The fourth season of The Contender was recorded in Singapore (with the exception of the live finale), and premiered on Versus on December 3, 2008. The show was on its third network, with the first season being broadcast on NBC and second and third seasons being shown on ESPN.
Contestants
The following 16 fighters, hailing from around the globe, were selected to take part in the fourth Contender Tournament which took place in the cruiserweight division.
Records entering tournament in parentheses (W-L-D)
Rico Hoye defeats Joell Godfrey by unanimous decision.
50-44 | 49-45 | 48-46
Hoye was originally scheduled to fight Ryan Coyne, but due to the severity of Coyne's cut that he sustained in his fight with Tim Flamos, he was unable to continue in the Contender Season 4 tournament. He was replaced by Joell Godfrey, who was invited back to the tournament to fight Rico.
Episode 11
Semifinal 1
Troy Ross defeats Akinyemi Laleye by unanimous decision.
50-45 | 50-45 | 50-45
In preparation for the fight, as per the Gold Team's ritual, Laleye spells out "gorilla warfare" on the whiteboard in his locker room. In actuality, the term is "guerilla warfare".