Dana White’s Contender Series Predictions, Picks Tonight – Week 8 (9/29/26)

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 8 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 8 – Tuesday, September 29

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 8 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: Loai Abushaar vs. George Staines — Lightweight
• Adama Diop vs. Zaubek Sabanov — Heavyweight
• Ian Escuza vs. Luca Borando — Featherweight
• Aieza Bertolso vs. Camila Reynoso — Women’s Strawweight
• Ilias Bulaid vs. Erick Visconde — Featherweight

We’ll list the payouts for who will win each of these featured Contender Series fights, via PrizePicks. 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!

Ilias Bulaid vs. Erick Visconde Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, September 29

Fight Winner Payouts: Ilias Bulaid 1.72x | Erick Visconde 2.00x (via PrizePicks)

Weight Class: Featherweight (145 lbs.)

This is a quality featherweight scrap between a high-ceiling Dutch prospect and a regional North American stalwart.

Ilias Bulaid is an incredibly talented kickboxer from the Netherlands, looking to become the first UFC rep from SB Gym in Utrecht. The speed of his kicks immediately jumps off the page to all three levels, and he's a fan of the spinning kicks.

His background does imply that high-level competition will look to take him down, and it hasn't bitten him to this point, but the sample is far from conclusive. I watched two of his fights, which left a lot to be desired.

As a 7-7 pro, Kewin Jacques was gasping for air and expiring to leg kicks a little past halfway in Round 1, yet a fatigued Bulaid used top control to make that fight last over a round longer than it needed to be. Then, a 4-7 pro (Eduard Demenko) met a similar end when low kicks turned into a sloppy takedown, and he fell into Buliad's only career submission.

Giga Chikadze seems like a decent promotion comparison. You clearly see the lethal precision and power of Bulaid's kicks that flash on tape, but those big actions require gas, and Chikadze's ultimate end — his ground game — hasn't been tested close to a UFC level.

Perhaps that's where a BJJ black belt, Erick Visconde, looks to attack. It might be a little predictable, but don't sleep on the 17-3 Brazilian as a striker:

Visconde’s compact frame at featherweight allows him to load those spinning elbows, tight hooks, and more. He's got really solid strength in cage positions and has six pro submissions as well.

He's got a really solid chin and understands the low-kick battle. That goes a long way in this particular matchup, and you can't deny an endurance edge after a five-round win in his last fight.

Bulaid is talented, but Visconde could easily stall on the cage to neutralize Bulaid's power, wear him down, and win a decision. It’s just a matter of whether he’s looking for a more emphatic win for this job interview.

Predict the Bulaid vs. Visconde winner for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks.

Bulaid vs. Visconde Pick for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks

Erick Visconde – 38.5 Significant Strikes

Bulaid’s extensive kickboxing background will grab the headlines, but Brazil’s Visconde is no slouch at distance.

With the use of jabs and low kicks at a distance, more than 10 significant strikes per minute were attempted in his best distance sample. That’s precisely where Bulaid would want the fight, too.

In a longer fight, both fighters should be able to accumulate stats, but I’d argue Visconde’s floor might be just a bit higher when he might be able to add a few significant strikes on top.

Make your Bulaid vs. Visconde pick for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks.

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Ian Escuza vs. Luca Borando Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, September 29

Fight Winner Payouts: Ian Escuza 1.92x | Luca Borando 1.85x (via PrizePicks)

Weight Class: Featherweight (145 lbs.)

Don't take a bathroom break when Ian Escuza is making the walk.

The 7-0 Peruvian has never been outside the first five minutes as an MMA pro. He's 5-0 with Inka, the Lima-based promotion, that has brought us Kevin Borjas, Jesus Pinedo, and, most recently, Piero Guaylupo — last Tuesday’s breakout star.

Not all of those guys train at Pitbull MMA in the same city, but it's a gym that consistently pumps 125- to 155-pound talent into the UFC. We didn't even mention Rodrigo Vera, James Llontop, Claudio Puelles, and others a moment ago.

During his most recent title fight, a 4-2 prospect from Argentina was flattened in 27 seconds by a body kick. Escuza's Muay Thai background gives him the ability to land those with immense power.

Plus, he showcased an overwhelming amount of power in an aerial guillotine of Eyner Tarrillo.

His opponent, Luca Borando, hails from the Cage Warriors promotion by way of Italy. It brought us Paddy Pimblett, Ian Garry, and, most recently, Sean Clancy Jr. as some of the best prospects I've ever studied.

But, for every one of those, there's a Will Currie, George Hardwick, or Chasen Blair hyped as "the next big thing" that ends up a dud.

Like Escuza, his level of competition leaves plenty to be desired. His most recent opponent, at 7-9 as a pro, will get the attention, but his last five opponents are 28-25 overall as pros, and 17 of those 25 losses are via finishes not from the hands of Borando.

"Educated" is how one could describe Borando's game, which is perfect for finishing off guys with fatal flaws. The southpaw has advanced footwork for his level, trying to work off his jab while blasting kicks to the body. He's got a heavy top game with solid positional knowledge and a good sense of when to posture up for damage and when to control position.

This fight, as a pick 'em, makes sense because it is the acceptance or denial of Escuza's unbelievable power, explosiveness, and highlights. If you think he's a total fraud who will fall flat in this first major test, I get it. If you think he'll thrive in a do-or-die environment against a guy who's been stopped 3 times since the start of 2018, I also get it.

Predict the Escuza vs. Borando winner for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks.

Escuza vs. Borando Pick for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks

Escuza vs. Borando – 4.25 Minutes Fight Time

Escuza’s Round 1 tendencies are noteworthy, but he’s also the underdog. So, what about Borando?

Well, he’s started a second round in seven of his last nine fights. But balance that with the fact he’s been stopped inside 10 minutes in all three of his stoppage losses, including a pair as an amateur.

This projection may well correlate to who ends up getting their hand raised on Tuesday.

Make your Escuza vs. Borando pick for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks.

Adama Diop vs. Zaurbek Sabanov Prediction for DWCS Tonight – Tuesday, September 29

Fight Winner Payouts: Adama Diop 3.57x | Zaurbek Sabanov 1.26x (via PrizePicks Team Picks)

Weight Class: Heavyweight (265 lbs.)

French promotional bragging rights are on the line as Hexagone's Adama Diop faces Ares FC's Zaurbek Sabanov.

In an ideal world, I'd like to sign both to a weak heavyweight division. Instead, we're getting the dudes facing Anthony Wint.

After reviewing Diop's tape with Hexagone, the only comparison that came to mind was Derrick Lewis.

Some will see that as an insult, but people forget "The Black Beast" with all the KOs on his record, was an athletic but slightly out-of-shape monster with otherworldly power and nasty ground-and-pound. He could stand up out of jiu-jitsu positions. The Senegalese fighter has that sort of strength.

A full 25-minute fight on his resume is surprising, given how most of them look, but he did well to manage his gas tank and win the Hexagone title over a 34-fight pro.

Immense speed or grappling offense may never be on the table for him, and being listed at 6'1" is surprising when most of his opponents are shorter on tape. That would be immense luck of the draw with heavyweights averaging around 6'3". That listed height would be a weakness, though.

He'll draw an excellent, versatile adversary in Sabanov here. His two notable appearances in Ares FC showed the different ways he can win. 

In his debut, he won a wrestling-based decision after shooting for a takedown in less than 15 seconds. In his most recent fight, he turned aside as a 12-2 pro via body kick in less than 90 seconds.

The former could absolutely be a problem for Diop, who doesn't have much wrestling footage on bottom, and it’s not exactly a strength for most heavyweights. However, this show's urgency does provide a little bit of hope that these guys will trade leather, and that could be a lot more fun.

While I'd argue a shorter fight definitely is the better outcome for Diop, I don't think a late charge against a tired wrestler would be crazy when he’s been deep in fights before.

Either way, this seems to be a competitive match, but the underdog’s game-changing power is really, really difficult to ignore.

Predict the Diop vs. Sabanov winner for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks.

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Diop vs. Sabanov Pick for DWCS Week 8 on PrizePicks

Adama Diop – 8.5 Significant Strikes

Counting significant strikes for Diop in this bout might be hysterical.

He could be held below 5 in victory or in a lopsided defeat over the course of 15 minutes. Both are a possibility against Sabanov; this could rely on his particular game plan.

In his 25-minute affair, I counted roughly 8.0 significant strike attempts per minute deep into the fight for Diop, so this is not a bout that those who select “Less” would want to see extended minutes at distance.

Make your Diop vs. Sabanov pick for DWCS Week 8 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.

Every week, you can 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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