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Over the past few years, the UFC has begun using Dana White's Contender Series as a way of introducing fighters straight into the UFC similar to how The Ultimate Fighter was utilized.
The contender series has produced some of the UFC's top fighters, including the likes of Kevin Holland, Alex Perez and Sean O'Malley. With a new season only a few months away, now is the perfect time to take a look at which fights are worth keeping an eye out for on the upcoming season.
3 fights to watch out for on the upcoming season of Dana White's contender series:
#3 Lucas Almeida vs. Daniel Zellhuber
Brazil takes on Mexico in the first fight on this list. Undefeated prospects Lucas Almeida and Daniel Zellhuber are set to throw down in an electric lightweight contest.
Lucas Almeida is currently 12-0, having competed for a variety of regional promotions that include the top Brazilian promotion Jungle Fights, as well as Max Fight, Leos de Luta and Predator FC. Almeida has a variety of different finishes on his record with his most recent victory coming by way of flying knee KO.
Comparatively, Daniel Zellhuber holds an 11-0 record. He also holds a variety of different wins, including a calf slicer submission against Miguel Arizmendi at Lux Fight League 10. Since then he has picked up two first-round KO/TKO stoppages, which was enough to see him called up for a bout on Dana White's Contender Series.
#2 Aaron Jeffery vs. Caio Borralho
This will be Aaron Jeffery's second contender series fight, having come up short against Brendan Allen in 2019. Since then, Jeffery has been on a four-fight winning streak, three of which ended via TKO/KO. He was also able to capture the CFFC middleweight champion, defeating fellow contender series alum Colin Huckbody in the process.
In quite a stark contrast, this will not only be Caio Borralho's first contender series fight, but will also be his first fight outside of Brazil. However, it's unlikely that this will faze the Brazilian fighter, who is currently riding a five-fight winning streak.
During his streak, Borralho has shown that he is just as comfortable on the feet as he is on the ground, with both knockouts and submission stoppages littering his record.
#1 Jake Hadley vs. Kledyson Rodrigues
Jake Hadley has been one of the top flyweight prospects outside of the UFC for some time now. He is a former Bellator and Cage Warriors 125-pound champion with an undefeated 7-0 record.
He holds victories over the likes of former TUF contestant Nakazimulo Zulu, top CW flyweight contender Luke Shanks and SBG Ireland fighter Blaine O'Driscoll.
Kledyson Rodrigues is also a former flyweight champion, having held the Jungle Fights belt before vacating it in order to take the fight with Hadley. Rodrigues holds a 6-1 record and is currently on a five-fight winning streak.
Hadley's arrival in the UFC has been something that fans have been calling for, for some time now. However, he will have to put on a spectacular performance to overcome the dangerous Rodrigues and impress Dana White in September.
