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Dana White's Contender Series 44: Grading the winners

Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2021) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the fivs-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 whom the UFC matchmakers can use for future events. So, with that trend in mind, I will once again be taking a look at the winning fighters regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, grading their performances in regards to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

Pedro Falcao

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (R-L) Pedro Falcao punches James Barnes in a bantamweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season five, week eight at UFC APEX on October 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Weight class: Bantamweight
Result: Pedro Falcao def. James Barnes via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 3:55
Grade: B

Summary: Despite having a bit of a slow start opposite James Barnes as a big favorite, Pedro Falcao still pulls a solid B for his winning efforts this past Tuesday.

Falcao showed a lot of the grappling fundamentals and striking staples that you see from his fellow Nova Uniao stablemates, but the Brazilian fighter was ultimately the unfortunate victim of high expectations and a stylistically stymying matchup.

Aside from being the second biggest betting favorite on the fight card, Falcao was also matched with an opponent who came from a wrestling base and was just a few weeks shy of turning 40-years-old.

To Barnes’ credit, he hung tough with Falcao and tried to turn the tides of pressure as best he could with his relentless battling for underhooks. But with a gas tank that appeared to be failing him quickly, Barnes would end up rewarding Falcao’s persistence with a stoppage win by the third frame.

I don’t blame Dana White for not being blown away come contract time, but hope that Falcao gets consideration by the UFC brass down the line.

Armen Petroysan

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: Armen Petrosyan reacts after his knockout victory over Kaloyan Kolev in a light heavyweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season five, week eight at UFC APEX on October 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Armen Petrosyan def. Kaloyan Kolev via knockout (high kick, punches) – Round 1, 4:27
Grade: A

Summary: In what was one of the more short and sweet offerings of the night, Armen Petrosyan earns an easy A for annihilating Kaloyan Kolev after some early adversity.

A decorated striker who prides himself on his muay Thai acumen, Petrosyan proved that he has the chops to translate his skills into MMA. Smartly going to Dagestan to better shore up his wrestling, Petrosyan was able to show some of that work against the wrestle-heavy approach from Kolev.

Although Kolev was successful in taking Petrosyan down, the Armenian fighter was able to stay calm when working through the chains of rides and positional advances that were coming his way. Petrosyan’s activity also made it harder for Kolev to settle in for strikes, which ultimately allowed for the Bulgarian wrestler to run his gas tank into the ground by selling out for takedowns.

Kolev joins the ranks of Josh Koscheck and Aljamain Sterling in regards to wrestlers changing levels into the knees that are meant as kicks (which always seem to be show-stoppers, by the way), while Petrosyan earns a contract that we all saw coming.

Both the UFC’s president and it’s North American fanbase seem to fawn over strikers in and around Eastern Europe, as I suspect that Petrosyan will fit in just fine with the promotion. Although Petrosyan getting fast-tracked right into a fight with someone like Khalil Rountree wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world, I suspect we see the Armenian paired with a fellow Contender Series alum like Tafon Nchukwi first.

Ciao Borralho

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: Caio Borralho reacts after his TKO victory over Jesse Murray in a light heavyweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season five, week eight at UFC APEX on October 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Ciao Borralho def. Jesse Murray via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:41
Grade: A

Summary: After making Contender Series history with multiple weight class wins in a single season, I found it hard to deny Ciao Borralho anything short of an A for making quick work of Jesse Murray.

I took some grief for my grading of Borralho’s last fight, but – in my defense – Borralho himself admitted to taking his foot off the gas in what was a clinch-heavy fight opposite Aaron Jefferey. However, this past Tuesday, the Brazilian made good on his second swing at-bat by moving up a weight class and showing off the aggression that got him on the show.

After a brief feeling-out period, Borralho wasted little time once landing a piston of a left cross down the pike, as the southpaw followed up with a right hook that dropped Murray and sparked off the finish.

I’m glad that White signed Borralho, who I imagine is headed back down to the middleweight division. Should that be the case, then I would love to see Borralho matched up against hard-hitting Hawaiians like Maki Pitolo or Puna Soriano for some fan-pleasing performances.

Piera Rodriguez

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (R-L) Piera Rodriguez battles Valesca Machado in a strawweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season five, week eight at UFC APEX on October 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Weight class: Strawweight
Result: Piera Rodriguez def. Valesca Machado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B+

Summary: In a fight that was much more competitive than the betting lines led on, Piera Rodriguez earns a B+ for gutting out a win over Valesca Machado.

Perhaps I’m allowing the narrative of the odds to play a factor in my grading here, but I believe that this fight was a lot closer than how it was called on the broadcast. Machado, who kept her composure throughout, was quietly getting a lot of work done both in and out of the clinch in the second and third rounds.

The more muay Thai stylings of Machado also helped her defensively, as she was able to smartly spin off to the center after separating from Rodriguez’s clinching efforts. That said, despite having a seeming reliance on bullying, Rodriguez was able to answer the call to adversity by dogging out a takedown and some damage from mount position to steal the final frame from Machado.

I believe that damage was the differentiating factor for why the judges awarded the wrestling fighter in this affair as opposed to the main event, as I have no issue with Rodriguez winning here.

I’m also glad that White made it a point to praise Machado, who showed me that she was just as UFC-ready as her opponent. As for Rodriguez, I suspect that we’ll see her paired up with someone like Corey McKenna once she heals up from an apparent in-fight injury.

Jonny Parsons

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (R-L) Jonny Parsons punches Solomon Renfro in a welterweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season five, week eight at UFC APEX on October 19, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Jonny Parsons def. Solomon Renfro via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Grade: B

Summary: Despite earning what some view as a controversial decision, I still saw fit to give Jonny Parsons a solid B for cashing as one of the biggest underdogs on the card opposite Solomon Renfro.

Even though I suspected that the judges would be swayed by the late-round takedown in round two, I was pleasantly surprised to see them reward the more consistent worker. Not only did Parsons block all the small ground strikes that came his way, but he also landed hard shots from both sides throughout the first four minutes of the frame.

Renfro did land some nice bodywork (which is something that always scores big with me), but judges in MMA, for whatever reason, don’t appear to give it its deserved value.

I think another aspect of this fight that confused people was the interpretation of round one. Not only did Parsons quietly block a large amount of the power shots slung his way with an effective shelling guard, but the 30-year-old also quickly recovered from the said onslaught and was landing hard punches of his own by the midway point of the round (which should be enough to take a 10-8 off the table based on “the 3 Ds” referenced in the judge’s criteria).

If Parsons can healthily make lightweight with the UFC Performance Institute’s approval, then I’d love to see him matched with another striker like Ignacio Bahamondes. But if the Syndicate MMA product does stay at welterweight, then I hope that the matchmakers don’t pass on an opportunity to pair him up with Preston Parsons; because in the end – there can only be one.

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