Jul 10, 2018
DWTNCS Episode 4 Recap: White goes against grain to give Espinosa a deal
Episode 4 on the second season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS) included Jordan Espinosa and Riley Dutro in a flyweight battle, but it’s hard to impress in a division that has such a low finish rate.
TSN.ca Staff
,For those who keep tabs on the regional scene in mixed martial arts, Kevin Aguilar is regarded as one of the top prospects outside of the UFC.
Not only is Aguilar the LFA featherweight champion, he has also successfully defended the title three times, including wins over Ultimate Fighter and Dana White Contender Series alumni Thanh Le and UFC veteran Damon Jackson.
Aguilar has brought variety to the table with multiple wins by submission, knockout and decision.
Two other prospects on the show sport rangy builds. Jalin Turner is a massive lightweight, who stands 6-foot-3 with a 75.5-inch reach and Bevon Lewis, a 6-foot-3 middleweight with a 79-inch reach.
The card got started with Turner and his opponent Max Mustaki going toe to toe in a round in which Turner nearly had Mustaki finished on several occasions, but his resilient opponent refused to quit and kept firing back.
Ultimately, the fight had something of an anticlimactic ending when the doctor stopped the fight between rounds 1 and 2 after Mustaki suffered a broken foot. The official result was a TKO victory for Turner.
The second fight featured flyweights Jordan Espinosa and Riley Dutro, who had a very competitive fight that Espinosa appeared to control throughout.
It was Espinosa’s second visit to the show after scoring a first-round win over Nick Urso last season, but this opponent was not as easy to defeat.
Dutro remained competitive throughout until he was dropped at the very end of the third round when referee Mark Smith stepped in and declared the fight over with just two seconds remaining.
Dana White was unimpressed with the stoppage and signalled that he did not want Smith to ref any more fights.
The third fight was a back-and-forth affair between Ricky Palacios and Toby Misech that exhibited the heart of both fighters. They were both going for it throughout and neither fighter was ever in danger due to their combined toughness. Palacios was the better of the two on this night and outpointed Misech en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The next fight featured the Team Jackson-Wink prospect Lewis, who many have mistaken for Jon Jones in New Mexico due to his similar build. The tall and lanky fighter showed off his dynamic striking with the most impressive finish of the night, ending the fight over his outmatched opponent Alton Cunningham by knee strikes from the clinch in the first round. Lewis scored the fastest knockout of the night, which likely would secure him a contract.
My two contract selections
Both Turner and Lewis showed the most upside. The difficult part is that Espinosa looks like a fantastic flyweight talent, but it’s hard to impress in a division that has such a low finish rate. That was the only thing that gave me pause, but ultimately I felt that Turner and Lewis were the right picks.
Dana White’s contract selections
White went in the other direction, giving the nod to Espinosa. He said that his matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard only wanted to give a contract to one fighter, but White went against the grain and gave Espinosa a deal. White also gave a prospect to Lewis, who was the obvious choice after his fantastic performance. Lewis had been put on a developmental deal after competing on the Contender Series last year.
Highest ceiling
Bevon Lewis exhibited a ton of skills and remained undefeated, but it’s hard to deny that Aguilar likely has the highest ceiling. He typically fights at featherweight and did not look great on this night, but if given the opportunity to fight in his proper division in the UFC, there is certainly a chance that he could be a ranked fighter in the near future. I expect that Aguilar will eventually get the opportunity to fight in the UFC and hone his skills at the proper weight class as he was clearly undersized.
Biggest question mark
At 23 and with a build that is similar to recent Ultimate Fighter competitor Luis Pena, the 6-3 Turner has a lot of room for growth. He has been knocked out twice previously, so he looks to be a hit-or-miss prospect.
Next week, DWTNCS features 20-year-old Maycee Barber, who has stated that her goal is to be the youngest champion in UFC history. While those are lofty goals, she has yet to defeat anyone with more than a few fights under their belt. She will face DWTNCS veteran Jamie Colleen, who won her fight last season and has a win over UFC strawweight Danielle Taylor.
Another fighter to watch is undefeated 20-year-old Edmen Shahbazyan who is managed by Ronda Rousey’s new management group and trains under her coach Edmond Tarverdyan.
Another interesting prospect is Chibwiken Onyenegecha, an undefeated 6-0 prospect with all of his wins coming by stoppage.
The Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series airs Tuesday nights at 8 pm ET during the summer on UFC Fight Pass.