UFC President Dana White handed out three more contracts on Tuesday’s episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series. The promotion offered contracts to Martin Bunday, Jake Hadley and Slava Borshchev after their fights at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Rodriguez Wins In Main Event, Misses UFC Contract
Christian Rodriguez won in the main event, using his striking to defeat Junior Cortez via unanimous decision. Despite the strong performance, Rodriguez was not offered a UFC contract at the conclusion of the episode.
Rodriguez missed weight for the fight on Monday, coming in two pounds over the non-championship bantamweight limit. UFC President White mentioned afterward that this weight miss played into their decision to not offer him a contract.
Rodriguez has fought as a pro since 2019, attaining wins in promotions like LFA and CFFC.
Cortez was looking to join his sister, Tracy Cortez, on the UFC roster. He had a two-fight winning streak before Tuesday.
Buday Picks Up Late First-Round Win
Heavyweight Buday continued his win streak in the co-main event, stopping Lorenzo Hood in the opening round with strikes.
Buday did damage late in the round in a clinch position, hurting Hood with knees to the body and head. The excessive strikes eventually became too much, with one of the knees dropping Hood and calling an end to the fight.
Hood is an experienced pro with a record that dates back to 2009. He scored three consecutive wins before Tuesday, with all of the victories coming in the first round.
Cage Warriors Champion Hadley Takes Scorecard Win Over ‘TUF’ Alum Raposo
Undefeated Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion Hadley had a dominant fight against “The Ultimate Fighter” contestant Mitch Raposo. Hadley’s win came via submission, stopping the fellow undefeated prospect in the second frame.
Hadley got the fight to the ground early in the second round, opening him up to secure a rear naked choke submission win against Raposo.
Hadley missed weight for the fight – something he apologized for immediately after the fight’s conclusion. While that usually takes someone out of consideration for a UFC contract, UFC President White made an exception for him.
Raposo had an undefeated pro record of five wins heading into Tuesday. He competed on Season 28 of “Dana White’s Contender Series” earlier this year, losing in the opening round of the bracket to Liudvik Sholinian in an exhibition bout.
Borschev Hands Duncan First Loss
Borshchev handed undefeated Bellator alum Chris Duncan his first loss on Tuesday, stopping him in the second round with punches.
The knockout finish came early in the second round, as he scored a counter left hook that knocked Duncan out immediately.
The first round of the fight was a tough battle for both fighters, trading in scrappy striking exchanges on the feet.
Borschev had won his three previous pro wins, including a finish win just three months before.
Duncan came into the week with a flawless record of seven wins that all came via stoppage.
Silva Extends Undefeated Run In Opener
Maria Silva put together a dominant win against Kathryn Paprocki to open the card, sweeping scorecards for a unanimous decision win. The victory wasn’t enough to get Silva a contract at the end of the episode.
Silva was able to put Paprocki on her back for a large portion of the contest, scoring numerous takedowns throughout.
The victory continued Silva’s undefeated record as a pro. Previous wins in her career included four via first-round finish. Her appearance on Tuesday was her first in nearly two years.
Paprocki had previously scored pro wins in notable regional promotions Invicta FC and LFA.
Quick Results:
Bout 5: Christian Rodriguez def. Junior Cortez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Martin Buday def. Lorenzo Hood via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:56)
Bout 3: Jake Hadley def. Mitch Raposo via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:11)
Bout 2: Slava Borshchev def. Chris Duncan via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:28)
Bout 1: Maria Silva def. Kathryn Paprocki via Decision, Unanimous
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