Dana White slams 6' 5" middleweight and refuses to give him UFC contract despite stoppage win on Contender Series
11/09/2024 12:03
After a series of bouts sadly fell through, including one just a few minutes before the opening bell, last night's episode of Dana White's Contender Series ended with four athletes getting their hands raised.
Yet only three of those winners walked out of the Apex with a UFC contract, with Dana White slamming gigantic middleweight Yousri Belgaroui, despite winning his fight via a third-round knockout.
Dana White's Contender Series Season 8: Week 5 winners
Another week, another chapter of Dana White's Contender Series goes into the books, with three of the four fights last night in Las Vegas ending in a finish.
- Navajo Sterling def. Phillip Latu via second-round knockout
- Yousri Belgaroui def. Taiga Iwasaki via third-round knockout
- Josias Musasa def. Otari Tanzilovi via split decision
- Nicolle Caliari def. Carinne Laframboise via first-round submission
Even though he won his fight via a third-round finish, middleweight hopeful Yousri Belgaroui failed to earn himself a UFC contract, but why was Dana White so angry with the Dutch fighter?
Dana White refuses to give contract to one Week 5 winner
Whilst Yousri Belgaroui did look somewhat impressive as he scored a late finish against Japanese prospect Taiga Iwasaki, the performance was spoiled by a series of eye-pokes on the part of the Dutch 'Baby Face Assassin'.
Between the multiple fouls committed by Belgaroui and the fact it took him far longer to finish the fight than many expected, including the commentary team, Dana White not only refused to offer him a UFC contract but roasted him after the fact.
“He was an 11-1 favorite against a guy who took the fight on short notice,” he told Laura Sanko after the events conclusion.
"He’s a 6-foot-5 middleweight [but] instead of closing his hands and using them to keep [Iwasaki] off of him to finish him, he poked him in the eyes five or six times, or four or five times – whatever the number was.
"He did not impress me tonight, I’m not interested [in signing him to the UFC].”
Whilst Belgaroui himself has not yet responded to Dana White's comments, he did re-share a post from a fan on his Instagram page which asked the UFC President to reconsider his decision.
"I am sorry that you didn't make it, but there's still time for you to join. Keep your head up high Yousri, Dana White should reconsider signing him."
In such situations where fighters win their bouts but fail to impress the boss, there's usually speculation that they could return on a later episode or season in the hopes of making amends.
However, it's unlikely that Belgaroui will be given that opportunity, having already fought on the Contender Series back in 2023 – he lost that fight via a unanimous decision.
Belgaroui had previously competed in both the Level's Fight League and UAE Warriors promotions.
