The best and worst from UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje

#3 Best: Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series continues to produce talent

Sodiq Yusuff was one of 6 veterans of Dana White's Contender Series to win in Philadelphia

One common criticism of the UFC’s practices in the past few years has been the way the promotion has unearthed prospects; essentially, the way they once did it, via The Ultimate Fighter reality show, simply doesn’t work anymore – not with Bellator willing to throw money at up-and-comers, as well as the TUF contracts generally paying low wages.

Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, on the other hand, has been working wonders in terms of unearthing prospects, and last night’s show proved that.

7 veterans of the show fought in Philadelphia, and while Kennedy Nzechukwu lost, Sodiq Yusuff, Marina Rodriguez, Kevin Aguilar, Kevin Holland, Casey Kenney and Alex Perez all picked up important wins and all of them looked good in the process, even if Kenney’s win was controversial.

We’ve yet to see the series produce a true title contender – unless you count rising 205lber Johnny Walker – but it’s surely only a matter of time, and the UFC would do well to ditch the tired TUF format for good and look to extend DWTNCS – either by branching it into other regions, or making it a year-round, perhaps bi-monthly deal.