Fighters Only : Contender Series Week 8: All five winners earn UFC deals

Fighters Only

Sep 14, 2022

Dana White continued his Contender Series generosity on Week 8 of the talent-finding show, as he handed out UFC contracts to each and every one of the winners after Tuesday night’s event.

Bantamweights Farid Basharat and Daniel Marcos both claimed shutout decision victories to bookend the event, and both were rewarded for their dominant performances by receiving UFC deals from White.

Russian middleweight Ikram Aliskerov, American lightweight Trevor Peek and Brazilian women’s flyweight Bruna Brasil also earned UFC contracts after finishing their respective opponents.

Here’s how Week 8 of the Contender Series panned out at the UFC Apex:

Farid Basharat def. Allan Begosso via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 30-26)

Farid Basharat racked up 110 significant strikes in a dominant striking display as he defeated Allan Begosso via shutout unanimous decision to earn himself a UFC contract.

Basharat, younger brother of Contender Series graduate and UFC bantamweight Javid Basharat, earned scores of 30-27, 30-26, 30-26 after a one-sided fight that saw him showcase his full arsenal of striking skills.

After the fight, Basharat was awarded a UFC deal to join his brother in the UFC. And with Javid looking to make his mark in the 135-pound division, Farid will look to do the same in the same weight class.

Ikram Aliskerov def. Mario Sousa via submission (Kimura) – Round 1, 2:09

Russian sambo specialist Ikram Aliskerov showed off his grappling chops with a superb first-round submission of Mario Sousa to earn himself a UFC contract.

Aliskerov calmly assessed his opponent, took him to the mat, worked into a dominant position, then locked up a Kimura shoulder lock to force the tap at the 2:09 mark of the opening round.

It was clean, clinical and hugely impressive by Aliskerov, who becomes the latest in a long line of Russian sambo practitioners to make it to the UFC.

Trevor Peek def. Malik Lewis via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:37

By the mid-way point of the first round between Trevor Peek and Malik Lewis, Peek was in big, big trouble.

He’d been badly rocked and was in all sorts of danger as Lewis looked close to sealing a first-round TKO finish. But Peek hung in there and managed to recover after being taken to the mat.

It meant he needed something big in the second round to right the ship, and a revitalised Peek came out of his corner swinging for the fences as he took the fight to Lewis.

After earning his opponent’s respect with a heavy-handed opening flurry. Peek settled down and looked for openings for his punches. Then, after Lewis whiffed with a big right hand, Peek changed levels, took his man to the mat, then hammered him with heavy ground strikes.

Lewis fought his way back to his feet, but was hurt with a big knee as Peek kept the pressure on to eventually force the finish with ground strikes from mount on an exhausted, demoralised Lewis.

It was a thrilling comeback, and one that kept Peek’s 100% finish rate intact as he earned a UFC deal with as gritty a display as we’ve seen in the Contender Series this season.

Bruna Brasil def. Marnic Mann via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 4:33

Right from the very start of her women’s flyweight bout with Marnic Mann, it was clear that Bruna Brasil held a significant height and reach advantage. When she started to let her punches and kicks go, it quickly became apparent she had a huge striking advantage, too.

That advantage played out throughout the opening round as the Brazilian used her range and technique to dominate the exchanges with Mann to put her in a commanding position heading into the second stanza.

Confident of her skills, and cheered on by a raucous group of friends and family in the UFC Apex bleachers, Brasil then kicked things up a gear, quite literally, as she pushed the pace and connected with a thumping head kick to score a walk-off knockout and earn herself a UFC contract.

Daniel Marcos def. Brandon Lewis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Undefeated bantamweight Daniel Marcos extended his perfect professional record to 13-0 with a unanimous decision victory over America’s Brandon Lewis.

Marcos stunned Lewis early in the first round as he established his striking superiority in the opening minutes of the contest, and the Peruvian did well to keep the action on the feet by stuffing Lewis’ takedown attempts.

The second and third rounds followed a similar pattern, with Marcos expertly keeping the fight in his wheelhouse while peppering Lewis with strikes. Though he didn’t quite manage to find the finish that looked likely in Round 1, Marcos’ performance was impressive enough to earn scores of 30-27 from all of the cageside judges, and a UFC contract from White.