Impressive performances from four MMA prospects earned them UFC contracts on this week’s episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Strong showings from Andrey Pulyaev, Bogdan Grad, Marco Tulio, and Malcolm Wellmaker brought them onto the promotion’s roster after a show from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The series has now signed a total of 12 fighters this year through three episodes.
Pulyaev Out-Lands Anderson For Decision Win
Andrey Pulyaev showcased slick striking against a tough Liam Anderson, settling for a unanimous decision victory after three hard-fought rounds in Tuesday’s main event.
Pulyaev significantly out-landed Anderson, who pushed forward and seemed more intent to get the fight to the ground. The high volume of strikes by Pulyaev made him the clear leader in rounds but never did enough to put Anderson in significant trouble.
A game Anderson gave Pulyaev a challenge late in the fight, getting on his back briefly when on the ground. The Russian was able to eventually escape the position and get in control before the round ran out of time.
26-year-old Pulyaev entered this week with a four-fight streak of finish wins from the Russian regional scene. Anderson similarly had an impressive run of victories in North America, including back-to-back finishes in notable promotion LFA over the past year.
Grad Overcomes Aswell In ‘Contender Series’ Classic
In what was dubbed “one of the best” fights in “Contender Series” history by UFC CEO White, Bogdan Grad snuck past Michael Aswell with a split decision result.
The featherweight talents started at a fast pace and hardly slowed down, exchanging shots through all three rounds.
Aswell mainly focused on boxing throughout the fight, charging forward and landing hard shots to the head of Grad. Austria’s Grad had a more varied style of attack, mixing in kicks and takedown attempts along with the high volume of punches he scored against Aswell.
White, who was impressed with the performance of both fighters, said that he has shortlisted Aswell as a potential short-notice UFC fill-in talent, while Grad will get a trip straight into the promotion.
Grad was coming back to the “Contender Series” after suffering a finish loss against Tom Nolan during the 2023 season. He scored a pair of stoppage wins on the regional scene since then, getting him back on the show.
Aswell has found success in regional promotion Fury FC, capturing their featherweight title earlier this year with a 68-second finish against Nate Richardson.
Brazil’s Tulio Scores Spinning Kick Knockout In Second ‘Contender Series’ Appearance
Marco Tulio secured a contract in his second appearance on the “Contender Series,” delivering a clean spinning back kick to the body against Matthieu Duclos for a second-round stoppage.
The flashy kick from Brazilian talent Tulio put an end to an undoubtedly competitive fight that he was arguably ahead in. He scored a brief knockdown with a left hand in the opening round, but also consumed some hard returning shots from the French talent as well.
Tulio previously overcame Yousri Belgaroui via decision on the 2023 season of the “Contender Series,” but wasn’t offered a UFC deal following the performance. He scored another win after that outing, putting away an opponent with strikes at LFA 175 in January.
France’s Duclos was competing this weekend after a solid campaign in regional promotion Hexagone MMA, earning their interim middleweight title earlier this year.
Augusta’s Wellmaker Scores Walk-Off KO Win
There was no doubt that Malcolm Wellmaker would leave the APEX with a UFC contract after he scored a nasty walk-off knockout against Adam Bramhald in the opening round.
Wellmaker folded Bramhald with a clean overhand right while backing up just two-and-a-half minutes into the fight, causing the referee to quickly intervene with the bout.
30-year-old Wellmaker has put together a solid highlight reel as a pro thus far, with four of his eight wins coming via stoppage due to strikes. The Augusta, Georgia-raised talent only turned pro in 2022 and at 30 years old is the bantamweight division’s latest addition.
Bramhald came into this week with a lengthy 11-fight winning streak from the U.K. regional scene.
Piccininni And Duffy Offered Rematch Following Close Result
In a close split decision outcome which saw neither fighter go home with a UFC contract, flyweight Nick Piccininni ended Jack Duffy’s undefeated record.
Piccininni’s wrestling-heavy gameplan allowed him to control Duffy for significant portions of the fight, doing enough to earn him the edge on a pair of scorecards.
Piccininni took Duffy down numerous times during the fight, including a second round where he notched numerous minutes of ground control. However, Duffy’s highly active, aggressive style of performance made him often the more active. He was the busier fighter on the feet and even remained competitive while on his back, scoring with shots and attempting submissions.
Not everybody was in agreement about the fight’s result. Reporter Alex Behunin said UFC CEO Dana White told the live media row that Duffy “got f*****,” seemingly disagreeing with the fight’s outcome. Later that night, he offered a chance for the flyweights to meet in a rematch later this season.
Piccininni was given a “Contender Series” shot after attaining six wins on the regionals, including a trio of submission wins in Texas-based Fury FC. Duffy had a flawless seven-fight record, with almost all of his wins emerging via finish.
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Andrey Pulyaev def. Liam Anderson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Bogdan Grad def. Michael Aswell via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Marco Tulio def. Matthieu Duclos via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:38)
Bout 2: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Adam Bramhald via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:29)
Bout 1: Nick Piccininni def. Jack Duffy via Decision, Split
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