Somehow, we’ve already reached the midway point of Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series. After waiting months for the annual Tuesday night talent search to return, four weeks have already gone by the boards and we’re sitting at the start of the two-week shift from the first half of the season to the second half.
Part of the reason things have felt so quick is that over the last three weeks, the action at the UFC APEX has been thrilling and produced a steady stream of new grads matriculating to the UFC roster. During that span, 12 of the 15 bouts have ended inside the distance and 14 of the 15 victorious athletes have earned the call to the Octagon, with LFA flyweight champ and TUF alum Eduardo Chapolin standing as the lone outlier, though chances are we’ll see him on the big stage at some point soon if he just keeps stacking up wins.