Dana White’s Contender Series Predictions, Picks Tonight – Week 10 (10/13/26)

Not many sports have a job audition on live television. Mixed martial arts and the UFC aren’t many other sports.

Every summer, Dana White scours local regional MMA scenes for the future stars of UFC, pitting the world’s top prospects against each other on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) for 10 weeks.

These prospects can’t just win. To get a contract, they’ve got to impress the boss, making the bouts even more action-packed than weekly UFC events. As an even more unique twist, sometimes even losers of wild fights get signed.

The action goes down every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+, and we’re breaking down Season 10, Episode 9 with predictions, predictive analysis, and PrizePicks UFC picks.

Make your Dana White’s Contender Series predictions on PrizePicks — including on winners, significant strikes, and more!

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Dana White’s Contender Series Predictions Tonight for Week 10 – Tuesday, October 13

Before we get into our Dana White’s Contender Series predictions for tonight, here’s a brief intro on what you'll find below.

Season 10, Episode 10 of the Contender Series is expected to start at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the first fight on Paramount+. As usual, there are five fights scheduled. Here’s a full rundown of the proceedings:

• Featured Bout: Ilias Bulaid vs. Erick Visconde — Featherweight
• Smilla Sundell vs. Aline Pereira — Women’s Bantamweight
• Will Rentz vs. Luis Francischinelli — Welterweight
• Douglas da Lapa vs. Davi Cabral — Middleweight
• Jason Asher vs. Greg Foster — Lightweight

We’ll list the payouts for who will win each of these featured Contender Series fights, via PrizePicks Team Picks. For example, a 2x means the result will payout $200 on a $100 entry. A lower payout multiplier signals a higher implied probability of that result based on user picks.

PrizePicks Team Picks payouts are live at the time of writing and are subject to change. UFC winner markets are available in 36 states, including Florida, California, and Texas!

Douglas da Lapa vs. Davi Cabral Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, October 13

Fight Winner Payouts: Douglas da Lapa 1.58x | Davi Cabral 2.27x (via PrizePicks Team Picks)

Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lbs.)

Douglas da Lapa and Davi Cabral are undefeated 185ers to this stage, but both are far from finished products. That should make for a good fight.

da Lapa is pretty intriguing. "Robozinho" has an ideal 6'3" kickboxing build in this division, and he's got a lot of positive striking attributes. He feints regularly, he's able to throw sneaky leg kicks, and he attacks the body a lot.

That last point is how he wilted Jonathan Elias Machado two fights ago despite early adversity in the grappling department. 

My "red flag" for the Brazilian is what led to that early adversity, though. He sat lifeless in bottom position but was fortunate his opponent was gasping for air early into Round 2. da Lapa put together combinations and closed the show.

It doesn’t seem he's got devastating power, though. In fact, every single fight of his pro career has seen at least a 7th minute. That's really rare for an undefeated middleweight.

Davi Cabral, though, has significantly more red flags — even when I'm telling you there's a path where he looks like a dominant favorite here based on their skillsets.

Cabral comes from Peak Fighting in Texas, which has not shown well during this season of DWCS. Zevan "Cheese" Hunt and Colton Loud both lost quickly in Round 1.

Even worse, the last three foes for "Young Lion" in Peak Fighting are 19-17 as pros. Coby Bradford, who he KO'd in Round 1 with a leg kick, is a PFL stand-in. They're not great opponents, which is even more concerning when you see he just went to a split decision in his last fight.

I was hoping the tape showed that the IBJJF World Championship competitor was just working on his striking, but that wasn’t the case. He tried to get the fight to the floor, but there are problems.

He's not very big at 5'9". His wrestling is poor, and he may lack the cardio to push that sort of pace with it. Even worse, his opponent was the one reversing into dominant positions.

In fact, the best part about Cabral, which will be vital in the standup in this matchup, might be his leg kicks.

This is a pretty low-level fight, but the shorter guy’s inability to put this fight where he can dominate it is a real problem. If da Lapa is able to avoid (or survive) those dominant grappling positions, his body work and superior conditioning can pay off.

Predict the da Lapa vs. Cabral Winner for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

da Lapa vs. Cabral Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Douglas da Lapa – 25.5 Significant Strikes

The best part about backing fighters that throw in combination? They rack up strikes quickly.

Look no further than that closing clip of da Lapa’s fight with Machado, landing 9 significant strikes in less than 15 seconds. That’s an extreme sample against what was ostensibly a heavy bag, but working all three levels like that is how the numbers come quickly.

da Lapa will look to maximize what is a four-inch reach edge against the jiu-jitsu fighter on Tuesday.

Make Your da Lapa vs. Cabral Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

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Will Rentz vs. Luis Francischinelli Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, October 13

Fight Winner Payouts: Will Rentz 2.85x | Luis Francischinelli 1.38x (via PrizePicks Team Picks)

Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lbs.)

I’ve been covering MMA since 2019. A 6'6" welterweight is new for me.

That's Luis Francischinelli, a Brazilian fighting out of California like his teammate, Erick Visconde, in the main event. If you want to read about Visconde’s fight, my Bulaid-Visconde preview went live two weeks ago before a last-minute cancellation.

At 30 years old, Francischinelli  is the ultimate length bully. Beyond just fighting well behind his jab, he has made some memorable moments on the LFA scene with vicious step-in knees, front kicks to the face, and more unique attacks that he regularly makes part of his arsenal. It's an immense challenge — especially for the inexperienced guys he's fought on the regional scene thus far.

Yet, he could easily be on a two-fight losing skid and have not gotten an opportunity. He was rocked badly in his last fight as a huge favorite, surviving the early right hand and flurry to land a massive knee that was the beginning of the end. 

He did lose to Jonathan Piersma, 0-1 in PFL, two fights ago, in a bout where he was immediately taken down within 30 seconds of each of the three rounds. Exhausted from Piersma’s pressure, he finally tapped in Round 3.

While length can be helpful in MMA, being tall is not always a benefit. It can help with balancing through takedowns on your feet or at striking range, but "tall man defense" is a thing because these fighters are usually forced to back straight up with their heads on the centerline.

We'll see if Will Rentz can solve the puzzle. The former CFFC combatant is a teammate and/or prodigy of Billy Quarantillo, who is also a Tampa native.

Rentz's most noteworthy foe was DWCS winner Chris Alvidrez, who overcame getting taken down and controlled by Rentz for about three minutes to find a knockout just before the end of Round 1.

I think that exploited the very worst of Rentz, which is an occasional lapse in defense due to confidence in his durability. He's got an aggressive mindset that seems to be a "wear you out" style, with decent single- and double-leg wrestling takedowns. He broke down his last two CFFC opponents.

The consensus here, due to the Alvidrez loss, is that Francischinelli is just going to snipe Rentz in Round 1 with something, and I totally understand. I don't have full confidence in his defense or his chin against a guy with a ton of exotic weapons.

But there could be a version of this fight that defies that conventional wisdom. We haven't seen Francischinelli defend a quality takedown attempt since getting absolutely mopped there by Piersma. Plus, the cardio gap is wide between the American grinder and the Brazilian, who has wilted. That would bring a late Rentz finish into play.

Predict the Rentz vs. Francischinelli Winner for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Rentz vs. Francischinelli Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Rentz vs. Francischinelli – 3.5 Minutes Fight Time

All five of Francischinelli’s first pro wins were first-round knockouts, and Rentz’s one pro loss was a first-round knockout. It doesn’t take long to devise where this projection came from.

But it’ll really come down to just how many strides Francischinelli has made defending takedowns. If he’s floored as quickly as he was against Piersma, Rentz has shown really solid control and a pace that doesn’t quit.

Make Your Rentz vs. Francischinelli Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Smilla Sundell vs. Aline Pereira Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, October 13

Fight Winner Payouts: Smilla Sundell 1.21x | Aline Pereira 4.00x (via PrizePicks Team Picks)

Weight Class: Women’s Bantamweight (135 lbs.)

“Poatana” is here.

Many mistake current UFC bantamweight Alice Pereira for Alex "Poatan" Pereira's sister, but Aline Pereira actually is. She gets her chance to join her brother in UFC on Tuesday.

Last time we saw Pereira, she was a part of Jake Paul’s MVP MMA 1 in Los Angeles. She took on Jade Masson-Wong at a catchweight because Pereira couldn't make 125 pounds, causing the Brazilian to have a massive size advantage.

Many will see the "split" decision against Masson-Wong as a negative, and it kind of was. Jade is a bare-knuckle boxer who has fought two UFC alums, Jamey-Lyn Horth and Mandy Bohm, overseas. She was finished by both ladies. But the "split" in the decision was that the Canadian dominated Pereira in ground exchanges, which likely won't happen here.

Her kickboxing style is eerily similar to Alex's with the same strengths and weaknesses. She's got excellent kicks and maximized her reach edge over Masson-Wong with effective jabs. But Poatan's boxing defense has been lackluster his whole career, and she's been clipped clean but has yet to suffer the ultimate consequence.

That's where this fight with Smilla Sundell gets interesting. For the first time in her career, Pereira is facing someone larger with an identical reach, but she also doesn't have to worry about getting taken down. I'm not sure Sundell, 21, has evolved as an MMA fighter to that point yet.

"The Hurricane" was a ONE Muay Thai champion at 17 years old, so it doesn't take an expert to realize she's going to have excellent striking by MMA standards. She is an elite processor and doesn't even have to think about her shot selection, choosing to bury knees to the body or elbows to the side of her head at times.

The question in the general population of UFC will be if she can stay on her feet. At her age, she just seems to be at a physical disadvantage at this point because, when engaging in grappling situations, she does a lot of the right things mentally.

Logically, it’s a bit confusing that you would think the UFC wanted to do Poatan, one of the sport's biggest stars, a favor. But, when you look at this fight on the surface, Pereira is a significantly more mechanical, clunky striker who has struggled defensively. Sundell is a Muay Thai champion and one of the world's best prospects in women's MMA.

The one thing I will say, though, is that Teixeira MMA & Fitness, her training gym in Connecticut, is outstanding, and Sundell trains at a small Canadian outfit. That could be the brain trust needed to overcome what seem like extreme disadvantages in this matchup.

Predict the Sundell vs. Pereira Winner for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

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Sundell vs. Pereira Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Aline Pereira – 54.5 Significant Strikes

Both women’s bantamweight fights on DWCS went the full distance, and none of the fighters topped 50 significant strikes. Those fights featured a combined 11 takedown attempts, and the total is most likely 0 between these two developing strikers.

The question just becomes whether one of these fighters can close the show. Sundell is young, but her average fight time is under six minutes in MMA. Pereira has been the full 15-minute distance in all five pro fights.

The winner might dictate how long these two ladies are around to rack up significant strikes.

Make Your Sundell vs. Pereira Pick for DWCS Week 10 on PrizePicks

Make DWCS Predictions and Fight Picks on PrizePicks

For 10 weeks, Dana White’s Contender Series goes down every Tuesday, with a group of high-level prospects trying to impress the boss and earn a UFC contract.

Lock in your DWCS predictions for today's main card, which starts at 7:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+.

Just go to the PrizePicks app and pick More or Less on two or more UFC fighter projections for Dana White’s Contender Series and lock in your lineup to win real money on the fights if you're right.

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