A brand new season of Contender Collection is underway and UFC already has 4 new fighters underneath contract.
On Tuesday night time, season eight of Contender Collection kicked off in Las Vegas, and after 5 fights, UFC CEO Dana White awarded contracts to Mansour Abdul-Malik, Bruno Lopes, Jose Delgado, and Lone’er Kavanagh, who all picked up large finishes on the UFC APEX.
Abdul-Malik brutalizes Schultz
Abdul-Malik confirmed why the Xtreme Couture fitness center is so excessive on him, because the 26-year-old prospect moved to 6-0 in his profession with a brutal stoppage of Wes Schultz within the night time’s foremost occasion.
Abdul-Malik landed large energy punches proper from the opening bell, however Schultz’s gameness saved him within the bout and even led to Schultz having spectacular moments within the second as he poured out some unorthodox offense that had Abdul-Malik reeling.
Sadly, that explosion was the final of his fuel tank, and after Abdul-Malik weathered the storm, he turned issues round, took the mount, after which completed the bout with some nasty elbows, which earned him a UFC contract.
Hamed outpoints Ding
A former kickboxer, Rami Hamed stepped in on brief discover in opposition to essentially the most skilled fighter in Contender Collection historical past, Meng Ding, and although he didn’t blow anybody’s socks off, the Lebanese fighter did decide up an vital win. Displaying shades of Stephen Thompson, Hamed bounced across the cage and outpointed Ding, who couldn’t ever discover a rhythm, and even had a degree deducted for repeated low blows as he struggled to get to Hamed.
Sadly for Hamed, his efficiency didn’t sway Dana White and he missed out on a contract.
Lopes stops Sazhiniani
Final season, Bruno Lopes entered Contender Collection as an undefeated fighter, however lower than 4 minutes later, the Brazilian gentle heavyweight suffered his first loss in opposition to contract winner Brendson Ribeiro. Issues have been completely different this time round although, as Lopes overcame a tough begin to cease Mikhail Sazhiniani with nasty physique pictures within the second spherical of their contest.
Sazhiniani got here out sturdy to start out with wild, looping pictures that dropped Lopes and put him on the defensive. However within the second spherical, Lopes damage Sazhiniani with a knee to the physique, and the follow-up pictures pressured referee Herb Dean to cease the bout and for White to offer him a contract.
Jose Delgado ices Ernie Juarez
UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby was excessive on Jose Delgado as a prospect and everybody noticed why on Tuesday night time.
Regardless of taking the combat on brief discover, Delgado got here out aggressively, placing a robust tempo on Juarez with punches, knees, and ground-and-pound. Then, within the second spherical, Delgado backed Juarez as much as the cage and touchdown a beautiful stepping knee as Juarez ducked down, instantly slumping his opponent and incomes his UFC contract.
Kavanagh delivers dazzling knockout over Ho
Overestimated by Laura Sanko as the most effective prospects she’s ever seen on Contender Collection, expectations have been sky excessive for Lone’er Kavanagh, and he by some means exceeded them, scoring a brutal knockout within the first spherical over fellow undefeated prospect An Tuan Ho.
After a couple of minutes of feeling one another out, Kavanagh stepped in with a vicious left hook that floored Ho and left him on the canvas for a number of minutes after the bout. Fortuitously, Ho was in a position to finally come round and stroll out of the cage underneath his personal energy, and Kavanagh punched his ticket to the UFC.
Take a look at DWCS outcomes beneath.
- Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Wes Schultz by way of TKO (punches) — Spherical 2, 3:55
- Rami Hamed def. Ding Meng by way of unanimous resolution (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Bruno Lopes def. Mikhail Sazhiniani by way of TKO (physique punches) — Spherical 2, 4:14
- Jose Delgado def. Ernie Juarez by way of knockout — Spherical 2, 1:25
- Lone’er Kavanagh def. An Tuan Ho by way of knockout — Spherical 1, 2:35