Guaylupo and Escuza won in the "Contender Series" and signed with UFC: is this the best time for Peru in the company?

This summary is generated by artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team. The tenth season of “Dana White’s Contender Series” –the streaming program that seeks new talent for the UFC– ended on Tuesday, October 13th with two new Peruvian fighters in the promotion: Piero Guaylupo, who starred in one of the best fights in the history of the show, and Ian Escuza, who knocked out his Italian opponent in just 32 seconds. The tenth season of “Dana White’s Contender Series” –the streaming program that seeks new talent for the UFC– ended on Tuesday, October 13th with two new Peruvian fighters in the promotion: Piero Guaylupo, who starred in one of the best fights in the history of the show, and Ian Escuza, who knocked out his Italian opponent in just 32 seconds. With the earnings of Guaylupo and Escuza, now nine national athletes compete in the UFC. Thus, 2026 is currently the year with the most Peruvians in the world's most important mixed martial arts (MMA) company. “The Peruvian level is very high, perhaps the most outstanding in Hispanic America, after Mexico and Brazil, which is a world power. In South America, for some time, Peru is one of the strongest [countries]. Many quality fighters have come from Peru,” opined Danny Segura, a journalist for the MMA Junkie portal and host of the program “Hablemos MMA,” in a conversation with El Comercio. This year, two Peruvians debuted in the UFC: Rodrigo Vera, 30 years old, and Nilson Rojas, 27 years old. Both were directly contacted to fight with few weeks' notice. Although the risk is high, the contract is secured. Neither of them missed the opportunity. Vera told El Comercio that he received the offer on May 8th while he was in Las Vegas, United States, where he had traveled to participate in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), the emblematic UFC ‘reality’. “Neither Daniel Cormier nor Michael Bisping [TUF coaches] chose me and I stayed there. I did not stop preparing and was in good rhythm. I didn't choose, it was the opportunity,” added the ‘Mad Dog’. Only 22 days later, on May 30th, Vera (21 wins – 1 loss – 1 draw) knocked out Kangjie Zhu (21–5) in under two minutes in a fight held in Macau, China. “I appreciate this moment, I have fought for a long time to be here. For my people from Peru: I know that there were people who did not believe in me, but I am here,” said the national athlete from the octagon after his victory. Meanwhile, ‘The Ray’ Rojas (9–0) was called with two weeks' notice to face the Indonesian Bilal Hasan (9–0) on August 29th in an undefeated fight. But on July 22nd, Rojas had measured himself in the national Inka MMA event against Gonzalo Hanampa in a fight that lasted three rounds. “The good news came out of nowhere. I rested to give my body maintenance,” he recounted to El Comercio. Finally, in the Chinese port of Shanghai, the Peruvian was knocked out by Hasan, who also took one of the night's bonuses for ‘Performance of the night’. Like Vera and Rojas, seven other Peruvian fighters signed with the UFC through direct contract. Of them, only Gastón Bolaños and José Ochoa remain in the organization so far. Meanwhile, two athletes –Enrique Barzola and Claudio Puelles– joined the company through TUF Latin America, a ‘reality’ that had only three seasons and stopped airing in 2016, a decade ago. But there is another way to enter the UFC, which has gained popularity and prominence in recent years: the “Dana White’s Contender Series”. Through the streaming program, seven national fighters have joined the world leader in MMA. A New Path In 2026, the UFC Meta Apex, the stage for the “Contender Series,” in Las Vegas, was renewed and expanded to accommodate 1,000 spectators. Sports journalist Andrés Lichtveld was invited as the Spanish commentator for the show on the Paramount+ platform. “In the fight between Piero [Guaylupo] and Callum Connor, that place was about to fall, people went crazy. If the Peruvian did not win by knockout, it is because Connor has a titanium chin. Dana White stood up to applaud and the entire audience went wild,” Lichtveld recalls in dialogue with El Comercio. On the other hand, the journalist considers that, aside from Escuza's controversial uppercut to Luca Borando, “he got over the Italian and that fight was not going to change anything”. He added that “within the Meta Apex there was the desire to see more of Ian”. Since 2022, 10 national fighters have participated in the “Contender Series”, also known in MMA slang as the most difficult and dangerous job interview in the world. Of them, seven –70% of the total– won their fights and signed the contract. Furthermore, Peru is the third country in Latin America and the Caribbean with the most athletes placed in the UFC through the streaming program, only behind Brazil, a global giant of the sport, and Mexico, a nation with almost four times the population. However, there is a key detail: three of the seven fighters (42.8%) who won the contract through “Contender” are no longer in the promotion, and two of them ended their relationship without winning a single fight. Claudio Puelles, who has been fighting in the UFC for 10 years, believes that the “Contender Series” offers Peruvian athletes greater chances to reach the promotion. “The ‘Contender’ is an incredible opportunity, but it is not for everyone. For some, it is difficult to adapt their style to that type of competition, in which speed to knockout is prioritized,” he stated in an interview with El Comercio. Puelles, 30 years old, also highlighted that although Peru “is producing talent and contracts are being secured with the UFC”, there is still a long way to go. “We need to keep us, to have good careers in the UFC. We are competing against the world elite and there is no need for just talent, but to work within a complete and solid professional ecosystem, among other factors,” he asserted. Mixed martial arts is a sport that evolves day by day without stopping. There is no time to stop. - Ian Escuza knocked out his rival in just 32 seconds and won a contract with the UFC [VIDEO] - Piero Guaylupo is a new UFC fighter after defeating Callum Connor in “Contender Series” - The Peruvian Daniel ‘Sóncora’ Marcos enters the top 10 of PFL: “I am ready for whoever comes” - Alexander Chávez was defeated in “Contender Series” by the Brazilian Roque Conceicao AnalysisInterpretation of the news based on evidence, including data and possible projections based on past events.