Dana White Contender Series Season 8 ended with four of the five winners earning a contract. Julieta Martinez, a 20-year-old from Argentina, was the only winner who didn’t get a contract offer.
While she was disappointed she didn’t get the call, Dana White made it clear the UFC loves her and is so interested in her fighting for them that she may ultimately wind up helping to kick off a women’s atomweight division.
White said Martinez, who competed at strawweight and defeated 26-year-old Leslie Hernandez via split decision, was too small and green to place on the UFC’s main roster.
However, he invited her to train at the Performance Institute and to continue to add experience so they could add her to the roster later.
White was asked if Martinez would ever be able to fit into the strawweight division. He was unsure, but he mentioned talent cultivation in Japan and South America and how that could substantiate starting another division.
“As you start to talk about South America; as you start to talk about Asia, whether its China, Japan or Korea, as we keep cultivating talent in these places, we might end up creating another division,” White said.
Here is a look at the clip:
Martinez measured 5-foot-1 and weighed in at 114.5 pounds, about a half-pound under the strawweight limit.
More than the weight, Martinez’s frame seems small, and it’s hard to overlook her youthful face. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a fighter in the UFC who looked younger.
That said, Martinez fought like a demon. She displayed the desire and skill of a woman worthy of a spot on the UFC’s roster.
However, I agreed with White’s decision. If Martinez is onboard and undeterred by White’s decision, she will almost certainly wind up better for waiting.
Meanwhile, there is suddenly reason to believe the UFC could potentially add two divisions to the women’s ranks. It’s unclear how long Kayla Harrison can continue to make 135 pounds. If the UFC wants her for the long haul, they may need to rekindle the featherweight division.
Harrison is a big enough star to warrant the re-expansion, and a potential fight with Amanda Nunes would appear to make sense, considering the latter never lost the 145-pound title.
Who would have ever believed there was a chance the UFC could have five women’s divisions? Fingers crossed.
Other UFC News – Dana White Contender Series Results
Nick Klein, Luis Gurule, Yadier del Valle, and Jonathan Micallef earned contracts for their efforts on the Season 8 finale of the Dana White Contender Series.
Klein’s finish in a minute was the most memorable of all the performances. He could get a pretty quick turnaround and debut on the main roster because he worked less than a minute to get the finish.
Here is a look at all of the results. The contract winners’ names are in bold.
- Nick Klein defeated Heraldo Souza via submission at 0:37 of Round 1 (Rear-Naked Choke)
- Luis Gurule defeated Nick Piccininni via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Yadier Del Valle defeated Antonio Monteiro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Julieta Martinez defeated Leslie Hernandez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jonathan Micallef defeated Mohamed Ado via submission at 3:01 of Round 1 (Triangle Choke)
The DWCS Season 8 finale is just the beginning of a big week in combat sports. On Saturday, the Professional Fighters League kicks off its SuperFights PPV series with a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia card.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou battles reigning PFL-Bellator super champion Renan Ferreira for the SuperFights championship. Also, Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg faces PFL champ Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event.
In the UFC, the promotion is back at the Apex for a Fight Night card headlined by the spectacular Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez.
Stay tuned for coverage of both events throughout the week.
