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At the recently concluded UFC 283 pay-per-view, Jamahal Hill made history, becoming the first fight to win UFC gold after earning a contract in Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS).
Hill featured in season 3 of DWCS back in 2019, winning via TKO. Just under three years later, he became the UFC light heavyweight champion.
We've already been treated to six seasons of DWCS so far, plus an additional mini-season dedicated to the Brazilian market. The show has undoubtedly been a tremendous success and over the next few years, expect more alumni to get their hands on UFC gold.
With that said, here are five graduates from DWCS who are closest to becoming UFC champions.
#5. Taila Santos (19-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
The DWCS Brazil edition back in 2018 produced many high-profile fighters, including Johnny Walker, Andre Muniz, Augusto Sakai and Marina Rodriguez, to name a few. The only contestant from this season who has gone on to fight for a UFC championship so far is Taila Santos.
Santos boasted an unblemished record of 14-0 when she was invited to DWCS Brazil. She cruised to a unanimous decision win over Estefani Almeida to earn a contract and subsequently emerged as a solid contender in the promotion's flyweight division.
After losing her promotional debut via a narrow split decision, Santos compiled a four-fight win streak to put herself in the 125-pound title mix. At UFC 275 in Singapore last year, she squared off against dominant flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko and delivered a performance that very few expected.
With Shevchenko being one of the most dominant champions across combat sports, Santos was a sizeable betting underdog heading into the bout. Nevertheless, the Brazilian pushed 'Bullet' to the absolute limit and even came close to submitting her.
She ultimately came away with a split-decision loss, but many believed she deserved the judges' nod. Santos made Shevchenko look quite beatable, which was a first in the champion's flyweight career. If they run it back down the line, an upset isn't out of the question.
#4. Jailton Almeida (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC)
Jailton Almeida first broke onto the scene with a stellar performance in DWCS back in 2021, when he defeated Nasrudin Nasrudinov to earn a UFC contract. The formidable Brazilian has bounced back and forth between light heavyweight and heavyweight ever since and is now committed to the heavier division.
Almeida is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant who regularly competes in submission grappling matches, where he often finishes his opponents. Testament to his grappling prowess, 'Malhadinho' has 11 submission wins on his professional record. Moreover, he boasts a 100% finish rate, with the rest of his victories coming via knockout.
At 31, Almeida is now primed for a title run. He is now 4-0 in the promotion and at the recently concluded UFC 283 pay-per-view in Brazil, he dominated and finished Shamil Adburakhimov to break into the top 15.
The promotion's heavyweight division is quite top-heavy as things stand. A surging contender like Almeida can certainly make things interesting in the coming years. It feels as though it's only a matter of time before he's in and around the title mix.
#3. Ryan Spann (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC)
Ryan Spann made quite the impression when he appeared in season 2 of DWCS four years ago.
'Superman' impressed Dana White and the UFC matchmakers with a stunning 26-second submission victory to make his case for a contract undeniable, and has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division ever since.
A submission specialist with devastating power, Ryan Spann has the skillset to trouble every 205-pounder on the planet. His potential and ceiling essentially comes down to how seriously he takes the sport.
After his most recent knockout win against former title challenger Dominick Reyes, Spann revealed that this was the first time he actually did a training camp for a fight. Now occupying the No.10 spot in the rankings, he's well on his way to breaking into the top tier of the division.
If he takes things seriously, we could have a future champion on our hands.
#2. Andre Muniz (23-4 MMA, 5-0 UFC)
Andre Muniz is one of the most intriguing up-and-comers in the middleweight division. While the Brazilian is still two or three big wins away from a shot at the title at the moment, he remains an ominous presence at 185 pounds.
Muniz secured a UFC contract following a submission victory on DWCS in 2019. He put together a five-fight win streak upon joining the promotion's middleweight division, of which three came by way of submission. Wins over Ronaldo Souza, Erik Anders, and Uriah Hall saw him break into the top 15.
The Brazilian grappling phenom's fight against Ronaldo Souza served as a real statement of intent. Souza was the resident submission specialist in the division at the time. Muniz not only secured an armbar finish against the multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, he managed to break Souza's arm as well.
The middleweight division has more strikers than grapplers, making Muniz a nightmare matchup for most ranked contenders. 'Sergipano' currently occupies the No.11 spot in the rankings and will be looking to break into the top tier of the division in 2023.
He will look to further extend his win streak when he takes on Brendan Allen next month.
#1. Sean O'Malley (16-1-1NC MMA, 7-1-1NC)
Sean O'Malley has made a career out of going viral, be it for his knockouts or antics on social media.
The first time 'Sugar' truly made a splash was when he appeared in the inaugural season of DWCS over five years ago. Just a scrawny 23-year-old at the time, O'Malley produced a jaw-dropping knockout that blew away Dana White, the UFC matchmakers, and even Snoop Dogg.
The promotion has strapped a rocket ship onto O'Malley's back ever since and he is among the biggest stars in the promotion right now. After mainly fighting unranked contenders between 2018 and 2021, the all-action striker broke into the bantamweight top 15 in 2021.
O'Malley made a massive leap up the rankings last year, edging out a decision win over top-ranked bantamweight Petr Yan to claim the No.1 spot in the rankings. Out of all the DWCS graduates on the roster, he is the closest to winning a championship, as it is all but guaranteed that his next fight will be for the title.
2023 is going to be a massive year for 'The Sugar Show'.
