Five more fighters will join the UFC after the final episode. Contender series this year.
Tuesday night of week 10 Contender series Six fights were held at UFC APEX in Las Vegas instead of the usual five, and the fighters made the most of the extra opportunity, making history with two unprecedented finishes. Contender seriesincluding a candidate for Knockout of the Year.
Juan Diaz vs Wong Il-kwon
There was no shortage of highlights this week, but the biggest one was the co-main event of the night, where Juan Diaz became the first man to win with a spinning back elbow. Contender series Historically, he finished Won Il-kwon in the second round.
Kwon, who has extensive experience in ONE Championship, was the betting favorite heading into this bout and looked in great shape. Still, Diaz used his speed and combination boxing to find much success early on. But in the second round, Kwon’s experience started to take over…but not until the end. Diaz noticed Kwon ducking his head and took advantage with a spinning back elbow, instantly ending the match.
Diaz’s win earned high praise from Dana White, considering he accomplished something he had never done before. Contender series Historically, he was an easy choice for a UFC contract.
Levi Rodriguez vs. Freddy Vidal
In the main event of the night, Levi Rodriguez knocked out Freddy Vidal in the first round, winning the fight and the love and admiration of UFC CEO Dana White.
This was Vidal’s second match. Contender series This season, she competed on short notice earlier this year, and although she had a win, she was unable to make weight, and to make matters worse, White was unimpressed. White decided to give Rodriguez another chance. Rodriguez had no problem with the scales this time, but he wrestled Vidal hard, and Vidal stuffed a takedown and hit Vidal with a huge hayride. Vidal tried to break through forcefully, but a bad knee in the clinch stopped it, giving Rodriguez the knockout victory, with Dana White telling Rodriguez that he “saved us” from Vidal, who once again “stinked up” the field.
Of course, with such praise, White offered Vidal a UFC contract.
Marwan Rahiki vs. Ananias Mulumba
In the fourth match of the night, Marwan Rahiki and Ananias Mulumba engaged in one of the craziest fights of the season, ending in a second-round knockout for Rahiki.
Rahiki drew comparisons to former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and he and Mulumba performed their own version of Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum, pummeling each other in a back-and-forth battle. Mulumba dropped Rahiki multiple times in the first round and it seemed like an upset victory was on the way, but the Moroccan fighter somehow kept fighting and even stunned Mulumba in the round. Unfortunately, Mulumba spent too much energy pursuing the finish in the first fight, and Rahiki took over in the second, cornering Mulumba with elbows before brutally knocking him down with well-timed uppercuts.
At the end of the show, Dana White was impressed with the performance and awarded Rahiki the contract, also praising Mulumba’s great fight and stating that he would like to bring him back next season.
Michael Oliveira vs. Victor Valenzuela
In the third fight of the night, Michael Oliveira delivered a stunning blow against Victor Valenzuela, earning him a second-round TKO victory.
Oliveira, a veteran of the Brazilian army, showed good discipline during the war. Contender series He fought, hurting Valenzuela multiple times, but did not get overly aggressive and forced the finish. Instead, Oliveira continued to batter Valenzuela with jabs and counters, eventually breaking down the tough Chilean and forcing the referee to intervene.
At the end of the show, Dana White gave Oliveira a contract immediately and said he looked forward to seeing him fight in the UFC.
Yovan Leka vs. Azamat Nukhtilayev
In the second match of the night, Jovan Reka defeated Azamat Nukhtilayev in one of the most memorable matches of the season. Contender series.
Nukhtilayev was strong from the start, using his wrestling skills to defeat Reka and control the first round. But that strategy turned out to be disastrous, as Nukhtilayev was completely gassed in the first five minutes, and Leka took over from there, stuffing takedowns, getting on top of Nukhtilayev, and landing a fair amount of ground and pound, but not getting the finish. In the end, Reka won by a clear unanimous decision, winning the round 10-8 on the two judges’ scorecards, but it wasn’t enough to impress Dana White.
Wes Schultz vs. Mario Mera
In the opening bout of the night, Wes Schultz made history, becoming the first fighter in the world to do so. Contender series The historic record of submitting Mario Mingazy in the first round and successfully stretching Suloev.
Schultz was a contestant on season 8. Contender series, There he lost to Mansoor Abdul Malik. That loss has aged well so far, and Schultz proved he has the talent Tuesday by pressuring the previously undefeated Mingazi, cracking him with punches to the feet, then scoring a takedown and pulling off a unique submission in transition.
If there’s one way to ensure a UFC contract, it’s to do something that’s never been done before, and Schultz received high praise from Dana White, who offered him a spot in the UFC.
See full results below.
Levi Rodriguez def. Freddy Vidal won by TKO (punch) — Round 1, 3:20.
Juan Diaz def. Wong Il Kwon KO (Spinning Back Elbow) — 4:58, Round 2.
Marwan Rahiki def. Ananias Mulumba KO (elbows and punches) — 2:13, round 2.
Michael Oliveira def. Victor Valenzuela won by TKO (punch) — 3:56, round 2.
Jovan Reka Def. Azamat Nufilaev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Wes Schultz def. Mario Mingaj via submission (Suloev stretch) — 1:51, round 1.