In the immortal words of Morrissey: stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before: with three weeks to go in Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series, it’s safe to say that this season has already claimed a podium spot in the battle for the most entertaining seasons to date.
While I’ve been banging this particular drum for a couple of weeks now, with each passing series of fights, more excitement ensues, further proving my thesis. Some may want to call that premature because 20 percent of the season remains, while others may suggest that I have just doomed us to a lackluster final two weeks, but the facts speak for themselves: 35 new additions through eight weeks, 28 finishes in 40 fights, and at least one sub-90-second win in each of the last six weeks.