Dana White’s Contender Series 2024 Week 6 Play-by-Play and Results

Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada (154.5) vs. Dylan Mantello (156)

Round 1

Keith Peterson will officiate this lightweight affair. Hassanzada comes out firing overhands and kicks. The Afghan fighter is also spamming spinning attacks. Hassanzada shoots behind all that aggression and Mantello defends again the fence. He angles out and tags Hassanzada with a body shot after another failed spinning backfist. Mantello stalks and pressures with punches. A straight left lands for Hassanzada. Hassanzada throws a straight to the body and Hassanzada shoots for another takedown, driving his foe into the fence. He connects his hands and carries Mantello to the center of the cage before slamming him to the mat. Hassanzada is in his foe’s full guard. He punches the body and creates space for a short elbow. Mantello scoots to the fence in a seated position. Hassanzada maintains good pressure from above. Mantello nearly gives up his back as he attempts to return to his feet. Mantello is trying ot work his way up, but he can’t free himself from Hassanzada’s grip. He’s up with less than 10 seconds to go, but Hassanzada slams him down, perhaps a second after the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hassanzada
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hassanzada
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hassanzada

Round 2

Hassanzada lands an inside low kick and Mantello throws a straight to the body. After another low kick from Hassanzada, Mantello floors his foe with a beautiful straight right. Hassanzada goes into desperation wrestling mode, and Mantello lands some elbows as he defends against the fence. Hassanzada his giving himself some time to recover, however. Hassanzada continues to drive for the takedown, but Mantello is landing more elbows. Hassanzada is bleeding from the side of his head. Hassanzada tumbles to the mat and Mantello follows him down, landing in side control and grinding elbows into his face. Hassanzada is threatening a buggy choke, and Peterson orders the fighters to keep working, as it’s turned into something of a stalemate. Peterson has seen enough and orders them to break with Hassanzada still in the submission. They stand and start trading. Mantello lands some good right hands and Hassanzada tries for a takedown. Hassanzada pulls guard, and Mantello isn’t having it. Hassanzada is forced to stand and he immediately gets tagged. Hassanzada misses on a spinning attack and decides to fall to the canvas. Mantello drops a coupe hammerfists before backing away. They trade again late in the round, and Mantello gets the best of it before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Mantello
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Mantello
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Mantello

Round 3

Mantello lands a spinning elbow in close, giving his opponent a taste of his own medicine. Mantello stalks and rocks Hassanzada with a right against the fence. Hassanzada keeps his feet and he’s coming back with punches in bunches and a knee in close quarters. Mantello goes to the body but Hassanzada continues to swing away, likely surpassing Mantello in volume with a third-round rally. Mantello frees himself from a single leg attempt but Hassanzada is back on him against the fence. Hassanzada pulls him off the fence and puts Mantello on the mat. When Mantello stands, Hassanzada attempts to take the back. Hassanzada is able to secure a body triangle from a seated position. Mantello did not want to be in this position. Hassanzada slides his left arm underneath Mantello’s chin and the American is in trouble. Within a matter of seconds, Mantello goes out and this one is over.

The Result

Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada def. Dylan Mantello via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R3 2:41

Yura Naito (186) vs. Ateba Abega Gautier (186)

Round 1

Gary Copeland is in charge for this middleweight bout. Naito shoots immediatley behind a right. Gautier denies it and theu’re back at range. Naito resets and shoots again. Naito is looking for a single leg. He drops to his knees but Gautier keeps his feet. Gautier spins off the fence and Naito lands a left hook. Gautier lands a knee as he stuffs a takedown and Naito stumbles to the mat. Gautier lands a glancing knee while timing a takedown, but it’s not enough to prevent the Japanese middleweight from landing the takedown. Now Gautier is on his back in the center of the cage. Naito lands some elbows while working in the full guard of his opponent. Naito creates some space and lands punches from above. Gautier scoots to the fence, but Naito maintains the position. Naito drops a couple solid left hands. Gautier doesn’t seemto have much hope of returning to his feet, and Naito continues to chip away with offense from top position. The round ends with Naito in control.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Naito
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Naito
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Naito

Round 2

Gautier needs to remain upright to have any chance, and he backs his foe up with a combination at the outset of the round. He stuffs an ensuing takedown attempt. Naito is able to get inside moments later and put Gautier on the fence. Naito remains persistent in his pursuit of the takedown but Gautier is able to free himself. He lands some punches before Naito shoots again. Gautier drops Naito with a huge left hook and follows him to the floor, where he lands some hammerfists and short elbows. Naito is in survival mode now, and he has some serious swelling around his left eye. Gautier stays busy with ground-and-pound, but nothing that is threatening a finish. After a little while, Gautier postures up and with a little more than a minute left, and he’s raining down left hands on his foe. This time, the punches are having more impact. Copeland is taking a close look, and Gautier won’t be denied, as he finishes the fight with forceful ground-and-pound.

The Result

Ateba Abega Gautier def. Yura Naito via TKO (Punches) R2 4:00

Benjamin Bennett (171) vs. Joey Hart (170.5)

Round 1

Keith Peterson is the third man in the cage for this welterweight clash. Hart closes the distance and lands a couple jabs. Hart lands a leg kick. Bennett lands a jab of his own and the welterweights clinch following an exchange. Back at range, Hart is throwing long straight punches. Bennett moves in with his lead hook. Bennett is able to get inside and connect his hands. Bennett drags Hart to the mat near the fence. Bennett grinds away, lacing the left leg of his opponent. Bennett lands some punches with his free left hand. Bennett continues to land more shots with the left while keeping heavy pressure with his head. Hart is able to scramble up with about 1:40 remaining, but he hasn’t broken free of Bennett’s graps. Bennett drags Hart down again, and he does a good job of controlling the hips of his foe. Hart briefly gives up his back but he’s able to scramble up. Hart lands a kick to the body with less than a minute to go. Hart sticks a jab. Hart with another jab before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hart
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hart
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hart

Round 2

Bennett opens with a jab. They trade leg kicks. Both men land punches. A low kick lands for Hat. Hart is working well off his jab until Bennett changes levels for a takedown. Bennett is dogged in his pursuit of the takedown and he’s got Hart in a seated position against the fence. Hart is able to power his way up, but Bennett continues to grind away against the fence. Hart frees himself and gets back to range. He lands a combination. Bennett counters a low kick with a right. Hart lands a combination, but he doesn’t maintain the distance, allowing Bennett to land another takedown. Once again, Hart is seated against the cage, with Bennett looking to plant him on his back. Hart works his way up and frees himself again. Hart with a couple of right hands followed by a knee. Hart walks forward and they trade in the pocket. Bennett lands a couple jabs. Hart steps in and lands a nice knee to the body. Bennett shakes his head and gets a takedown late in the round. They’re up against the fence, and Bennett tries to grind away until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hart
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hart
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hart

Round 3

Hart lands a knee early. The taller fighter follows up with a leg kick. Bennett with a leg kick of his own. Hart catches Bennett coming in with a clean uppercut. Hart lands a body kick. Bennett snaps Hart’s head back with a right hand. Hart keeps pumping his jab. Bennett lands a double jab. Hart pressures behind a combination an da knee. Bennett yells at his foe, but he’s getting the worst of these exchanges. Bennett has landed enough to cut Hart, though. Hart with a combination, but Bennett moves forward and answers. Another solid jab for Hart. Hart comes in with a knee and gets cracked with a counter by Bennett. A left hook for Hart. Bennett is doing better this round. Bennett blocks a high kick and shakes his head. They trade and both men land solid shots. Bennett doubles up his jab. Hart goes high with a kick. Hart goes on the offensive late in the round, mixing up kicks, knees and punches to end the frame with some positive momentum.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hart (30-27 Hart)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hart (30-27 Hart)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hart (30-27 Hart)

The Result

Benjamin Bennett def. Joey Hart via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Talisson Teixeira (259) vs. Arthur Guilherme Lopes Pereira (218)

Round 1

Gary Copeland will ref this heavyweight pairing. Teixeira towers over his foe and lands a jab and then sits him down with a leg kick. The heavyweights are trading willingly, and Pereira is throwing wild shots against his taller foe. Pereira goes body-head with a combination and he tags his taller foe with more punches to the head. Teixeira lands a couple leg kicks. Teixeira lands some jabs. Pereira continues to wade forward into danger winging hooks. Pereira is showing no fear wading forward against his taller opponent, but he’s probably a little too wild in exchanges. They clinch briefly, and a knee forces Pereira to back away. Moments later, Teixeira lines up a perfectly placed straight right and floors Pereira. Teixeira lands a couple standing-to-ground hammerfists before Copeland is able to arrive and rescue Pereira. Dana White is clearly enjoying that one from his cageside seat as Texeira secures his seventh first-round finish.

The Result

Talisson Teixeira def. Arthur Guilherme Lopes Pereira via KO (Punches) R1 1:57

Aaron Tau (135.5) vs. Elijah Smith (136)

Round 1

Keith Peterson gets the nod for the evening’s featured bout at bantamweight. Smith lands a low kick early. Tau smiles as Smit moves in with a combination. Another low kick for Smith, who follows that with straight punches. Tau moves forward with a combination of his own. Smith backs Tau up with a combination. Tau is smiling after every exchange, but Smith is landing effectivley. Smith pressures and lands a hook to the head, but he can’t take his man down. They trade and Smith cracks Tau with a counter. Tau lands a low kick to his foe’s lead leg. Smith clinches behind a 1-2, and then executes a beautiful hip toss. Smith lands in side control and drops a couple of quick elbows. Tau scrambles up and clings to a leg. Smith elbows the head. Another scramble ensues and Smith lands a knee to the gut on the break. Smith lands a couple short punches and presses Tau into the fence. Tau is able to escape in short order. A right hand connects for Smith. Smith shoots for a single leg behind a series of punches and he gets Tau to the mat. Tau is active from his back, but Smith passes to side control, where he lands a couple hammerfists. Tau uses a single leg to scramble up and he dumps Smith on the mat at the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Smith

Round 2

Smith opens with a 1-2. Tau is trying to close the distance, but Smith is making him pay with punches. Tau lands a lead left, but some wild follow-up shots miss the mark. Smith is the more polished boxer in exchanges. An overhand left lands for Tau, however. Smith changes levels behind a combination, but Tau is able to reverse against the fence. Tau presses Smith into the cage. He tries to pull Smith off the cage, but Smith separates and tags his foe. Smith lands a 1-2 and then drops low for a takedown. He gets Tau down, and they’re in an awkward position on the floor. Smith gets a front headlock following a scramble, and he has a brabo choke locked in. Tau is grimacing as he defends, and Smith switches to a guillotine. Tau escapes and scrambles to his feet. Tau eats a clean uppeercut and sticks his tongue out. Smith tees off with more punches, but Tau is still firing back. Tau steps in and lands a heavy right. Smith sticks a jab. Tau walks forward and kicks the body. A straight right lands for Smith. Tau with a heavy right. An uppercut left hook combo lands for Smith. They trade until the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Smith

Round 3

Smith opens with a jab. Another jab for Smith and he just misses an uppercut. Tau pressures behind power punches and he’s landing. A left hook lands for Tau and he’s turning up the heat. Tau is stalking his man, and another hook lands for the Kiwi. Tau backs up Smith with a jab. A low kick by Tau lands. Tau is landing the majority of the effective offense this round so far. Smith seems to be fading somewhat. Tau continues to build momentum, stringing combinations together. Tau with a clean 1-2. Smity finally lands a combination, and Tau urges him forward. Now it’s getting wild as Smith goes on the offensive, but Tau denies a takedown from the American. Rather than take top position, Tau stands and lets Smith up. Tau pressures Smith and attacks the body and the head with more punches. Smith drops for a desperation shot and Tau sprawls. Smith is still landing, and both men are trading. It’s turned into a slugfest late in the round. Both bantamweghts are landing. Tau backs Smith up and lands a combination. Smith walks forward and responds. Smith lands solid punches, but Tau punctuates a combination with a big overhand right. Skith shoots and is stuffed. They stand in the waning seconds and both men throw caution to the wind in the final 10 seconds, emptying the tank in one final exchange. The horn sounds and Dana White is on his feet. A frenzied final round where both bantamweights laid it all on the line.

Sherdog Scores

Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Tau (29-28 Smith)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Tau (29-28 Smith)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Tau (29-28 Smith)

The Result

Elijah Smith def. Aaron Tau via Unaimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00