Fighters from Russia, and the Republic of Dagestan in particular, are a familiar sight on Dana White's Contender Series, but this week’s crop of Ultimate Fighting Championship hopefuls features a bit more than the norm.
After Lucas Rocha came in five pounds heavy for his scheduled flyweight clash with Davi Costa at Monday’s weigh-ins, DWCS 2023, Week 9 is left with just four bouts, but those fights feature solid prospects all around, including a potential and much-needed infusion of new talent to the light heavyweight division.
Of particular interest are undefeated light heavyweights Murtaza Talha Ali and Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, who face Rodolfo Bellato and Jose Medina, respectively.