Dana Whiteโs Contender Series (DWCS), Season 8 ended on Tuesday. But not before one last emphatic performance and callback. Consequently, it was hard to decline Nick Klein, given he was all praises for G.O.A.T. Jon Jones! Though thatโs not just what he did, Kleinโs call seconds after his win has gone quite viral. That โ and him getting an โundeniableโ contract right after. Coincidence? Jonesโ retractors think not.
Klein (6-1) stormed through Brazilian Heraldo Souza (9-2-1) in a fight fought on eight daysโ notice. With short-notice performances being the rage it is, itโs a true mark of a brawler willing. That and Kleinโs viral energy is just something, like a demon lovechild of Jim Miller and tiptop top-acumen talker Renato Moicano.
He finished the Standout Fighting Tournament welterweight champ with a 31-second rear-naked choke at Dana Whiteโs Contender Series 76 and went straight for the UFC CEOโs corner in celebration.
The celebration was so over-the-top that White just hit back with his โyes he isโ affirmation. When the 55-year-old UFC bossman presented energy and viral snippets as a show seller for his favorite Contender Series, none had thought this would be the code. But given how Dana White goes out on a limb even against media scrum to defend โabsolute bestโ Jones and his No. 1 pound-for-pound 1, itโs hardly a surprise.
Contender Series fighter cracked the code on how to get a UFC contract from Dana White ๐ pic.twitter.com/BL0exhf3f6
โ Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) October 17, 2024
For a while, Dana White himself played into the memes of glazing fighter Jon Jones on social media. With โBonesโ returning to stretch his incumbent reign at the UFC 309 pay-per-view top bill, November, anticipation is high. Hence, this just struck the right chord. Whatโd be really whimsical is White going a 180 soon with Klein. However, the fighter has a good mettle to carry on, sans Jones.
Grading Contender Series 76โs Nick Klein: What else gets a UFC contract
Dana Whiteโs Contender Series burst onto the scene seven years ago dangling a tantalizing promise. It was right in the name of the show. This on-ramp for developing UFC talent didnโt have that legend Jon Jones charms or crowd-bursting nostalgia. But it promised contenders, and it delivered.
The blustery and neo-swagger ex-bantamweight kingpin Sean OโMalley came from these lanes. Names like NCAA Division I national champion wrestler Bo Nickal fought in the milestone April UFC 300 pay-per-view. DWCS Alex Perez has made a bid for the UFC menโs flyweight gold. Taila Santos has made her bid for the womenโs flyweight. Nick Klein could be just the same.
DWCS-discovered title scrapper or not, every fighter has shown some mettle and prerequisites. Good quality of judgment, the urge to finish fights, and so on. With how MMA scoring goes, hunting that crackling finish in whatever manner also gets a contract.
In the past to past season, White has taken his criteria for signing fighters in an interesting new direction. After Carlos Candelario suffered his first career defeat to Victor Altamirano, he billed a new respect for dogfights. Hence, chasing that (sometimes elusive) finish isnโt all. It is the size of the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight.
Underdog Nick Klein defeated Souza via submission (rear-naked choke) โ well into R1, 0:37 mark. The sharp eye brawler went headhunting when Souza carelessly gave his back after giving away a takedown. While the ceiling of his competition isnโt high yet, he is good on will and effort. The short-notice Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt submitted a BJJ black belt and advanced to brown. Klein will only make strides if he gets his debut fight early.