Dana White’s Contender Series expected to begin sixth season on July 26

A new season of events featuring up-and-coming fighters looking to earn a spot on the UFC roster is slated to begin in July.

On Tuesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission approved 10 events for the sixth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, which takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas and will air Tuesday nights on ESPN+.

The first event is scheduled for July 26, with the season’s final episode set to take place Sept. 27.

DWCS typically features five-fight cards where prospects compete in front of UFC president Dana White, along with matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. At the end of each event, the trio put their heads together and White awards UFC contracts to the fighters that shone most.

This past season saw a record number of contracts awarded with 39, two more than the previous record of 37 awarded in Season 4. Including the three-fight season featuring Brazilian fighters in 2018, a total of 156 contracts have been given out since the program began in July 2017. Contract winners in the past include Sean O’Malley, Geoff Neal, Alex Perez, Grant Dawson, Adrian Yanez, and Maycee Barber.

The full lineups will be revealed as time goes on, although MMA Fighting has confirmed that a matchup between Vitor Petrino and Rodolfo Bellato is set for the Sept. 7 card.