Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After a second win on DWCS that was even faster than the first one, it was hard not to imagine Bo Nickal doing very well against the UFC’s best welterweights. Khamzat Chimaev’s name was tossed about at the broadcast table at UFC APEX. Fresh off a 52-second stoppage on Tuesday night’s up-and-comer showcase, Nickal dispensed with the formalities and called his own shot against Chimaev, another hype train that, weight issues notwithstanding, has grabbed the reigns of the welterweight division “If the UFC wishes, give me that Swedish dude,” said Nickal, undoubtedly one of the brightest prospects among the 43 fighters signed to the UFC after Season 6 of the Contender Series wrapped. “He might not even be the best guy, because he can’t even make weight, but if that’s the case, I’ll take him. “If not, then give me Logan Paul. UFC debut. Me vs. Logan Paul, I know he has some skills. If we can’t do it in the UFC, let’s do it in the WWE. I’ll meet you in the ring.” @NoBickal has his sights set high for his UFC debut! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/vyEK5qXyxc— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2022 It was a promo just as suited to MMA as pro wrestling, and no doubt encouraged by Nickal’s career adviser Dan Lambert, the owner of MMA powerhouse American Top Team and part-time wrestling heel on AEW. Nickal’s undeniable collegiate wrestling skills helped pave the way, and the top-tier MMA gym helped mold him into the most valuable prospect possible. When it came to career trajectory, however, UFC President Dana White said he’d prefer to work from a different playbook: his. “Let’s not get crazy here,” White said at the DWCS press conference in Las Vegas. “It’s funny, we were in matchmaking today, and we were talking about Khamzat and possibilities and how f****** good that guy really is.” Chimaev, of course, had the chance to prove that point by beating everyone in front of him. At UFC 279 earlier this month, he came in massively overweight and alienated his audience. But he earned that spot with a series of impressive performances. Nickal will need to do the same, according to White. “You don’t test him against ranked talent,” the UFC exec said. “You bring him in just like you would bring in any prospect. You build him up, give him fights. “The problem is, there’s no easy fights here. This isn’t like the boxing model. But he walked into a show where there’s no easy fights. Everybody here are killers. So if you perform the way that you performed here twice – there’s some guys that come in here and it’s a rough go. There’s wars, and they’ll squeak out a win at the end. This guy came out and dominated twice.” Nickal may be forced to jump through several more hoops before he’s granted his wish at fighting top-ranked fighters, and a fight with Paul is pure fantasy. But he’s on the right track as far as his confidence. That counts for a lot when it comes to the opportunities doled out. “Let’s get it baby,” Nickal told Laura Sanko of his Chimaev callout. “I’m here. I’m training every day. I put the work in. I make weight. Let’s do it.”

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Bo Nickal is (finally) headed to the UFC after picking up the second-fastest finish of the DWCS Season 6 finale on Tuesday night. Nickal’s trip to the UFC was likely a forgone conclusion given his first performance, a quick finish that helped promotion president Dana White get some additional shine on his talent-development network. But Nickal needed just 52 seconds to tap his opponent, Donovan Beard, and the triangle he rolled for was the third finish he attempted in the short time he spent in the small octagon at UFC APEX. First it was an overhand left, then it was a guillotine choke, and then it was the triangle choke that left Donovan – and the audience – wondering what just happened. You didn’t need to read White’s notes to know what was written, but the “goddamn” he said he wrote on his bout sheet said it all. Season 6 resulted in 43 contracts, perhaps none as anticipated as decorated collegiate wrestler turned MMA fighter Nickal, and White could barely contain his glee at the future hype to cash. It may have taken Nickal two tries to get his UFC contract, but he didn’t fail to remind White, who said of the newcomer’s reaction, “Hey dummy, you should have signed me the first time. Get it done.” Patterson has Cenci shooting after going out Sam Patterson had a slow start out of the gate, but when he got Vinicius Cenci to the canvas, he took over with his submission skills. Patterson used his height and reach to keep the aggressive Cenci at distance and then snuck in an uppercut that stopped a takedown in its tracks. Cenci was immediately fighting for his neck as Patterson transitioned from D’Arce choke to power guillotine to rear-naked choke, the latter a result of a mad scramble away from danger. Cenci might have gotten free of the guillotine choke, a submission he finished on four occasions before walking into DWCS. Instead, he ended up unconscious and shooting on his opponent after a frantic tap was followed by a non-consensual nap. Patterson locked up the impressive submission in round 2 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/w6nSIoNqEI— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 28, 2022 Blood and fists stop Linares The Howler Head logo got a bloody finish after Jack Jenkins’ elbow opened Freddy Emiliano Linares’ brow, setting the table for a third-round finish via TKO. Jenkins’ wrestling and ground-and-pound was formidable on its own, and when aided by a stream of plasma, it made a good enough argument for referee Mark Smith to call off the fight midway through the third, after a Linares wardrobe malfunction and takedown attempt hadn’t deterred Jenkins from doing what he’d done for much of the fight. At the 4:30 mark of the final frame, Jimmy Crute training partner Jenkins had his finish, a little later than his first-round domination suggested. Linares hung on a lot longer than the mount he gave up in the opening frame with two minutes left, but no matter what he did, Jenkins was always a step ahead. This fight was MESSY #DWCS pic.twitter.com/1I3eijjRpy— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 28, 2022 Estevam pounds out overwhelmed Elias As soon as Rafael Ramos Estevam figured out the athletic Joao Elias was no threat from the bottom, he made sure to put him on the mat and pound him out. Elias came out hot, showing off high-energy techniques on the feet and the mat, where he tried to hop from submission to submission in scrambles. He also left his head exposed, a perfect target for Estevam to batter his brain cells. Dazed by the punishment (ground and pound and a tongue lashing from his coach), Elias couldn’t get back in the fight when the second round commenced. An accidental headbutt at the start didn’t help anything, but the ground and pound finished the job for Estevam at 2:25 of the second round. Absolute domination by Rafael Estevam improves him to 11-0 [ #DWCS is LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/zkz7Veva4O— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2022 Mendonca pays tribute to Charles Oliveira with KO Mateus Mendonca did his Chute Boxe teammate Charles Oliveira proud with a first-round drubbing of Ashiek Ajim in the DWCS opener. Ajim got a little too close and caught a right hand that knocked him backward. As he fell, he took a left hook that finished the job, sending his head bouncing off the canvas. At 48 seconds of the first round, it was all over. All the angles of that 48 second KO by Mateus Mendonca #DWCS pic.twitter.com/bXOHRqEc4t— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2022 Full DWCS Season 6, Week 10 results: Bo Nickal def. Donovan Beard via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 0:52 Sam Patterson def. Vinicius Cenci via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 4:18 Jack Jenkins def. Freddy Emiliano Linares via TKO (ground and pound) - Round 3, 4:30 Rafael Ramos Estevam def. Joao Elias via TKO (ground and pound) - Round 2, 2:25 Mateus Mendonca def. Ashiek Ajim via KO (punches) - Round 1, 0:48

Edson Barboza | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Edson Barboza is out of his UFC Vegas 63 co-main clash with Ilia Topuria with a right knee injury, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. It’s still unclear if Topuria will remain on the Oct. 29 card against a new opponent. Barboza (22-11) was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid in his return against Topuria after dropping a decision to Bryce Mitchell this past March and suffering a third-round knockout versus by the hands of Chikadze in 2021. Barboza has already undergone surgery to address his injury, sources told MMA Fighting. The Brazilian striker lost seven of his past 10 since 2017, with wins over Makwan Amirkhani, Shane Burgos and Dan Hooker. The list of names that have defeated him include lightweight greats Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kevin Lee, Justin Gaethje and Paul Felder. Topuria (12-0) is unbeaten as a professional MMA fighter and has gone 4-0 since joining the UFC in 2020. “El Matador” stopped Ryan Hall and Jai Herbert in his most recent octagon appearances. The UFC Fight Night card takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas and feature Calvin Kattar vs. Arnold Allen in a featherweight main event.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Mateus Mendonca got the Season 6 finale of DWCS off to a concussive start with a 48-second knockout of Ashiek Ajim. Ajim’s head bounced off the canvas after he took a straight right to the back of the ear and then got clipped by a left hook. By the time referee Mark Smith intervened, Medonca had already landed an unnecessary hammerfist to his unconscious opponent’s jaw. It was the 10th-fastest knockout in Contender Series history, broadcasters announced immediately after the finish, which can be seen above. More angles of the knockout can be seen below. All the angles of that 48 second KO by Mateus Mendonca #DWCS pic.twitter.com/bXOHRqEc4t— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2022 Mendonca paid tribute to his gym, Chute Boxe, and its champion Charles Oliveira as he extended his unbeaten streak to nine pro fights. Ajim saw a three-fight winning streak snapped. Mendonca is all but assured to receive a UFC contract for his work in the final event of the Season 6 Contender Series, which took place Tuesday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC MMA Fighting has Dana White’s Contender Series results for the 10th and final week of the sixth season on Tuesday night at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Ten up-and-coming fighters will compete in front of UFC President Dana White and matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. They hope to walk away with a UFC contract at the end of the night. In the main event, middleweights Bo Nickall and Donovan Beard face off for a UFC deal. Check out DWCS Season 6: Week 10 results below. Main Card Bo Nickal def. Donovan Beard via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 0:52 Sam Patterson def. Vinicius Cenci via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 4:18 Jack Jenkins def. Freddy Emiliano Linares via TKO (ground and pound) - Round 3, 4:30 Rafael Ramos Estevam def. Joao Elias via TKO (ground and pound) - Round 2, 2:25 Mateus Mendonca def. Ashiek Ajim via KO (punches) - Round 1, 0:48 | Watch finish