Ranking all the DWCS Season 1 contract winners

11. Mike Rodriguez

Rodriguez did not have a very successful or memorable career in the UFC but is the first fighter on this list so far who was at least able to pick up multiple wins in the promotion. Rodriguez, a light heavyweight, had a 2-5 record with one no-contest in the UFC at the time of his release in 2021.

His career in the Octagon was underwhelming, but Rodriguez's flying knee knockout on DWCS was one of the most memorable performances of the season. Through three years with the promotion, Rodriguez picked up wins over Adam Milstead and Marcin Prachnio but lost to Devin Clark, Da Woon Jung, Ed Herman, Danilo Marques and Tafon Nchukwi.

Rodriguez's loss to Herman at UFC Vegas 10 was particularly notable, however, as it is still referenced as one of the biggest referee blunders to date. Rodriguez landed a clean knee to the body of Herman that put his opponent down, effectively finishing the fight.

The fight was stopped, but not for a TKO victory. Instead, the shot was mistaken as a low blow, thus giving Herman time to recover. Herman would go on to finish the fight moments later with a Kimura submission. Rodriguez would appeal the loss but be denied, and the defeat would mark the first of a three-fight losing streak that led to the end of his UFC career.

Since departing from the UFC, Rodriguez has fought and won once at CES 69 but has not competed since 2022.

10. Karl Roberson

Several years before Alex Pereira started the wave of sending former GLORY Kickboxers to the UFC, Roberson was one of the first to do so, though he had gone just 0-3 as a professional kickboxer.

In just his fifth professional fight, Roberson knocked out Ryan Spann in just 15 seconds. To that point, it had been the fastest win in DWCS history through three episodes. Unsurprisingly, it was also enough to warrant a UFC contract.

Through his first six fights, Roberson would see moderate success, going 4-2 with credible wins over Roman Kopylov and Wellington Turman. His only losses in that frame were to notable veterans Glover Teixeira and Cezar Ferreira.

But after the first two years of his UFC career, Roberson's luck would turn. Bouncing around between middleweight and light heavyweight, Roberson would not find another win in the UFC, losing four straight fights that led to his release.