Ranking all the DWCS Season 1 contract winners

Without any doubt, Dana White's Contender Series has changed a lot about how the UFC operates. Since the show's inception in 2017, it has essentially become the gateway into the world's largest MMA promotion, thus leading to several stars and successful fighters coming out of the program.

Dana White's Contender Series, or DWCS, debuted in the fall of 2017 with a simple concept: ten fighters would compete for a spot on the UFC roster. Each week, five fights would occur in front of a small audience with White sitting cage-side, picking his favorite performances of the night to be awarded a UFC contract at the end of the episode.

In 2024, most MMA fans are highly aware of DWCS and the impact it has on the UFC. Most fighters are now a product of the show and each week, almost every fighter who wins on the episode is awarded a contract.

However, in season one, the show was truly at its peak. Snoop Dogg was commenting on the action alongside Urijah Faber and most weeks, only one fighter was given a contract. The original concept of the series was an immediate hit and not the watered-down version that airs in the present day.

Now, seven years after the conclusion of the inaugural edition of DWCS, it is time to reflect on the success each fighter in the first season had in the UFC. Here are our rankings for each of the 16 fighters who won a contract in season one of DWCS:

Note: Bevon Lewis was given a developmental contract on the season but was not officially signed to the UFC until DWCS season two and therefore not included in this list.

16. Joby Sanchez

It took him two tries, but Sanchez eventually got signed by the UFC off DWCS in the seventh week of the first season. Sanchez beat Manny Vazquez in the first week but was merely offered a second fight on the show, finishing JP Buys by TKO six weeks later to get officially signed.

As it would turn out, Sanchez would fight as many times on DWCS as he would in the UFC. Debuting in the promotion in 2018, Sanchez would go 0-2 against Roberto Sanchez and Mark De La Rosa and be cut shortly after.

Since his UFC career has ended, Sanchez has gone 2-1 back on the regional scene, including a loss to eventual UFC title challenger Brandon Royval. He last competed in 2019, beating Jose Alday at Combate 46.

As a certified EMT, it is unclear if Sanchez is still pursuing a career in MMA. At press time, he is still just 32 years old.