A finish-heavy episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series” on Tuesday night saw all five winners walk away with a UFC contract in the end.
Brunno Ferreira, Raul Rosas Jr., Austen Lane, Nurullo Aliev and Jafel Filho were all offered contracts following their wins from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
UFC has offered contracts to 38 fighters in total this season, matching the show’s previous total season high in 2021. The 2022 season is expected to surpass the record next week during its season finale.
Ferreira Puts Away Aliu Early
Brunno Ferreira had an explosive win in the main event, putting away Leon Aliu in just 95 seconds with punches.
Ferreira first hurt Aliu with a right hook during an exchange on the feet. A rocked Aliu grabbed the leg of Ferreria in an attempt to stop his momentum afterward. However, Aliu continued to take punches while doing this, causing him to fall to his back and making the referee step in to end the fight.
Ferreira has finished all nine of his opponents as a pro thus far. His previous victory was just three months prior when he stopped an opponent on the regional scene in under two minutes.
Aliu was coming off a Cage Warriors win from May, where he stopped James Webb with punches.
17-Year-Old Rosas Jr. Succeeds
Raul Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter in “Dana White’s Contender Series” history to join the UFC roster, getting offered the contract after an impressive three-round performance over Mando Gutierrez.
Rosas Jr. fought in a grappling-heavy fight against Gutierrez. Most of the fight took place on the ground, where Rosas Jr. mostly controlled the battle but was tested significantly by Gutierrez.
Rosas Jr. went the distance for the first time as a pro on Tuesday. His five prior victories as a pro came via finish either in the first or second rounds. At 17 years old, Rosas Jr. is significantly younger than most of the UFC roster currently.
Gutierrez, an LFA vet, had a three-fight winning streak before this fight.
Lane Wins In Second ‘Contender Series’ Fight
Austen Lane won in his return to the “Contender Series,” securing a first-round finish victory over Richard Jacobi.
Lane finished Jacobi on the ground in the closing moments of the first round. He moved into side control on the ground after escaping a failed armbar attempt from Jacobi. After that, he scored with a series of ground and pound shots that forced a finish.
Lane was appearing on the “Contender Series” for the second time. The former NFL player had just five pro fights when he appeared in the 2018 season, where he suffered a 57-second loss to Greg Hardy.
Lane has gained a significant amount of experience on the regional scene since that fight. He notably entered this week on a five-fight winning streak, and recently became the Fury FC Heavyweight Champion.
Jacobi had scored most of his wins on the Brazilian regional scene. His previous bout was on an LFA card, where he took a draw against Hyago Silva.
Aliev Extends Flawless Record
Undefeated Nurullo Aliev had a dominant one-round performance against Josh Wick, putting him away early in a ground and pound position.
Aliev earned a takedown against Wick early in their fight. After staying in a full guard position for a few minutes, Aliev started to unload with punches that eventually caused the referee to step in and end the fight.
Aliev now has a record of seven wins since debuting in 2018. Two of his wins came in notable promotion AMC Fight Nights.
Wick had a two-fight streak of finish wins prior to his appearance this week.
Filho Gives Echeverria First Pro Loss
Jafel Filho opened the night with a late finish victory, handing Roybert Echeverria his first pro loss through eight fights.
Filho charged toward Echeverria with a combination of shots in the third round. After missing with a lead right, Filho floored Echeverria with a left hook.
Filho then landed ground and pound shots on the canvas until the fight was stopped.
The flyweights were engaged in a close fight prior to the finish. Echeverria was willing to engage in ground positions with Filho and was able to hurt him with leg kicks frequently.
Filho earned his fifth consecutive win via finish with the fight on Tuesday. His record is now a strong 14 wins through 16 fights.
Echeverria entered the card with an undefeated record of seven wins from regional promotion Titan FC.
Quick Results
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 5: Brunno Ferreira def. Leon Aliu via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:35)
Bout 4: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Mando Gutierrez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Austen Lane def. Richard Jacobi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:34)
Bout 2: Nurullo Aliev def. Josh Wick via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:36)
Bout 1: Jafel Filho def. Roybert Echeverria via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:31)
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