#talent-scouting

#talent-scouting

When FourFourTwo launched 31 years ago, the football landscape was different. Fabrizio Romano was still in nappies, the Premier League was in its infancy and football transfers could be made all year round. Some things haven't changed though, and that includes the giddy feeling of discovering an up-and-coming player. FFT's long-running 'The Boy's A Bit Special' series has, over three decades, been a love letter to amateur and wannabe scouts among football fandom.

Dana White's Contender Series began back in 2017. Since then, the Contender Series has produced some big-name upcoming stars like Dan Ige, Sean O'Malley, Geoff Neal, Maycee Barber, and Edmen Shahbazyan. In short, it has been a huge success for finding talent. A Contender Series fight is one that has stakes like none other, where fighters must showcase their skills to impress the UFC president enough for a contract with the promotional giant.