Dana White’s Contender Series Predictions, Picks Tonight – Week 3 (8/25/26)

Not many sports have a job audition on live television, but mixed martial arts and the UFC are different breeds.

Every summer, Dana White scours local regional MMA scenes for the future UFC stars, 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 must impress the boss, making the bouts even more action-packed than weekly UFC events. In an even more unique twist, losers of wild fights can occasionally get signed.

The action goes down every Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+. We’re breaking down Season 10, Episode 3 with predictions, predictive analysis, and PrizePicks UFC picks.

Make your Dana White’s Contender Series predictions on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right on every fight!

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Dana White’s Contender Series Predictions Tonight for Week 3 – Tuesday, August 25

Before we get into our Dana White’s Contender Series predictions, here’s a brief intro on what to expect.

Season 10, Episode 3 of the Contender Series is expected to start at 7 p.m. ET, with the first fight on Paramount+. As usual, there are five fights scheduled. Here’s a full rundown:

• Featured Bout: Bella Mir vs. Alex Apodaca — Women’s Bantamweight
• Mario Piazzon vs. Guilherme Uriel — Heavyweight
• Gary Balletto vs. Sean Clancy Jr. — Welterweight
• Ronald Humphrey vs. Alexis Miranda — Welterweight
• Carlos Petruzzella vs. Nick Galanti — Middleweight

We’ll list the payouts for winners of each of these featured Contender Series fights, via PrizePicks Team Picks. For example, a 2x means the result will pay out $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!

Carlos Petruzzella vs. Nick Galanti Prediction for DWCS Tonight

Fight Winner Payouts: Carlos Petruzzella 2.85x | Nick Galanti 1.40x

Weight Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)

It's probably not ideal that, years ago, my first impression of Carlos Petruzzella was on the wrong side of one of those "when taunting goes wrong" examples in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA):

Even worse, that was finally the Argentinian's champion with Samurai Fight House’s chance to leave the small Uruguayan promotion for a global opportunity, and a good prospect demolished what seemed to be iffy striking defense fundamentals. Needless to say, that wasn’t what I expected from a teammate of Kevin Vallejos.

Though other tape is sparse, many of his finishes have been recorded as coming on the ground. That's probably why this matchup got made with New Jersey's Nick Galanti.

Galanti, the 7-1 CFFC champ at middleweight, has earned this opportunity in full. It’s still a little surprising, though, when White has shown a disdain for wrestling. That’s Galanti’s committed style with exceptional cardio, but he's still got plenty of strides to make with his striking, defensive jiu-jitsu, and retaining dominant positions.

However, against Bellator veteran and Xtreme Couture product Ty Gwerder, he showed outstanding third-round process from the back to work from a rear-naked choke to an arm triangle to realizing he'd just have to pound this dude out.

The American’s vastly superior level of competition is a huge building block in this fight. In theory, Petruzzella could be the more competent striker, aiming to put Galanti on a highlight reel, but the favorite has proven very durable. 

There’s not much of a distance striking sample because Galanti smothers that range immediately, and if that doesn’t change, he might dominate in his office.

Predict the Petruzzella vs. Galanti Winner for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks.

Petruzzella vs. Galanti Pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks

We know Dana pleads for quick finishes on this show, which is another reason it’s a bit surprising Galanti got the call. The position-over-submission wrestler has seen the ninth minute in three of his last five fights.

Petruzzella’s grappling fundamentals have also shined in Samuai, recording 7 submission wins and having never been submitted himself in 16 pro fights. An early positional mistake may seem somewhat unlikely.

Above all, Galanti’s only pro loss is by decision, and he seems to have that “Garden State” toughness and grit we’ve seen from other entrants from New Jersey over the years.

Petruzzella vs. Galanti – 6.25 Minutes Fight Time

Make your Petruzzella vs. Galanti pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks.

Gary Balletto vs. Sean Clancy Jr. Prediction for DWCS Tonight

Fight Winner Payouts: Gary Balletto 6.25x | Sean Clancy Jr. 1.06x

Weight Class: Welterweight (170 pounds)

I think the star of this episode might be 23-year-old Sean Clancy Jr. from Scotland.

Hailing from the same promotion that birthed Conor McGregor, Ian Garry, and Paddy Pimblett, “The One” is a 6-0 welterweight champion from Cage Warriors.

The Scotsman and teammate of Paul "Bearjew" Craig doesn’t embody the light heavyweight’s grappling style. He uses it as a defensive means to let his length shine at distance.

Clancy's striking offense is a defense-first, low-output approach, but he is accurate and creative in his use of his jab, kicks, and variety of punches. He's large for the weight class, so output is significantly tougher.

It's a striker's haven against Gary Balletto, a Bare Knuckle Boxing alum, in this one. Balletto has actually had three of those appearances since his last MMA fight, where he defended the Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA welterweight title. That promotion last gave us Billy Ray Goff as a former champion on this show.

Speaking of Goff, he knocked out Balletto in 2022. As another UFC measuring stick, Jeremiah Wells also needed less than 60 seconds to stop the American with strikes in 2018. I think there may be reason for some durability concerns at a higher level of competition.

At 31, Balletto is closer to his prime, but the favorite has been competing in a stronger regional promotion with room to grow, and he trains with Scotland’s best MMA gym.

Balletto could be the aggressor, but Clancy Jr. is long and sharp with counters, and he’s certainly got the grappling upside from his background and regional results.

Predict the Balletto vs. Clancy Jr. Winner for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks.

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Balletto vs. Clancy Jr. Pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks

Don’t get up to switch laundry or grab dinner while this fight starts. All three of Balletto’s previous matchups against UFC alums ended in Round 1. Clancy Jr. has found a finish inside six minutes in seven of his eight pro matchups.

The 6-foot welterweight’s length could be a problem for Balletto, who's likely conceding a couple of inches in reach.

Ultimately, the underdog's boxing background could prove useless if the Scotsman takes a grappling approach. It took 68 seconds for Clancy Jr. to find a submission in his last fight that began with an early takedown.

Gary Balletto – 13.5 Significant Strikes

Make your Balletto vs. Clancy Jr. pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks.

Mario Piazzon vs. Guilherme Uriel Prediction for DWCS Tonight

Fight Winner Payouts: Mario Piazzon 2.17x | Guilherme Uriel 1.56x

Weight Class: Heavyweight (265 pounds)

It’s pretty stunning that Mario Piazzon got another DWCS opportunity — and it has nothing to do with overall talent.

Piazzon was a poster child for what not to do on this show to get a contract. In Season 7, the heavyweight wrestled his butt off to land 13 of 26 takedown attempts, and he was a round away from victory and a shutout of Alexander Soldatkin. However, as he fatigued, he got hit with a questionably illegal knee and chose to stop the fight:

If there are two things White loathes, it’s fighters that wrestle and end fights due to inadvertent strikes. Doing both on the same night? Woof.

Perhaps it's the promotion's plan to have Guilherme Uriel put him on a highlight reel, and "Urso" does have heavy hands to land plenty of power shots. Things don’t always go according to plan, though.

Uriel is also a returner, having expired in just over six minutes last season against Josh Hokit. Most will hold that loss in high regard, but Hokit had him completely gassed and quitting in bottom position in, like, 3 minutes.

However, if you're looking for a surprise change from their previous appearance, we have one. Uriel weighed in on Monday at 241 pounds — noticeably better shape than the 265-pound guy who wilted against Hokit.

That alone doesn't guarantee his cardio has improved significantly, but it does potentially extend the window in which he can capitalize on Piazzon's lack of size. At just 5’9” and 238 pounds, Piazzon looks up at every heavyweight opponent.

If Uriel is in better condition, he was doing a lot of the right things defensively against Hokit, a top-five heavyweight. He may be looking for the early knockout as Piazzon could prefer to drag things into deeper waters.

Predict the Piazzon vs. Uriel Winner for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks

Piazzon vs. Uriel Pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks

With any approach, Piazzon’s counting total for significant strikes doesn’t figure to be his priority.

He landed just 14 significant strikes in 10:20 of octagon time three years ago. That was an extended fight, but "The Shark" just doesn’t like to stand and trade.

Plus, Uriel has early-finish upside, having never been to a seventh minute as a professional.

Finally, Piazzon’s effective reach disadvantage is much more than the one inch it sits on paper. At 5’9” to Uriel’s 6’1”, he’ll be looking up at a big brother figure for most of this fight’s time spent at striking range.

Mario Piazzon – 12.5 Significant Strikes

Make your Piazzon vs. Uriel pick for DWCS Week 3 on PrizePicks.

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Make DWCS Predictions and Fight Picks on PrizePicks

For 10 weeks, Dana White’s Contender Series goes down every Tuesday with a group of prospects aiming to impress the boss and earn a contract. Lock in your DWCS predictions for today's main card, which starts at 7 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.

Every week, you can also predict UFC fight winners, method of victory, and more on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money, available in 36 states!

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