rizvan Kuniev, Cortavious Romious, and Cody Haddon) were awarded official UFC promotional contracts following their performances.
Historic UFC & DWCS Records Set
Promotional Records Established at DWCS Season 8, Week 2
Australia’s Cody Haddon made promotional history by becoming the 250th fighter to earn a UFC contract in Dana White’s Contender Series history following his first-round submission.
Torrez Finney set a Season 8 single-fight middleweight benchmark by completing 10 of 14 takedown attempts in his decision victory over Cam Rowston.
Torrez Finney controlled his opponent for 11 minutes and 41 seconds out of 15 total minutes, logging the highest control time percentage of Season 8 through the opening two weeks.
Rizvan Kuniev scored one of the latest first-round finishes in DWCS history, finishing Hugo Cunha with a knee to the body and follow-up ground strikes at 4:59 of round one.
Andreas Gustafsson battered Pat Pytlik with 11 knees to the head and body in the clinch, completing a brutal comeback TKO at 3:20 of Round 2.
After falling short on Season 7, bantamweight prospect Cortavious Romious returned to sweep all three scorecards (30-27 x3) against Michael Imperato to secure his UFC contract.
Andreas Gustafsson maintained a perfect 100% strike accuracy on his low kicks (4 of 4) while utilizing heavy offensive wrestling in his welterweight main event showcase.
Rizvan Kuniev extended his unbeaten professional mixed martial arts run dating back to 2017 to 11 consecutive bouts (10 wins, 1 no contest) with his first-round stoppage.
Cody Haddon secured the fifth first-round submission victory of his professional career, needing just 3:09 to sink in a fight-ending rear-naked choke against Billy Brand.
Judges Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee, and Eric Colon all turned in matching 30-27 scorecards for Cortavious Romious in his dominant three-round display.
Dana White signed 4 out of the 5 fight winners on Week 2, pushing the cumulative Season 8 contract total to 8 new athletes across the first two weeks.
Torrez Finney became one of the exceedingly few fighters in program history to record multiple victories inside the DWCS cage across back-to-back seasons without receiving a contract on the night.
When and where did Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Week 2 take place?
Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Week 2 took place on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Who won the main event between Andreas Gustafsson and Pat Pytlik?
Sweden’s Andreas Gustafsson defeated Pat Pytlik via TKO (knees and punches) at 3:20 of Round 2 in an intense welterweight war to earn a UFC contract.
Which fighters were awarded UFC contracts on DWCS Season 8, Week 2?
UFC CEO Dana White awarded contracts to four fighters: Andreas Gustafsson, Rizvan Kuniev, Cortavious Romious, and Cody Haddon.
Who earned the 250th contract in Contender Series history?
Australian bantamweight Cody Haddon was officially awarded the 250th lifetime contract in Dana White’s Contender Series history after his first-round submission of Billy Brand.
Why didn’t Torrez Finney get a contract despite winning his fight?
Although Torrez Finney won a unanimous decision over Cam Rowston with 10 takedowns, Dana White felt he relied too heavily on grinding control without enough offensive output, advising him to get more cage experience before joining the UFC.
How did Rizvan Kuniev win his co-main event bout against Hugo Cunha?
Rizvan Kuniev stopped Hugo Cunha with a crushing knee to the body followed by ground-and-pound punches at 4:59 of Round 1, landing the stoppage with just one second remaining in the frame.
What was the result of Cortavious Romious vs. Michael Imperato?
Cortavious Romious defeated Michael Imperato via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27), outstriking Imperato and threatening with multiple submission attempts across three rounds.
How did Cody Haddon defeat Billy Brand?
Cody Haddon dropped Billy Brand with a strike and swiftly transitioned to his back to lock up a rear-naked choke submission at 3:09 of Round 1.
What was the fastest finish at DWCS Season 8, Week 2?
Cody Haddon’s rear-naked choke submission over Billy Brand at 3:09 of Round 1 was the fastest stoppage on the card.
How many takedowns did Torrez Finney land against Cam Rowston?
Torrez Finney landed 10 takedowns out of 14 attempts while accumulating 11 minutes and 41 seconds of control time.
How was Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8, Week 2 broadcast?
The event streamed live exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States starting at 7:00 PM EDT from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Who were the commentators for DWCS Season 8, Week 2?
The broadcast desk was anchored by play-by-play lead Dan Hellie alongside color analysts Laura Sanko and Paul Felder, with Joe Martinez serving as the cage announcer.
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