UFC handed out four more contracts on Tuesday’s episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Armen Petrosyan, Caio Borralho, Piera Rodriguez and Jonny Parsons were all asked to join the promotion after their wins at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Parsons Takes Close Split Decision Over Renfro
Parsons had a hard-fought win in the main event, taking a split decision win over finish-heavy prospect Solomon Renfro.
Renfro had an incredibly dominant opening round, using his boxing to score two knockdowns, and also securing a takedown late in the round.
The second frame wasn’t as dominant, but Renfro found himself engaged in close striking battles with Parsons.
The fight continued to swing the way of Parsons in the final round, as he landed the better shots in the final five minutes.
The close result on scorecards made Renfro visible shocked once it was revealed. He was getting his first “Contender Series” shot after a strong nine-fight career in regional promotion CFFC. This included a strong year-or-so, picking up three first-round wins through four appearances.
Parsons had moved his winning streak to four consecutive with the win on Tuesday.
Rodriguez Remains Undefeated, Goes Three Against Machado
Rodriguez retained her undefeated record in the co-main event, picking up a unanimous decision win over Valesca Machado.
Rodriguez out-landed Machado on the feet during the three-round fight, and was also able to score some takedowns in the second and third rounds.
Rodriguez was the sole fighter to retain their undefeated record on this episode. She became a regional titleholder earlier in the year, earning a fifth-round finish win over Svetlana Gotsyk to become the new LFA Strawweight Champion.
Machado had a strong six-fight streak of wins before Tuesday.
Borralho Returns, Picks Up Quick Win
Borralho scored his second win of the season Tuesday, making quick work of Jesse Murray for a more emphatic victory than last time.
The finishing sequences started as Borralho dropped Murray with a right hook. He then landed a flurry of ground and pound, connecting nearly a dozen times before the referee stopped the bout.
Borralho appeared on the fifth episode of this season, going three rounds for a decision win over Aaron Jeffery. While the win didn’t get him a UFC contract that time, he was invited back on this episode and was offered this time.
Murray had a three-fight winning streak broken in the appearance.
Petrosyan Secures Contract With KO
Petrosyan scored one of the more brutal stoppage wins of the season, flooring Kaloyan Kolev late in the first round with strikes.
Petrosyan’s sharp striking put an end to the fight in the fifth minute.
After hurting Kolev with punches, Petrosyan scored a knockdown with a perfectly-timed knee to the head. This knocked Kolev out, causing the fight to end moments afterward.
Petrosyan now has a pro record of five wins and one loss since his 2018 debut. He scored a quick stoppage win just three months before Tuesday, stopping a fighter in just 15 seconds in July.
The bout on Tuesday was Kolev’s first pro loss. He had gone undefeated in his prior 10 bouts from 2016 to 2019.
Falcao Stops Fight Late With Ground and Pound
Brazilian bantamweight Pedro Falcao finished a controlling performance with a late stoppage to open the main card, stopping James Barnes in the second-last minute via ground and pound.
Falcao finished his bout in the final minutes of the first round, unloading with a series of punches from full mount. After Falcao landed many shots to a shelled-up Barns, the referee stopped the fight.
Falcao first had Barns in trouble late in the second round, attaining full mount and attempting an arm triangle choke.
Despite the victory, UFC President White skipped on signing Falcao.
Falcao was getting the “Contender Series” shot after a long run in regional promotion Shooto Brasil. He is now on a four-fight winning streak, which came after an injury loss broke a five-fight run he was on.
Burns had an experienced record that included a few appearances in Bellator.
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: Jonny Parsons def. Solomon Renfro via Decision, Split
Bout 4: Piera Rodriguez def. Valesca Machado via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Caio Borralho def. Jesse Murray via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:41)
Bout 2: Armen Petrosyan def. Kaloyan Kolev via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:27)
Bout 1: Pedro Falcao def. James Barnes via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:55)
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