Fans are less than a week away from the return of Dana White’s Contender Series, a program and phenomenon of a weekly event in which fighters from around the world compete in front of UFC CEO Dana White, not only looking to win but to impress. If they do impress, they’re rewarded with a UFC contract and the opportunity of a lifetime.
There have been a total of 245 contracts given out since Season 1 which took place in 2017 and the number continues to rise each year. With the contract comes the chance for the fighters to not only be part of the UFC roster but, in the case of some, superstardom is there for the taking as well.
We’ve seen champions and stars come from the Contender Series and as fans prepare for the 2024 Season, here’s a look at five of the biggest stars to come out of the program. Two champions, two fighters on their title path, and an extremely young star.
1) Sean O’Malley – Reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion
The Suga Show began on Contender Series in 2017 with Snoop Dogg on commentary and even the hip-hop legend knew a star had been born on that night. O’Malley has been a freight train of star power and talent all in one. O’Malley claimed bantamweight gold from Aljamain Sterling in 2023 and has since defended it once thus far against Chito Vera earlier this year.
When you’re looking for the perfect creation of a superstar from the Contender Series, O’Malley checks all the boxes. Finishes fights, great on the microphone, and his own unique look, Sean O’Malley has become the perfect finished product from Contender Series, and at 29-years old, he’s got the fight world in the palm of his hands.
2) Jamahal Hill – Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
If it wasn’t for an unfortunate out-of-competition injury, Hill could still very well be at the top. After his first professional loss in 2021, Hill went on a four-fight winning streak which was capped off by winning the Light Heavyweight title from Glover Teixeira. In his most recent fight, Hill was on the wrong end of a knockout to Alex Pereira at UFC 300. Including his Contender Series fight, Hill has 5 finishes all by knockout in the promotion.
Not afraid to speak his mind, be his original self, and the power to put anyone away, Hill will have to climb back to be champion but he’s made the most of his five years with the promotion.
3) Maycee Barber – The Future Has Arrived
Not where she wants to be just yet, Maycee Barber is well on her way. Barber arrived on Contender Series in 2018 and proclaimed she would be the youngest champion ever. Due to injuries her path has been slowed down, but Barber is currently on a six-fight winning streak and is undeniably a flyweight title contender. She has backed up all of her talk and has only suffered defeat twice during her UFC tenure.
There is no doubt the UFC needs more female stars and Barber has shown all the potential to be that and more, especially if she’s able to become world champion.
4) Bo Nickal – A Dominant Rising Contender
Undefeated in his career to begin, Bo Nickal has exploded onto the scene and has all the makings of everyone else on the list as well. Nickal also benefits from being part of the middleweight division, one of the most talented and polarizing divisions in the UFC.
Not only is he undefeated in his six-fight pro career, but Nickal has picked up every win by finish, five in the UFC including Contender Series, four of which came in the first round. He doesn’t shy away from calling out the best contenders in the division. There’s no shyness from Nickal who has backed up everything he’s said and has become appointment viewing at 185 pounds.
5) Raul Rosas Jr. – Just Getting Started
The youngest fighter in the UFC, the youngest fighter in history to get a win in the promotion, and it’s truly just the beginning for Raul Rosas Jr. Including his fight in Contender Series back in September of 2022, Rosas has fought five times and despite suffering his first professional loss, the future remains incredibly right.
Rosas is not yet on his path to a title just yet, but the UFC has years to work with him and watch him grow. Similar to a young Max Holloway who found himself in exciting fights early on and became must-see TV, Rosas can grow and mature in the promotion which has invested so much into him at a young age. He’ll be featured on the massive UFC Noche card, catering to the Mexican fanbase and showing just yet another success thus far out of the Contender Series winners.
There are plenty more names that have shined since being awarded a contract in Contender Series and if history continues, the 2024 season will produce even more must-see talent as the future of the UFC.
