Dana White’s Contender Series: Vitor Costa vs Damian Pinas Preview & Prediction
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Middleweights are on deck for the main event of Week 8, as Vitor Costa throws down with Damian Pinas.
Vitor Costa vs Damian Pinas facts
What time are Vitor Costa and Damian Pinas expected to walk out?
Where is DWCS – Season 9, Week 8 taking place? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
What TV channel is DWCS – Season 9, Week 8 on? UK – Not televised / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream DWCS – Season 9, Week 8? UK – UFC Fight Pass / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
DWCS – Season 9, Week 8 card
Vitor Costa vs Damian Pinas (Middleweight)
Kurtis Campbell vs Demba Seck (Featherweight)
Louis Jourdain vs Magno Dias (Bantamweight)
Rashid Vagabov vs Paulo Henrique da Silva (Flyweight)
Christopher Alvidrez vs Eliezer Kubanza (Welterweight)
Vitor Costa:
The former Jungle Fight middleweight and light heavyweight champion, Vitor Costa (8-1) arrives on the Contender Series with a considerable amount of hype on his name. With six finishes evenly split between knockouts and submissions, Costa is a threat wherever the fight goes. While he appears to sometimes be a little too happy to brawl in the pocket, the Brazilian has an iron chin and plenty of power to help him prevail in a firefight. He's been perfect in his career since a TKO defeat in his debut, winning and defending the Jungle 185 pound strap before moving up to claim gold at light heavyweight.
Damian Pinas: "The Babayaga" looks to maintain his 100% finish rate
Fighting out of Nova Unaio, Surinamese native, Damian Pinas (7-1), has only seen a second round twice in eight professional fights. "The Babayaga" appears to possess knockout power in every limb, with six brutal KOs on his record to underline the danger he poses on the feet. The 23 year old Pinas' sole loss to date only came by way of disqualification, after he landed an illegal kick in the first round. While there are a few cans on his record, he's also beaten some fairly decent levels of competition considering his youth and overall levels of experience.
Vitor Costa vs Damian Pinas prediction
Pitting two middleweight finishers against each other for a shot at a UFC contract, this one should be an absolute barnburner while it lasts.
One could argue that Pinas has never legitimately "lost" a fight, considering that his only loss is by DQ. Dias has also been knocked out in his career, something that "The Babayaga" has never experienced. Pinas is clearly a devastating threat on the feet, and he could feasibly punish a momentary lapse in concentration from Dias with a monstrous KO blow.
However, considering that Dias' knockout defeat came in his very first professional fight, it's easy not to put too much stock in that loss. The Brazilian has fought decent levels of competition in his first nine fights, and he appears to be improving with every subsequent appearance. He's a multi-faceted threat wherever the fight takes place, and he arrives off the momentum of three consecutive championship winning performances in a decent promotion.
Pinas is a live dog in this one courtesy of his thunderous power, but Costa seemingly has more routes to victory.
Prediction: Vitor Costa to win
