New Yorker Livingston earns UFC deal on DWCS and demands MSG main card slot in November

Adam Livingston earned a UFC contract on Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 on 1 September, grinding through a three-round slugfest against Hunter Smith (8-2) at lightweight to improve his record to 8-1. The 25-year-old New Yorker wasted no time setting his sights higher, calling for a main card opener at the UFC’s Madison Square Garden card in November and declaring he can sell out the iconic venue by himself.

Livingston had fallen short in his first DWCS audition a year earlier, but he was quick to contextualise that setback. He said he was 23 at the time and not in peak condition, and that the version of himself on show against Smith was only the beginning of what he can offer at the highest level.

“This is my fcking time, guys,” Livingston said in his post-fight interview. “I’m 25 years old now, I’m growing into my body, I’m a fcking man now. Last time I was 23, coming off a fcking trip; that wasn’t my best performance. You guys got one of the best versions of me today and it’s just the beginning. I’m coming for all you fcking lightweights… I want MSG in November. I want to open up the main fcking card. And I will put on a show like that every fcking time. I’m from New York, I’ll pack out the f*cking place by myself.”

The callout carries genuine local weight. MSG is one of the most storied venues in combat sports, and a fighter from New York making his UFC debut there would carry a natural narrative pull. Whether the promotion obliges with a main card slot for a debuting fighter remains to be seen, but Livingston has at least given matchmakers something to consider.

The win over Smith, who entered at 8-2, was not a straightforward one. The pair traded in a back-and-forth contest across all three rounds, with Livingston ultimately doing enough to convince the DWCS panel to award him the contract. It was the kind of entertaining, high-output performance that tends to catch Dana White’s attention on the series.