Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 1 emanates from The Ultimate Fighter Gym on Tuesday (July 11, 2017) at 8 p.m. (ET) live on UFC Fight Pass. Former Titan FC interim welterweight champion Kurt Holobaugh battles CES featherweight champion Matt Bessette in a 145-pound main event affair.
Holobaugh (17-4) won the Titan FC interim strap by knocking out Gesias Cavalcante at Titan FC 44 in May. The UFC veteran has gone 8-2 since he was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2013. Meanwhile, Bessette (22-7) is riding a seven-fight win streak, with all of those victories coming by way of stoppage. The CES champion has also won nine of his last 10 fights.
In the co-main event, Triforce MMA product Greg Rebello looks for his seventh win in his last eight fights when he takes on Azunna Anyanwu. Rebello (22-7) was a contestant on Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter and boasts 13 career wins by knockout. The 35-year-old has fought 13 times under the CES banner. Anyanwu (13-4) heads into this matchup on a four-fight win streak. “Zulu” has fought 11 of his 13 career matchups under the CFFC banner, including a second-round TKO victory over Shawn Teed in his last fight at CFFC 63 in February.
Two of the best bantamweight prospects will also clash on the main card, as RFA standout Boston Salmon battles undefeated Ricky Turcios. Salmon (5-1) hasn’t competed since a controversial split decision loss to Zac Riley at RFA 43 in April 2016. The Xtreme Couture standout will look to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Turcios (8-0) has fought primarily under the Fury FC banner and gone the distance in five of his eight career matchups. The 24-year-old is coming off a third-round TKO victory over Legacy FC veteran Trent Meaux at Fury FC 12 back in September.
In the middleweight division, Legacy FC veteran Charles Byrd takes on late replacement Jamie Pickett. Bryd (7-4) was initially slated to take on Justin Jones (9-2), but an injury forced the UFC veteran on the card. The 33-year-old has won three of his last four fights, with the lone setback coming against UFC welterweight Bojan Velickovic in 2015. Pickett (7-2) heads into this matchup on a six-fight win streak, including four wins by knockout. The 28-year-old hasn’t lost since 2013 and has only gone the distance twice in his career.
Rounding out the card is UFC veteran Joby Sanchez taking on former Legacy FC champion Manny Vazquez. Sanchez (9-2) has won back-to-back fights since he was released from the UFC in 2015. The Jackson/Winklejohn product is 3-1 in his last four bouts and has won seven of his nine career fights by stoppage. Vazquez (11-2) has won four of his last five, with his lone loss coming against Steven Peterson at Legacy FC 56 where he dropped the bantamweight title. The 23-year-old is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Nate Williams at Bellator 175 in March.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds for the following bouts on the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 1 card today at Several Bookmakers…
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Main Event | Featherweight| 145 lbs
Matt Bessette +180
Kurt Holobaugh -260
Over 2.5 -185
Under 2.5 +145
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Here’s my interview with Kurt Holobaugh:
Here’s my interview with Matt Bessette:
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Co-Main Event | Heavyweight | 265 lbs
Azunna Anyanwu +150
Greg Rebello -190
Over 1.5 -165
Under 1.5 +125
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Here’s my interview with Greg Rebello:
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Main Card | Bantamweight | 185 lbs
Boston Salmon +135
Ricky Turcios -175
Over 2.5 -230
Under 2.5 +170
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Main Card | Middleweight| 185 lbs
Jamie Pickett -105
Charles Byrd -135
Over 1.5 -130
Under 1.5 -110
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Main Card | Bantamweight | 135 lbs
Joby Sanchez +100
Manny Vazquez -140
Over 2.5 -210
Under 2.5 +160
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Click below to bet on the fights!
