42 fighters joined the UFC roster on the 2024 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” including four fighters on the show’s season finale this week.
Nick Klein, Luis Gurule, Yadier DelValle and Jonathan Micallef joined the UFC roster following performances from the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Tuesday night.
Klein Ends Season With Lightning-Quick Win
Nick Klein closed out the season with one of the quickest victories of the entire year, putting away Heraldo Souza in just 37 seconds via submission.
Klein scored a takedown just 10 seconds into the middleweight fight, getting on the back of Souza only five seconds after that moment. He was able to quickly lock in a rear naked choke from the back of Souza, forcing a tap to occur moments later.
29-year-old Klein is no stranger to fast fights. In fact, four of his six victories since turning pro in 2021 have come within a minute. Prior to Tuesday, his previous appearance was a 57-second submission victory.
Souza was coming over to Las Vegas after attaining a regional title in Brazil with a second-minute stoppage just six months ago.
Short-Notice Fighter Gurule Gets Past Piccininni
Luis Gurule made the most of a short-notice appearance on Tuesday night, securing a UFC contract after a split decision win over returning Nick Piccininni.
Gurule, who took his “Contender Series” assignment on a week’s notice, used his boxing to overcome Piccininni and win on scorecards. While Piccininni was able to earn takedowns, allowing him to land ground and pound shots at times, it was the damage landed by Gurule during stand-up exchanges which allowed him to walk away with the scorecard win.
Piccinnini was making his second appearance on the “Contender Series” this year. While he snuck by Jack Duffy in August via split decision, the close result caused the promotion to book a rematch later in the season instead of signing either fighter. After Duffy withdrew from the card, Piccininni was given Gurule for Tuesday night.
As mentioned on the broadcast, Fury FC Flyweight Champion Gurule took a short-notice booking against Piccininni while in town to corner UFC talent Brandon Royval for last weekend. He will now enter the UFC roster with a spotless record of 10 victories since his 2022 debut.
DelValle Beats Tough Monteiro on Scorecards
Yadier DelValle had to work hard for a win on Tuesday night, battling three rounds against the hard-to-kill Antonio Monteiro to settle with a unanimous decision result.
DelValle was the better fighter from start to finish, but Monteiro’s toughness prevented the Cuban talent from walking away with a stoppage win. Monteiro not only survived the fight despite consuming more than 160 strikes but was able to often answer back with his own strikes throughout the bout to stay alive.
“I gave him everything … This guy did not give up, he was just there standing all the way,” DelValle said about Monteiro through an interpreter in a post-fight interview.
DelValle has put together a perfect pro record of eight wins since his 2019 debut, mainly earning victories in Texas-based promotion Fury FC.
Brazil’s Monteiro entered Tuesday with the experience edge, having competed nearly two dozen times since his 2013 pro debut. The Nova Uniao fighter attained a title in Shooto Brasil a year before getting the “Contender Series” assignment.
Micallef Puts Ado Out Cold With Triangle Choke
Jonathan Micallef opened the night with a quick submission win, handing Mohamed Ado his first pro loss with a slick choke.
Australia’s Micallef showed his stellar grappling skills on Tuesday night, going to his back after being in a full mount position to pursue a triangle choke. The submission put Ado to sleep, a fact that referee Herb Dean was informed of by Micallef as he kept a hold on the choke.
The fight was wrestling and grappling-heavy prior to the finish, as the welterweights entered a clinch position early and found themselves scrambling throughout the three minutes the fight lasted.
“We worked all areas but I’ve just seemed to be excelling in my grappling,” said Micallef in his post-fight interview.
25-year-old Micallef previously impressed on the regional scene in his home country, at one point holding the HEX Fight Series Welterweight Championship.
Ado was given the call for Tuesday’s episode after a run of five finish wins on the Canadian regional scene.
20-Year-Old Martinez Makes Comeback To Overcome Hernandez, Leaves Without Contract
In the only fight on Tuesday that didn’t add a fighter to the UFC roster, Julieta Martinez gutted out a split decision victory over Leslie Hernandez.
Martinez had somewhat of a comeback against Hernandez, bouncing back from a tough first round to win the second and third frames on a pair of scorecards.
Hernandez had a strong opening round, aggressively walking Martinez down with her striking and showing a good ability to adjust her range on the feet. But Martinez was able to take control of the fight later on, using a mix of clean striking and control in grappling positions to shift the momentum in her favor. She pieced together crafty kicks and knees, giving her the better moments on her feet later on.
Later that evening, UFC CEO Dana White claimed that Martinez’s size and age made her a tough fit for the strawweight division at the moment.
“We love you, we want you in the UFC, we just think we’d be doing you a horrible disservice if we signed you right now, just turning 20 years old, and moved you into this division in the UFC,” White said.
20-year-old Martinez entered this week with a flawless record of seven pro wins, picking up regional belts in her home country and scoring six finishes.
Hernandez attained a streak of four victories in notable U.S. regional promotion LFA prior to this week, getting her an opportunity to compete in the “Contender Series.”
Quick Results
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Nick Klein def. Heraldo Souza via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 0:37)
Bout 4: Luis Gurule def. Nick Piccininni via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Yadier DelValle def. Antonio Monteiro via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Julieta Martinez def. Leslie Hernandez via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Jonathan Micallef def. Mohamed Ado via Submission, Triangle Choke (RD 1, 3:01)
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