The fourth week of Dana White's Contender Series did not disappoint as four contracts were awarded. There were three knockouts in and two went to the scorecards, but they were entertaining, nonetheless. The knockout of the season could have occurred last week when Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani stopped Jack Congdon with a head kick, which froze him. Week five of DWCS starts on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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Dana White's Contender Series Week 5
(Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Lightweight: Chasen Blair vs. Samuel Sanches
Chasen Blair fought Kody Steele on DWCS last year, but lost via knockout and returned to Cage Warriors. He won via rear-naked choke in April of this year over Diego Visanzay in his return to fighting. He is fighting Samuel Sanches, who is 10-1 as a professional from Brazil. His only loss came via heel hook in 2022 in Qualify Combat.
Blair fought Steele last season on short notice and returned for a chance to earn an UFC contract. Sanches is the slightly bigger man, but he has strayed away from grappling in recent fights. He does not pack much power into his strikes, while Blair is developing into a more effective striker. Blair also defended Steele's takedowns well last year, so he should defend Sanches' grappling attacks.
Blair wants to implement his offensive wrestling, but he must remain safe on his feet to set it up. He is the better grappler and can hunt submissions against Sanches once they find the mat. I like Blair to win this fight by submission, but betting him straight up offers less risk.
Pick: Chasen Blair (-105)
Women's Strawweight: Shanelle Dyer vs. Carol Foro
The first women's matchup of the season is an interesting clash of striking styles. Shanelle Dyer is 6-0 as a professional with extensive amateur experience. She lost to Shauna Bannon and Ivana Petrovic, both of whom have fought in the UFC. Dyer is a four-time Muay Thai World Champion and is 3-0 in the PFL.
Carol Foro is 8-1 as a professional, but is on a six-fight winning streak. Foro is a pressure striker, very similar to Jessica Andrade. She is also smaller and will have a four-inch reach disadvantage. Dyer is a kick-heavy striker with a Muay Thai background. She is highly technical and polished as a young fighter. She struggles against fighters who can wrestle, but Foro has not shown much grappling in recent fights.
Foro's obvious path to victory is wrestling, but her pressure striking style should fare well against Dyer, who does not react well to pressure. Dyer wants to strike from range, while Foro will throw bombs inside the pocket. Foro can use her boxing skills, especially in the danger zone, to make Dyer uncomfortable. Dyer will look to land kicks and strike from range to thwart Foro's pressure. It is a tricky matchup, but Foro can spoil Dyer's undefeated record by battling through some adversity and making this a gritty fight. I like Foro to win this fight using her pressure attack.
Pick: Carol Foro (+140)
