Dana White’s Contender Series: George Staines vs Loai Abushaar Preview & Prediction
by Gabriel Sheehan ·
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Lightweights close out Week 8, as George Staines makes his much anticipated Contender Series bow against Loai Abushaar.
George Staines vs Loai Abushaar facts
What time are George Staines and Loai Abushaar expected to walk out?
Where is DWCS – Season 10, Week 8 taking place? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
What TV channel is DWCS – Season 10, Week 8 on? UK – Not televised / USA – Not televised
Where can I stream DWCS – Season 10, Week 8? UK – UFC Fight Pass / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
DWCS – Season 10, Week 8 card
George Staines vs Loai Abushaar (Lightweight)
Ilias Bulaid vs Erick Visconde (Featherweight)
Camila Reynoso vs Aieza Ramos Bertolso (Women's Strawweight)
Ian Escuza vs Luca Borando (Featherweight)
Zaurbek Sabanov vs Adama Diop (Heavyweight)
George Staines: Can the Next Gen prospect deliver on the hype?
Serving as the latest hot prospect out Liverpool’s Next Gen MMA gym, George Staines (10-0) arrives on the Contender Series with a considerable degree of hype. A decorated amateur and IMMAF European winner, the 26 year old Hull native has fought the entirety of his career in Oktagon and Cage Warriors to the tune of an undefeated record and four finishes across ten fights. Staines pushes a relentless pace in kickboxing range, but it’s on the ground that he really shines; “Saint” has suffocating top control, punishing GNP, and an excellent submission game. However he’s also capable of grinding out a convincing decision if the finish doesn’t materialize.
Loai Abushaar: The towering striker in search of another KO
Currently riding a four fight win streak, Palestinian-American prospect, Loai Abushaar (7-1) looks to produce the biggest win of his career come Tuesday night. A powerful striker with an opportunistic submission game, the towering Abushaar stands 6’4” tall, leveraging his long frame to wrap up chokes or land devastating shots at range. However, while he’s looked pretty sensational in regional level promotions, Abushaar doesn’t have the best resume behind him; a brutal KO over the undefeated Edmund Kwan is the only result that jumps out when looking at his strength of schedule.
George Staines vs Loai Abushaar prediction
The Next Gen stable have been extremely vocal about Staines’ potential as the gym’s next big star, and I’m inclined to agree.
“Saint” George is big for the weight class, has an excellent ground game, and has fought the entirety of his young career in respected European promotions like Cage Warriors and Oktagon. Unlike many young prospects, Staines is no can crusher either; the Englishman has been consistently fighting and beating solid levels of regional opposition in his young career. He’s only 26 and has plenty of room to evolve further.
Abushaar is a massive lightweight and does have a size advantage here. He’s also probably the more naturally powerful of the two men, but outside of these physical attributes, it’s hard to identify an area where he might have the edge over Staines. Furthermore, his strength of schedule pales in comparison to the Next Gen prospect’s; nearly half of his wins have come against opponents with losing records and he’s also been finished in less than a minute by regional level opposition in his sole loss.
I believe that if Staines can avoid running into a huge knee up the middle as he closes the distance, he should take this one comfortably.
Prediction: George Staines to win
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