Keep an eye on Bruno Lopes in Week 1 of 'Dana White's Contender Series'

For the next 10 Tuesday nights, UFC fans will get five extra fights per week with "Dana White's Contender Series" back for its eighth season. 

The opening episode of the season will be headlined by prospects Mansur Abdul-Malik and Wes Schultz, but the best fighter of the night could end up being Bruno Lopes in his second attempt at securing a UFC contract.

Over the past five years, the show has essentially become a gateway into the UFC with over 40 fighters receiving contracts in each of the past three seasons. As one of the fighters from the seventh season with the most hype behind his name, Lopes was not one of the 46 fighters who received a contract in 2023, but he will return one year later after picking up another win in the LFA.

Anybody who has not seen Lopes fight outside of his lone DWCS fight would not believe the hype behind his name. But other than the one loss on his record, he is as polished as a regional prospect can be. With elite athleticism for his size, Lopes has power in his hands and above-average striking, but is fully in his element once the fight hits the ground.

In his second chance at DWCS, Lopes will face Georgian prospect Mikheil Sazhiniani in the third of five fights on Tuesday.

While Lopes gained attention on the Brazilian regional scene as an undefeated fighter with elite grappling skills, he firmly put himself on the UFC radar once he debuted in the LFA and quickly became the promotion's light heavyweight champion.

The Brazilian won the belt at LFA 143 with a dominant TKO win over Willyanedson Paiva, a performance that earned him his original shot on DWCS. After suffering the first loss of his career, Lopes returned to the LFA to defend his title and did so in impressive fashion by submitting Marcos Brigagao in the closing moments of the second round.