Dana White Contender Series Episode 1 Results: Highlights And Finishes

The first episode of season 8 of Dana White Contender was full of endings.

Dana White signed four contracts after five fights, including Mansur Abdul-Malik, who scored a second-round TKO victory over Wes Schultz in the main event.

Here’s a look at the results and highlights from the finishes.

• Mansur Abdul-Malik defeated Wes Schultz by TKO (elbows) at 3:55 of round 2

Abdul-Malik has made a name for himself as a savage when in the top spot. The finish that earned him a spot in the DWCS came via ground and pound, so it’s no surprise to see Abdul-Malik come out on top.

Schultz performed strongly, but Abdul-Malik’s wrestling and general athleticism proved too much. He won the final contract of the night.

• Rami Hamed defeats Ding Meng by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Hammed easily beat Meng, the most experienced fighter on the card, but did not win a contract.

• Bruno Lopez defeated Michael Sazziniani by TKO at 4:14 of Round 2

Lopez won the contract, but the decision to offer him a deal was the most difficult of the night. López’s win was the least impressive as he and Sazzignani hit the gas. Lopez picked up the win with a rather pedestrian body attack and his opponent seemed to pretty much give up.

White mentioned during the post-event presser that he liked Lopez’s story, which helped convince him to accept the contract.

Here’s a look at the finish:

• Jose Delgado defeats Ernie Juarez by KO (knee and punches) at 1:25 of round 2

This battle of the fighters from the western region of the USA ended with a vicious finish. MMA Lab product Arizona Delgado destroyed Gracie Stockton’s Juarez with a high knee and punches.

The stoppage came about two punches too late as Juarez appeared to be out of the knee.

• Lone’er Kavanagh defeats An Tuan Ho by KO (left hook) at 2:35 of Round 1

The worst knockout of the night came at the hands of Kavanagh and at the expense of Ho. A left hook from hell planted Ho on the canvas, recording an instant KO and the automatic contract for Kavanagh.

We rarely see flyweights with that kind of power in their punches. Kavanagh will be one to watch in the UFC.

Episode 2 of DWCS will go live on August 20. Here’s a look at the fight lineup for the UFC contenders.

• Bantamweight: Billy Brand vs. Cody Haddon
• Middleweight: Cam Rowston vs Torrez Finney
• Bantamweight: Cortavious Romious vs. Michael Imperato
• Heavyweight: Rizvan Kuniev vs Hugo Cunha
• Welterweight: Andreas Gustafsson vs Pat Pytlik