Dana White's Contender Series 2023 Week 8 Play-by-Play and Results

Vinicius de Oliveira (136) vs. Victor Madrigal (134.5)

Round 1

Mark Smith will oversee this bantamweight clash to begin the evening. Oliveira targets the leg of Madrigal early. Madrigal walks forward, but he’s already absorbing heavy kicks to the legs and body. Madrigal shoots but Oliveira shucks him off and fires a straight right. Oliveira ducks under an overhand and connects with a big counter uppercut. Madrigal is undaunted, and he’s still moving forward. A head kick just misses for Madrigal. Oliveira backs his man up with a two-punch combination. Left hands are starting to get through for the Brazilian. A straight right by Oliveira makes Madrigal stumble back to the fence and “Lok Dog” follows up with a flying knee. It doesn’t land clean, but the Brazilian is still chopping away at his foe’s lead leg. Madrigal keeps on moving forward. Oliveira misses a right hand during an exchange in the pocket, but an ensuing left look lands clean to the chin. The blow sends Madrigal straight to the floor, his head bouncing emphatically off the canvas. Madrigal is out cold and Oliveira has a walk-off knockout victory — one of 16 KO/TKO triumphs on his ledger.

The Result

Vinicius de Oliveira def. Victor Madrigal via KO (Punch) R1 3:02

Carli Judice (125.5) vs. Ernesta Kareckaite (125)

Round 1

Jacob Montalvo will officiate this flyweight matchup. Kareckaite puts pressure on right away, throwing punches and getting in her opponent’s face. Judice fires right back, however, and both women are landing early. They’re trading punches and body kicks liberally. The flyweights clinch and Judice pushes the Lithuanian into the wire. They separate in a hurry and Judice lands a left at range. Kareckaite wades forward and connects with a right. Judice lands a nice knee to the midsection. Kareckaite pressures and lands a couple right hands. Judice answers with some punches of her own. They clinch against the fence, with Judice in control. Kareckaite reverses the position, and then Judice lands an elbow and a couple solid knees before they separate. Kareckaite fires back with a stiff straight right hand. The output continues to be impressive from both women. Judice is moving her head well on occasion, but Kareckaite keeps walking her down, mixing in punches and kicks. Judice tries for a takedown late in the round, and Kareckaite defends against the fence. Judice lands a short elbow and an uppercut in close quarters before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite

Round 2

Judice and Kareckaite trade kicks to the body. They clinch against the fence, battling for control before separating quickly. A body kick lands for Judice. A glancing head kick and a straight right connect for Kareckaite. Judice answers with a jab, uppercut and a knee. Another body kick for Judice. A left hook right high kick combo lands for Kareckaite. Judice continues to have success with her body kick. Kareckaite lands a lead elbow, but eats a straight right. They clinch, and Judice lands a couple short elbows in close. Kareckaite reverses the position and misses an elbow on the break. Kareckaite lands an inside leg kick and then backs Judice up for a moment with punches, including a few powerful rights. Judice punctuates a combination wiht a nice knee to the gut. Kareckaite kicks the body. A right hook lands for Judice, and Kareckaite shoves her opponent into the cage. Judice turns Kareckaite around. Judice looks for a takedown late in the round before they separtate. Another spirited exchange ensues before Kareckaite ends the frame with an unsuccessful takedown attempt.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite

Round 3

Kareckaite catches a kick and counters with a right, and Judice stumbles to the canvas. She hustles up as Kareckaite presses her into the fence. Judice reverses and lands some nice elbows in close. They break and Kareckaite forces the issue with straight punches. Judice forces the clinch and shoves Kareckaite into the fence. Judice backs off and they trade heavy leather. Judice goes body-head with a punching combination and Kareckaite stumbles afer landing a high kick. The pace remains relatively high as Kareckaite lands a combination. Both women are mixing up punches and kicks well, but Kareckaite continues to push forward. Kareckaite keeps the pressure on, landing more punches and kicks to the body. Judice is game, but Kareckaite’s volume is starting to take over. Judice has had enough and changes levels for a takedown. She gets Kareckaite to a knee but that’s it. Judice maintains a body lock against the fence. They separate with 40 seconds left. Kareckaite is leaking from the nose as she marches forward. They cllinch and trade knees and punches in close quarters. Judice fires elbows and knees until the horn, and Kareckaite answers in turn. A non-stop back-and-forth battle between these two, and Dana White is out of his seat to pay tribute.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite (30-27 Kareckaite)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite (30-27 Kareckaite)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kareckaite (30-27 Kareckaite)

The Result

Ernesta Kareckaite def. Carli Judice via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) R3 5:00

Danny Silva (146) vs. Angel Pacheco (144.5)

Round 1

Mark Smith will be the third man in the cage for this featherweight bout. Silva lands an impactful calf kick right away, then rocks and drops Pacheco near the fence. He’s back up but Silva lands a big elbow. Silva keeps the pressure on and touches Pacheco with a two-piece combination. Pacheco tries to tie him up but eats a couple elbows. They’re back at range and Pacheco seems to have recovered, throwing punches and a front kick. Another combination from Silva backs his man up. Pacheco absorbs punishment on the fence. A solid right lands for Pacheco, but Silva answers. Another hard calf kick for Silva, who follows with more punches. Pacheco is answering better now, landing his share of punches in exchanges. Now it’s Pacheco forcing the issue, mixing in punches with elbows in the pocket. Silva tags Pacheco with a body-head combo near the fence. Silva dodges an elbow and shakes his head. They trade in the pocket, and Pacheco mixes an elbow with clean body work. They’re both going toe-to-toe in the pocket. An uppercut and right hand connects for Silva. They’re continuing to do work in close. Pacheco digs the body and lands an elbow, and Silva tags him with an elbow of his own and a few jab. A furious exchange ensues in the waning seconds, with both men landing punches and elbows.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Silva

Round 2

Pacheco goes back to the body-head work. Silva kicks the calf. Pacheco touches his foe with punches in close. Silva sticks a couple crisp jabs. Silva lands a two-punch combo at range. They clinch and Silva lands an elbow on the break. Pacheco moves in behind a front kick. Silva snaps his head back with a straight left. An elbow-left hand combo connects for Silva. Silva tags Pacheco with a right hand. Pacheco is getting stung by punches more frequently. A big body shot from Silva causes Pacheco to cover up and back up in to the fence. Silva stalks his man, mixing in elbows, body shots and punches to the head. Pacheco is staying in the fight, but he’s reeling. Silva is the one moving foward, and he’s mixing up his shots well. But Pacheco keeps firing back with combos. Still, Silva is landing the more powerful punches at this point. Pacheco somehow survives another nasty body shot. Silva with a spinning elbow as they separate from the clinch. The dirty boxing continues, and Silva softens his man with more body shots. Pacheco tags Silva with a couple big rights to the head, and he’s working the body too. They’re both trading in close, when Silva lands a takedown with less then 10 seconds remaining. He can’t do much with the position before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Silva

Round 3

Silva leaps in with punches right away. He backs off and Pacheco tags him with a combination. Silva kicks at the body but it lands low and the fight is paused. Pacheco gets time to recover. The fight resumes in short order, and Pacheo and Silva are back to landing combinations. Silva with a solid straight right. Pacheco lands a pair of knees in close as they continue to fight in a phone booth. A body shot by Silva echoes in the venue. Pacheco’s ear appears to be torn in the middle of it all. It doesn’t stop him from keeping the volume up. Another body shot from Silva momentarily backs up Pacheco. Silva moves forward, thinks about a takedown and Pacheco angles out. Silva moves in with more hard punches and Pacheco is instructed to fight back by Smith. Silva gets a takedown and lands a knee to the body before Pacheco stands. They’re back to trading in close, basically playing Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Pacheco’s ear is flapping around and Silva targets that side of the head with an elbow. They stay in the pocket as time winds down. Both featherweights continue to throw punches in bunches right up until the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Silva (30-27 Silva)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Silva (30-27 Silva)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Silva (30-27 Silva)

The Result

Danny Silva def. Angel Pacheco via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Alexander Soldatkin (246) vs. Mario Piazzon (240)

Round 1

Jacob Montalvo will be in charge of this heavyweight clash. Piazzon shoots for a takedown right away. Soldatkin defends initially, but Piazzon gets him down to the canvas. Soldatkin stands against the fence, and Piazzon maintains his grip with double underhooks. PIazzon trips the Russian to the canvas and scrambles to his foe’s back. Piazzon drives a knee into the thigh of Soldatkin before he stands. Piazzon keeps the body lock and drags Soldatkin right back down. Soldatkin stands and tries to separate the hands of his opponent. Piazzon drags his man down and sneaks in a left to the head. He’s wearing on Soldatkin, making him carry his weight and driving knees to the thighs. Soldatkin looks like he’s getting frustrated. Soldatkin battles Piazzon in the clinch and lands a knee to the midsection. Piazzon pushes Soldatkin into the fence and lands a knee of his own. Soldatkin slowly pushes Piazzon backward, and the Brazilian nearly executes a throw. Soldatkin remains upright and PIazzon lands a knee in close. Soldatkin finally is able to break free and land a couple punches at the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Piazzon
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Piazzon
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Piazzon

Round 2

Piazzon forces the issue again, shooting within the first 10 seconds. They’re in the clinch, and Soldatkin fights off a takedown and tosses Piazzon to the canvas. The Russian has a rear body lock as Piazzon stands. Soldatkin separates and Piaazon misses on overhand. Soldatkin lands a big head kick before Piazzon closes the distance and shoves his foe into the fence. Piazzon is content to hang out here for a moment before trying to pull Soldatkin off the fence for a takedown. He eventually drags the Russian down to his knees. Piazzon is leaning on Soldatkin, occasionally landing knees to the thighs. Piazzon is doing little more than controlling his opponent, but Soldatkin can’t do much to turn the tide. Piazzon drags him down to a knee again. Soldatkin is trying to break the grip of his foe, and he is able to reverse the clinch against the fence. He can’t do anything with the position, and Piazzon turns him back into the fence. He forces Soldatkin down to a knee and drives a knee into his foe’s thigh. Montalvo urges Piazzon to work. Piazzon drags Soldatkin down, and the Russian attempts to stop the takedown by grabbing the top of the fence. Piazzon gets Soldatkin on his back just before the horn, looking for ground-and-pound. They exchange words after the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Piazzon
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Soldatkin
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Soldatkin

Round 3

Soldatkin looks to land some punches at range, and Piazzon quickly looks to close the distance. They’re tied up near the fence and Piazzon has his hand on the floor. Soldatkin nonetheless lands what is determined to be an illegal knee to the head of his opponent. Time is called, and Piazzon lays on his back in pain. Replays show that Piazzon might not have been bearing weight on his hand at the time the knee landed, but it appears that the commission is taking a different view. The fight is called just 20 seconds into the round, as PIazzon has not indicated that he can continue. Piazzon will win via disqualification in a forgettable bout.

The Result

Mario Piazzon def. Alexander Soldatkin via Disqualification (Illegal Knee) R3 0:20

Danny Barlow (170.5) vs. Raheam Forest (171)

Round 1

Mark Smith will referee the final bout of the evening. Barlow misses on a front kick early. They’re trading low kicks early. Barlow sneaks a nab in then lands a solid left. They trade and Forest lands, knocking Barlow off balance. Moments later, Barlow stuns Forest and he’s on wobbly legs. Barlow tees off with several left hands in close quarters and Forest is reeling. A straight left lands throught the guard and Forest stumbles against the fence. Barlow digs to the body with about three more left hands. Forest is just covering up at this point, and Smith steps in to prevent any further damage.

The Result

Danny Barlow def. Raheam Forest via TKO (Punches) R1 1:19