The penultimate episode of Dana White’s Contender Series 2025 stands for us, with UFC CEO and President White close to distributing a record number of UFC contracts.
Under the UFC hopeful in DWCS 2025 Week 9, Luke Fernandez, an unbeaten CFFC light heavyweight champion with a lot of raw talent. With a favorable set for Tuesday, the slow path can seem to bloom Fernandez in a real star in the weight class of 205 pounds of the UFC.
We have our breakdown and predictions ready for the upcoming episode of DWCs, so let’s go there.
Fly weight, Imanol Rodriguez (5-0) vs. Roque Junior (10-2)
Remarkable
- Rodrigues fought TUF this last season
- Rodrigues has a 100% finishing speed outside his last tuff fight
- Rodrigues is 0-1 for the decision (TUF Fight)
- Junior is 1-2 for the decision
- Both have questionable decision losses
- Both boys have all their finishes in two rounds
- Both have an entry a lot
Imanol Rodriguez
Advantages:
-Fast hands
-Harged hands
-Explosive
-Thrives in chaos
-Good bodywork
-Doed in combinations
-Exceptional finishing capacity
-Credible wrestling
-Scrambles
Disadvantages:
-To willing to exchange
-Soms with his head
-Dryless
-TDD needs some work
In my opinion (and many others), Rodriguez had to win his fight on TUF 33 to go to the final. Instead, the man he “lost” eventually won the show, and that’s why I think he gets this place. He came a bit too fast in the show, we thought, but during the show it was proven that he belongs.
Rodriguez is a striker in his core. Although he occasionally throws opponents to the mat, it is more about resetting the pace than the controlling position. His style is chaotic but calculated – he thrives in wild fairs, launches power shots with both hands, attacks the body and mixes corners. He is ruthless, with legitimate finish, and when he hurts an opponent, he knows how to close the show. His sustainability and knockout power enables him to take risks, and he is willing to absorb damage when pursuing the finish. That can also hurt him at the higher level, because a veterinarian can make himself a better pace and can leave Rodriguez away in the fight.
The game of Rodriguez is simple – around 60% chaos, 40% technology. He is the type of hunter on which you would bet because he puts everything on the line. However, there are still unanswered questions. How are he in deep waters? How does he deal with an elite wrestler? What does his ground game really look like? This fight may have come earlier than ideal, but regardless of the outcome it is a crucial learning experience for Rodriguez.
I had three big questions for Rodriguez who entered the Tuf house: how is he going in deep waters? How does he deal with an elite wrestler? And what does his ground game really look like? And I believe he answered it. It can be taken down and can place a poor position and be checked a bit. He also scribbled well and remains composed and defends the subs well. Rodriguez’s ground game as a whole looked good. He knew when he had to explode from positions, and in round three he dominated Morales on the mat, which is a great achievement for a young hunter.
Roque Junior
Advantages:
-Forward print
-Knockout -Racht
-Explosive
-Good kicks
-Goed wrestling
-Wasted the cage
-Goed Volume
Disadvantages:
-Head hunting
In the tape on Junior I did not expect much considering the level of Brazilian talent that was brought in this season – but I was impressed. He has a loss of 2020 for Hugo Paiva, at the time a solid prospect, so there is no shame there. His more recent loss for veteran Denis Araujo was a fight that I thought Junior should have won, which means that he could realistically ride a win with nine fights without official losses in the past five years.
Junior is primarily a striker and he has sharp hands. He would benefit from mixing more stairs and bodywork instead of trusting the main hunt so heavily, because his attacks can become a bit repetitive. That said, he exerts a steady pressure, cuts the cage well and throws with real intention. Adding more goal variety would make him even more dangerous, but he is already doing a good job to throw in volume and work from different corners.
His wrestling and ground game are more difficult to pin, although he seems to be able to hold his own everywhere. He shows a good consciousness in Klauteren – Save switches, defend Takedowns and constantly work to get up when he stands on his back.
Prediction: This should be a nice collision between two skilled strikers. Junior has the lead in rough power, but it is already. Rodriguez is the more layered striker – he works the body better, wears more speed and has the option to mix Takedowns if necessary. Junior’s strength and the tendency of Rodriguez to become reckless, let him live a big moment, but I lean in the other way. I think the pace and pressure of Rodriguez eventually bear Junior Down, leading to a late round TKO.
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