Ranking all the DWCS Season 1 contract winners

13. Allen Crowder

New UFC fans likely are unfamiliar with Crowder and his brief UFC run but older fans are likely to remember the heavyweight's name despite having just three fights in the Octagon.

In the final week of the season, Crowder earned his spot on the roster with a TKO win over eventual UFC heavyweight Don'Tale Mayes. In being awarded with a contract for his performance, Crowder was the first heavyweight product of DWCS and only 265-pound fighter to be signed off season one of the show.

In the UFC, however, Crowder's career would last just a total of 10:10 with a 1-2 record.

His official debut at UFC 218 would last just two minutes before suffering a knockout loss to Justin Willis. After a year-long layoff, Crowder would "rebound" with a disqualification win in the infamous UFC debut of Greg Hardy. The win would end up being the final of his career and only victory in the Octagon.

Five months after the win over Hardy, Crowder faced another young hype train in Jairzinho Rozenstruik. In what still stands as one of the quickest knockouts in UFC history, Crowder was immediately dropped by a jab from Rozenstruik and put out cold with ground-and-pound in just nine seconds.

Shortly after the loss to Rozenstruik, Crowder retired from MMA, stating the final three fights of his career had given him permanent head injuries and memory loss. He was just 30 years old at the time of his final fight.

While he is no longer a professional fighter, Crowder has not left the MMA scene completely. As of 2024, Crowder is the head coach and owner of the Scorpius MMA gym located in Spring Lake, North Carolina.

12. Charles Byrd

In the first season of DWCS, several fighters competed on the season twice at the request of Dana White, including Charles Byrd. Byrd won both of his fights on the season by submission with his second win over Randall Wallace being worthy of a UFC contract.

Unlike many other prospects from the season, Byrd did not own a shiny record heading into the show, being just 7-4 at the time of his DWCS debut and 9-4 entering his first UFC fight. Byrd did, however, impress in both of his wins in front of White while possessing the physique of an NFL running back.

In the UFC, Byrd would go just 1-3 through four fights, winning his debut against John Phillips but losing by TKO within two rounds to Darren Stewart, Edmen Shahbazyan and Maki Pitolo. Following Byrd's final fight against Pitolo at UFC 250, the middleweight would announce his retirement to end his career with a 10-7 record.

Despite his middling career in the cage, Byrd has turned out to be a much better coach than a fighter. Now 40 years old in 2024, Byrd remains with Fortis MMA and Sayif Saud as a striking coach and personal trainer at the gym.

Byrd will no longer step into the Octagon as a fighter but is regularly seen at UFC events as a cornerman for several top contenders, including Macy Chiasson, Ryan Spann, Kennedy Nzechukwu, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, Sam Hughes, and others.