If you’re a UFC employee, now might not be the worst time to approach Dana White and ask him for a raise.
The UFC president’s generosity when handing out UFC fight contracts continued on Tuesday night as, for the third straight week, he awarded fight deals to every one of the night’s winners at the Contender Series.
Yusaku Kinoshita claimed the only KO/TKO finish of the night with a third-round finish of Jose Henrique in the main event, while Sedriques Dumas, Mateusz Rebecki and Blake Bilder each claimed first-round submissions. The other winner on the night, Viktoriya Dudakova, earned a unanimous decision to secure her UFC deal.
Yusaku Kinoshita def. Jose Henrique via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:43
The main event saw Japanese featherweight Yusaku Kinoshita bounce back from an eye poke to claim an emphatic third-round TKO of Brazil’s Jose Henrique.
The matchup started with a high pace and, by the second round, had gone into full-on overdrive as the pair traded big shots in a wild exchange.
With both men enjoying a degree of success in the first two rounds, it set things up perfectly for a final-round showdown, but the momentum carried over from Round 2 was abruptly halted when an eye poke from Henrique forced the action to a halt.
Kinoshita took his time and recovered before the fight resumed. Perhaps thinking his opponent was compromised, Henrique pushed forward looking to land big, but was brilliantly countered by a laser left hand from Kinoshita that sent his man to the canvas.
The Japanese prospect swarmed his opponent and, urged on by his cornermen, who shouted at him to “smash!” Kinoshita secured the TKO with a flurry of ground strikes to earn himself a spot in the UFC.
Sedriques Dumas def. Matej Penaz via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:47
Undefeated middleweight prospect Sedriques Dumas showed his submission skills as he locked up a high-elbow guillotine to previously unbeaten Czech Matej Penaz in just 47 seconds.
Both men entered the octagon at the UFC Apex with unblemished 6-0 records, but it was Dumas who emerged the victor as he locked up the power guillotine after Penaz scrambled back to his feet following an earlier Dumas takedown.
The fight was over almost as quickly as it had begun, as Dumas’ aggression snuffed out Penaz’s chances before the Czech had any chance to mount any serious offence of his own.
Mateusz Rebecki def. Rodrigo Lidio via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:05
In the mid-card slot, Polish lightweight Mateusz Rebecki improved his record to 16-1 with a first-round submission of Brazil’s Rodrigo Lidio.
Rebecki had to endure some early adversity in the bout as Lidio connected with a big head kick early in the first round. But the Pole was still fresh and took the strike remarkably well before changing levels and taking the action to the mat.
The Pole was clearly looking to drag the fight into the grappling realm and, after Lidio had fought back to his feet, Rebecki soon had him back down on the mat once again. Initially in side control, Rebecki snatched his opponent’s neck, before eventually moving to Lidio’s back and claiming the win via rear-naked choke.
The 29-year-old from Szczecin has only been the distance twice in his career, and he added a 14th career finish to his resume as he extended his win streak to 13 to punch his ticket to the UFC.
Viktoriya Dudakova def. Maria Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Former IMMAF European champion Viktoriya Dudakova continued her perfect start to life as a professional by notching her sixth consecutive victory to earn her shot on the big stage.
Facing off against a similarly undefeated, but more experienced opponent in Maria Silva, Dudakova showed her wrestling and grappling early on as she started well with a solid takedown and smart control on the mat.
However, Silva battled back well in the second stanza. The Brazilian landed a takedown of her own and looked to strike from a dominant position. Dudakova returned the favour later in the round, but appeared to suffer a knee injury as Silva looked to take advantage.
The final round saw Dudakova clearly in pain from her injured knee, but she was still able to take the round by taking Silva to the mat and keeping her there with ground strikes before moving to her back and threating with submissions.
It proved enough to earn scores of 29-28 on all three cards as the unbeaten Russian was handed a UFC deal.
Blake Bilder def. Alexander Morgan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15
CFFC featherweight champion Blake Bilder grabbed his UFC opportunity with both hands as he snatched a first-round submission to defeat Alexander Morgan and earn himself a UFC contract.
Bilder, who arrived in CFFC with a bang as he captured the promotion’s title on debut last December, retained his title in April to earn his shot on the Contender series.
And the Minnesota native extended his undefeated record with an first-round rear-naked choke to impress the watching Dana White and seal himself a spot in the UFC’s 145-pound division.
Dana White’s Contender Series: Week 6 Results
- Yusaku Kinoshita def. Jose Henrique via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:43
- Sedriques Dumas def. Matej Penaz via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:47
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Rodrigo Lidio via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:05
- Viktoriya Dudakova def. Maria Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Blake Bilder def. Alexander Morgan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15
