A trio of fighters joined the UFC roster this week following a shorter-than-usual episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Navajo Stirling, Josias Musasa, and Nicolle Caliari were offered contracts following Tuesday’s show from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Tuesday’s show marked the first time this year that less than four fighters were offered a UFC contract on a “Contender Series” episode. The card this week notably was down one bout from the usual five-fight schedule, as Quemuel Ottoni had a last-minute withdrawal from a fight against Kody Steele. UFC’s White said that Steele will get another chance later in the season to compete for a contract with the promotion.
New Zealeand’s Stirling Scores Walk-Off Win
City Kickboxing’s Navajo Stirling scored a second-round finish in the headlining bout of the night, landing a one-punch knockout against Phillip Latu to become the UFC’s newest light heavyweight.
A brutal left hook from Stirling dropped Latu and immediately put an end to a fight he had the edge in through one-and-a-half rounds. The New Zealander used his significant height and reach advantage to out-land Latu earlier in the fight, dipping into striking range for his own shots and keeping a distance when Latu would try to connect.
Stirling, a kickboxer who transitioned to MMA just two years ago, now has a stellar record of five wins. He has been quite active this year, capturing a title in regional Australian promotion HEX Fight Series prior to his opportunity on Tuesday.
Latu had a four-fight finish win streak on the U.S. regionals prior to Tuesday, including a pair of appearances in CFFC over the past year.
Congo’s ‘KO Wizard’ Goes The Distance For First Time To Earn UFC Contract
Josias Musasa joined the short list of fighters in UFC history to represent The Democratic Republic of Congo following his incredibly competitive three-round performance against bantamweight Otari Tanzilovi.
Despite entering Tuesday with a reputation for finishing fights, Musasa showed his durability in a three-round fight that resulted in a split decision. The Congolese fighter focused on striking against Georgia’s Tanzilovi, who mixed wrestling in with his hectic stand-up style.
Tanzilovi seemingly had a stronger start to the fight, getting a jump on Musasa with a high volume of shots along with control time. But Musasa warmed up later in the fight, including a crucial third round which tipped the fight in his favor on to scorecards, ultimately allowing him to walk away with the win.
Musasa was critical of his performance afterward but remained confident that he was the better fighter.
“I’m not happy with the way I fought because it’s not me,” Musasa said through an interpreter. “I think I will show more next time if they give me the opportunity. I did not fight exactly like I should fight, the way I am, the real Josias Musasa. But when I got to [the] decision, I was sure it was me.”
Musasa had never gone into a third round of a fight prior to Tuesday, with six of his previous wins emerging in the first round due to strikes. Tanzilovi had his nine-fight undefeated record broken on Tuesday, with wins dating back to 2018.
Caliari Submits LaFramboise Early With Armbar
Flyweight Nicolle Caliari opened the night with a grappling showcase, catching Corrine LaFramboise in the opening round with an armbar.
Caliari made of the most of being on the receiving end of a takedown late in the first round, grabbing an arm of LaFramboise for a submission. After extending the Canadian’s arm, she received a tap that put an end to the bout with just 15 seconds remaining in the round.
Brazil’s Caliari seemed focused on taking the fight to the ground earlier in the round as well, scoring a pair of takedowns in the first three minutes of the fight. The flyweights engaged in a hectic striking battle on the feet, trading quick flurries of shots at times.
Caliari has now won four consecutive fights via finish since 2021, with the previous victories coming in the regional scene in Brazil.
LaFramboise was meant to appear in the 2023 “Contender Series” season but withdrew from her fight after medical examinations revealed that she was three months pregnant. She previously found success in UAE Warriors, capturing their flyweight title in early 2022 with a first-round submission win.
Belgaroui Leaves Without Contract Following Third-Round Finish
In the sole fight of the night that didn’t produce a UFC contract, Yousri Belgaroui walked away with a third-round finish against Japan’s Taiga Iwasaki.
A hard knee to the head from Belgaroui kicked off the fight’s finishing sequence, knocking back Iwasaki. Dutch fighter Belgaroui chased Iwasaki down with punches after scoring the knee, eventually earning a knockdown that forced a finish.
The finish came after two rounds that moved at a somewhat pedestrian pace, with Belgaroui leading the dance in a stand-up middleweight clash. The fight became somewhat closer in scorecards in the second round after a series of eye pokes caused Belgaroui to suffer a one-point deduction. However, despite this penalty, he was still ahead on scorecards before the third round.
UFC CEO White expressed his displeasure with the performance afterward.
“Instead of closing his hands to keep him off him or finish him, he poked him in the eyes five or six times. Whatever the number was. He did not impress me tonight,” White said.
Belgaroui was returning to the “Contender Series” after losing on the 2023 season to Marco Tulio. He had recently earned back-to-back wins in Levels Fight League, capturing the regional Dutch promotion’s light heavyweight title along the way.
Iwasaki was competing outside of Asia for the first time on Tuesday. He came into this week with numerous finish wins on his record, and his sole prior loss being against former Bellator champ Rafael Lovato Jr.
Quick Results
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 4: Navajo Stirling def. Phillip Latu via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:21)
Bout 3: Yousri Belgaroui def. Taiga Iwasaki via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:34)
Bout 2: Josias Musasa def. Otar Tanzilovi via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Nicolle Caliari def. Corinne LaFramboise via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 4:45)
Knockdown News 