It’s that time again! Contender Series is back with 10 straight weeks of mixed martial arts (MMA) action, beginning at 8 p.m. ET TONIGHT (Tues., Sept. 23, 2025) on ESPN+. For what it’s worth, six fighters (including a loser) earned UFC contracts last week (results here).

For entering UFC 320 as champs, Magomed Ankalaev and Merab Dvalishvili lead the Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout.

Ankalaev ended Pereira's run as light heavyweight champion at UFC 313 in March, a run that came after Pereira jumped up in weight after losing the middleweight title. On that night, Ankalaev was able to use his clinch game to smother Pereira and take him out of a comfortable range for his dangerous strikes.