For the second time in the current season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” all five successful fighters walked away with UFC contracts.
Danylo Voievodkin, Daniel Frunza, Kevin Christian, Kevin Vallejos and Alexia Thainara were all offered deals following their performances at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Tuesday night. Here’s a quick rundown of the full evening.
Underdog Voievodkin Wins In 73 Seconds
Ukraine’s Danylo Voievodkin pulled off a massive upset win in the main event of the night, showcasing damaging striking skills and the ability to submit in a 73-second finish against Bailey Schoenfelder.
Voievodkin dropped Schoenfelder with a two-punch combination of hooks in the first minute, setting him up to possibly finish the fight on the ground. The 260-pound prospect hopped on the back of Schoenfelder just moments later, squeezing for a rear naked choke until a tap emerged.
The victory was a massive moment for Voievodkin, who was essentially plucked from obscurity to receive a “Contender Series” opportunity. He had previously competed in esoteric Ukrainian MMA promotions, making quick work of opponents who either had little-to-no experience or minimal success as a pro.
Schoenfelder, the favored fighter on odds before the bout took place, entered with a solid five-fight record from the U.S. regional scene. He most notably captured the CFFC Heavyweight Championship earlier this year, stopping Greg Velasco in the second round with strikes.
Frunza Stops Fatigued Kutsyi In Second Round
Daniel Frunza out-lasted Vadym Kutsyi, picking up a second-round finish and leaving with a UFC contract.
Frunza capitalized on a tiring Kutsyi in the second round, pushing forward with a constant pace of punches and kicks. The shots eventually caused a tired and hurt Kutsyi to collapse to the canvas, forcing a stoppage.
The finishing sequence came after a hectic opening round that saw both welterweights get hurt by strikes. A left cross from Frunza earned a knockdown, and later a massive right uppercut from Kutsyi got the winning fighter to the ground.
Frunza has now put together five consecutive finish wins since 2022. He ended a near one-year absence from the cage with his appearance on Tuesday, coming back for the first time since his last-second win against Haris Talundzic in October 2023.
Belarusian fighter Kutsyi entered Saturday on a lengthy regional winning streak, including a pair of Brave CF appearances.
Christian Secures Triangle Armbar Win Against Mazzeo
Kevin Christian showcased his slick grappling skills in a light heavyweight fight against Francesco Mazzeo, submitting him in the second round.
A somewhat slow-paced battle – where Mazzeo seemed to struggle with his cardio and Christian failed to pressure his opponent – suddenly came to a close on the ground in the second round.
Shortly after being taken down, Christian was able to lock up a triangle armbar to force a tap. Christian showed his strong grappling skills before that finish as well, threatening Mazzeo from his back with an armbar in the opening round as well.
UFC CEO Dana White mentioned afterward that he was on the fence about signing Christian due to his inability to pressure during the fight. However, due to a decision made by matchmaker Mick Maynard, he decided to go ahead with the signing.
Christian made his return to MMA earlier this year, ending a nearly five-year absence from competition with a finish win over Miguel Porto at LFA 175.
Mazzeo came into Tuesday with a flawless record of four wins, including a trio of appearances in Cage Warriors. His previous win was a lightning-fast performance, using strikes to score a 37-second finish.
Argentinian Vallejos Scores Quick Win In ‘Contender Series’ Return
Kevin Vallejos earned a UFC contract in his second appearance on the “Contender Series,” making quick work of featherweight Cam Teague.
The slick boxing of Vallejos provided trouble early for Teague and resulted in a finish just halfway through the first round. A series of hooks to the head and body caused Teague to shell up against the cage, not responding with any punches of his own. The constant flurry of strikes eventually dropped Teague, earning Vallejos a quick win.
22-year-old Vallejos was coming back to the show after losing on the 2023 season against Jean Silva. He has long dominated on the regional scene in his home country, having defended a title in Samurai Fight House four times since 2022.
Teague came into this week with an impressive record of seven wins in just a year and a half as a pro. Among his past performances were four first-round finishes.
Brazil’s Thainara Out-Works Conceicao
Alexia Thainara put together a dominant three-round performance to hand Rose Conceicao her first loss, walking away with a unanimous decision nod in the end.
Thainara started to focus solely on striking early in the fight, keeping the fight on the feet after scoring a couple of takedowns early on. She marched Conceicao with wild, wailing hooks to the head and leg kicks. Thainara kept an aggressive pace right until the very end of the bout, earning her a clean three-round sweep on scorecards.
Thainara, a stand-out fighter from Brazil who was making her U.S. debut, entered this week on a lengthy winning streak. She now possesses a nine-fight winning streak, including a 2021 win over now-UFC talent Rayanne Amanda.
Conceicao earned the LFA Strawweight Championship two months prior to her loss in Vegas, going five rounds against Elaine Lopes for a decision nod.
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Danylo Voievodkin def. Bailey Schoenfelder via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:13)
Bout 4: Daniel Frunza def. Vadym Kutsyi via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:30)
Bout 3: Kevin Christian def. Francesco Mazzeo via Submission, Triangle Armbar (RD 2, 4:17)
Bout 2: Kevin Vallejos def. Cam Teague via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:23)
Bout 1: Alexia Thainara def. Rose Conceicao via Decision, Unanimous
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