Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 9 | Week 1 Preview

It’s that time of year again…

Dana White’s Contender Series kicks off its ninth year on Tuesday evening at the UFC APEX, as the first five pairs of athletes make the walk to the Octagon in hopes of impressing the UFC CEO and earning the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.

Every year, the incoming class of hopefuls have a lot to live up to, but the Season 9 contestants truly have a high bar to clear to measure up to last year’s graduating class, as several members of the Class of ’24 have already started making serious noise in their respective divisions during their first year on the roster. But you could have said the same for that group, who followed the Season 6 crew…