There are four new fighters joining the UFC roster after an action-packed night of fights on The Contender Series.
UFC CEO Dana White named Mayton Perea, Igor Cavalcanti, Akbar Abdullaev and Luis Hernandez to receive UFC contracts. The fifth winner of the night Tyshawn Williams didn’t get signed to the UFC but White told him he would get another shot on The Contender Series to see if he could secure that contract later this season.
White offered some incredible praise for Abdullaev calling him “the greatest talent that’s ever been on this show” after he delivered an absolutely jaw-dropping one-punch knockout to end his fight in just 19 seconds.
All told, the UFC has now signed 28 fighters from The Contender Series this season.
Mayton Perea def. Zevan Hunt via TKO (punches) at 45 seconds, R1
There was no feeling out period in this fight as Perea was relentless from the jump after clipping Hunt and hurting him in the first exchange. Perea kept coming forward to set up his punches with Hunt just trying to survive. Perea dropped Hunt for a second time and then eventually a third time followed by a barrage of hammer fists that officially ended it.
Perea looked very impressive in his DWCS debut.
Igor Cavalcanti def. Oscar Ravello via TKO (strikes) at 1:38, R1
A straight right hand from Cavalcanti opened the fight as he put Ravello down in an early exchange. Cavalcanti followed him to the canvas and he just kept blasting away with punches looking for the finish, but to his credit he was smart not to overextend himself.
Cavalcanti was measured with his strikes as he kept chipping away with Ravello only able to roll and try to avoid the damage but he just couldn’t escape the bad position on the ground. Cavalcanti was still punching away and Ravello was clearly stuck, which gave the referee no choice but to stop the fight.
Akbar Abdullaev def. Ednilson Santos via knockout (punch) at 19 seconds, R1
Akbar Abdullaev backed up all the hype surrounding his appearance on DWCS as the former ONE fighter uncorked a single right hand that absolutely blasted Santos and the Brazilian almost fell in slow motion as he face planted on the canvas.
The look at Dana White’s face told the whole story as Abdullaev delivered an absolutely jaw-dropping one punch knockout.
Luis Hernandez def. Hugo Guillon via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:01, R2
Hernandez was on the attack from the first second of the fight until the very last. He scored an early takedown but eventually Hernandez turned to his striking where he blasted Guillon with a nasty body kick. Hernandez also came back over the top with a well-timed overhand punch that rattled Guillon as well.
Hernandez stayed aggressive going into round two but that almost cost him as he got clipped with a stiff knee up the middle and Guillon nearly locked on a D’arce choke. Instead, Hernandez escaped and he grabbed onto a rear-naked choke that earned him the tap and he got the victory.
Tyshawn Williams def. Antonio Monteiro via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
A former college wrestler, Tyshawn Williams was attacking with his grappling early and often. He scored numerous takedowns but that also gassed Williams out badly. Still Williams mainly stayed in control with Monteiro doing his best to get back to his feet.
With time running out, Williams kept dragging Monteiro to the canvas and the Brazilian just couldn’t break free from his grip as time ran out to make any kind of comeback. The judges agreed and Williams earned the unanimous decision victory.
