The first of two mid-season weeks delivered another first for Season 9 last week on Dana White’s Contender Series as Shanelle Dyer became the first athlete to land on the unhappy side of the results, but still earn the opportunity to compete in the UFC. It’s only happened a couple times in the passed, most recently with Jose Daniel Medina, and becomes another touchstone moment in what has already been an exciting season.
In addition to Dyer, four of last week’s five winners earned contracts, including Caroline Foro, who defeated Dyer, and her Brazilian compatriots Samuel Sanches and Lerryan Douglas, as well as heavyweight Steven “Concrete” Asplund, while the fifth victorious fighter, Freddy Vidal, was booked for a return appearance in Week 10 following his last-second, short-notice win over Felipe Franco.