Josias Musasa is the DWCS Week 5 fighter to watch

Dana White's Contender Series season eight continues on Tuesday, September 10 with new hopefuls looking to secure UFC contracts. Thus far, 17 UFC contracts have been awarded and, with five matches on the card, that list is sure to grow. Ten fighters will be vying for a chance to join the UFC ranks on the September 10 edition of DWCS but there is one fighter in particular to keep a close eye on. His name is Josias Musasa.

Known as 'The K.O. Wizard', Musasa fights out of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Having made his professional debut in late 2022, this marks only the second year in Musasa's short career. With mixed martial arts serving as his foundation style in the sport, Musasa has been a dominant force on the African combat scene. The division he remains a constant in has been the bantamweight, which has been known to be one of the most exciting on the continent.

Musasa trains out of the Elite Training Center under the guidance of Yadad Moser, who serves as the head coach. The gym has produced some prominent names on the African MMA scene including the likes of Jean-Jacques Lubaya, Juliet Ukah, Flex Munwe, and others. For Musasa, the journey to the UFC Octagon at the UFC APEX is one that has had quite the impact.

Musasa made his professional debut at Impact Championship 1 in November 2022, and he won that bout via a first-round knockout, which ended the fight in just 49 seconds. His second fight took place just one month later at AKO Face Off Fight Night 3, and he won that fight via a first-round TKO due to punches. In April 2023, Musasa returned to Impact Championship for their second event, and he walked away with a first-round TKO once more. Shortly after that, Musasa was announced to be a part of Kamaru Usman's AKO 2023 Championship tournament.

AKO Championship 1 took place in May 2023 and Musasa picked up a second-round TKO victory. To date, this marked the first and only time that Musasa has ever gone beyond the first round. After almost nine months of inactivity, Musasa made his return to the cage in February 2024, this time he fought at Nightmare FC 6. At the event, Musasa picked up a 19-second knockout victory, marking his fastest career finish.

With a five-win and zero-loss record, Musasa made his return to the tournament at AKO 3 in March. Sefving as the headliner, Musasa once again delivered a stunning TKO finish just one minute and 45 seconds into the fight. In late June, Musasa fought at the Impact Championship 3 event and, following a first-round knee, Musasa picked up the win once again.

At this point, Musasa has never seen the third round in his entire professional career and has proven to be a knockout artist. With a 7-0 record, Musasa received the call from the UFC, with a chance that could change the trajectory of his entire professional career. That opportunity would be on Dana White's Contender Series, which would take place on Tuesday, September 10.

Josias Musasa hopes to join the UFC's buzzing bantamweight division

Ironically, Musasa gets to step into the UFC Octagon with a UFC contract on the line the same week that the promotion's bantamweight division takes center stage on a pay-per-view. Sean O'Malley will defend his 135-pound gold against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, otherwise referred to as Riyadh Season Noche UFC. For Musasa, this is an opportunity for him to join the UFC's bantamweight division.

Musasa's opponent on DWCS will be the equally undefeated Otar Tanzilov, who has a 9-0 record. With Musasa and Tanzilov both being undefeated, this will be a match which will see one of these prospects' undefeated streak come to an end. For Musasa, this is a chance for him to secure a contract with the world's biggest promotion less than two years into his professional career, and it is an opportunity that he will certainly be looking to make the most of. Additionally, with this fight taking place just month before his 26th birthday, Musasa will be hopeful that this could be an early present for himself.