UFC president Dana White awarded four contracts following Week 6 of Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, continuing the Tuesday-night pipeline that feeds fresh names into the promotion's 670-plus fighter roster.
The four signees include headliner Mayton Perea, who finished his opponent by knockout, plus three others whose performances cleared White's threshold for immediate UFC deals. DWCS runs every Tuesday night during its eight-to-ten-week season, typically yielding three to five contracts per episode. Week 6 landed at the high end of that range.
The move matters because DWCS is UFC's cheapest talent acquisition channel. White pays unranked prospects $12,000 show and $12,000 win on DWCS, then signs them to entry-level UFC deals starting around $12,000/$12,000 per fight with a standard four-fight term. Compare that to poaching a ranked fighter from Bellator or PFL, where guarantees start at $50,000 and signing bonuses run six figures. Since launching in 2017, DWCS has delivered over 250 fighters to the UFC roster, including current contenders Sean O'Malley, Joaquin Buckley, and Themba Gorimbo. The show streams on ESPN+, costs roughly $200,000 per episode to produce, and generates subscription conversions that offset the entire budget. White owns the format personally through Zuffa, licensing it back to TKO at cost.
Timing is relevant. TKO Group Holdings—which owns UFC and WWE—reported 42 UFC events planned for 2024 and has signaled a push toward 48 to 50 events annually by 2026. Each additional event requires 20 to 24 fighters, assuming an average card runs ten to twelve bouts. That creates constant roster churn. UFC cuts or loses approximately 80 to 100 fighters per year through releases, retirements, free agency, or failed drug tests. DWCS feeds the bottom of the funnel. The four fighters signed this week will likely debut on Fight Night cards in late Q4 2024 or Q1 2025, filling undercard slots in the $12,000 to $20,000 guarantee range.
The paddock detail: White's contract decisions are final and made immediately post-event. No voting. No committee. The fighters sit on stools in front of the Apex cage while White announces who gets signed and who goes home. It's theater, but it's also ruthlessly efficient. White sees five fights per DWCS episode—40 to 50 fights per season—and converts roughly 70% of winners into contracts. The losers return to regional circuits. Some get a second DWCS shot if their first performance showed something. Most don't.
What to watch: Season 10 has two to four episodes remaining, depending on whether UFC extends to ten weeks. Expect another eight to sixteen contracts before the season wraps in late February. Also track which of this week's signees land on the March or April Fight Night cards—those bookings typically happen four to six weeks out and reveal how quickly UFC plans to burn through the new inventory. If Perea gets a main-card slot within his first two fights, it signals UFC sees pay-per-view upside. If he's stuck on prelims, he's filler.
White has handed out 31 contracts through six weeks of Season 10, putting him slightly ahead of last season's pace and on track to deliver 50-plus new fighters by year-end.
The takeaway
Four DWCS contracts feed UFC's 2025 event expansion, restocking the undercard pipeline at the cheapest cost per fighter in the promotion.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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