A 22-year-old knockout artist was rewarded with UFC promotion after wowing Dana White on the Contender Series
Alan Dawson
- Dana White rewarded five Contender Series athletes with UFC contracts Tuesday.
- The UFC boss seemed particularly impressed with 22-year-old fighter Yusaku Kinoshita.
The sixth season of Dana White's Contender Series is now beyond the halfway point, as the sixth episode of the summer returned Tuesday for a five-fight card at the Apex in Las Vegas.
There have been some stand-out performances so far this season.
Speaking to Insider and other reporters after the fifth episode wrapped last week, the UFC boss Dana White singled out two performers who had blown his mind so far.
There was Joe Pyfer, who was the only athlete to earn a UFC deal on the opening night, and Cameron Saaiman, because he already looks the goods at 21 years old. White even said Saaiman should be called "The Future" going forward.
Elsewhere, Bo Nickal — one of the best prospects in all MMA — stole the show earlier this month but, for White, had not done enough to earn a contract there and then. The American will instead have to compete in another Contender Series fight later this season.
Ten athletes competed in five fights in different weight classes with the hope that they'd do enough to secure a UFC contract.
Here's who fought Tuesday:
Blake Bilder vs. Alexander Morgan — featherweight
Maria Silva vs. Viktoriia Dudakova — strawweight
Rodrigo Lidio vs. Mateusz Rebecki — lightweight
Sedriques Dumas vs. Matej Penaz — middleweight
Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Jose Henrique — welterweight
Blake Bilder scored an impressive first-round submission win over Alexander Morgan in the opening fight of the night.
Bilder submitted Morgan after three minutes and 15 seconds thanks to a rear-naked choke, which you can watch right here.
In the second fight of the night, Viktoriia Dudakova defeated Maria Silva by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 (x 3).
Next up were lightweight fighters Mateusz Rebecki and Rodrigo Lidio.
Rebecki, who White later nicknamed 'Re-beast-i', made a statement with a first-round rear-naked choke.
Watch the finish that caught White's eye right here:
Sedriques Dumas kept the submission theme of the night alive in the fourth fight, when he finished Matej Penaz with a standing guillotine choke.
Victory advanced the American's pro MMA record to seven wins (four knockouts, two submissions, and one decision), and remains undefeated.
Watch his finish — the third-fastest in Contender Series history — right here:
The final fight of the night contained the most brutal of finishes as Yusaku Kinoshita poleaxed Jose Souza with a punishing punch.
The thumping finish was a potential star-making performance for Kinoshita.
"The one thing we've been missing in the UFC is a Japanese star," White told reporters after the event. "Now we have one."
Watch Kinoshita's knockout win right here:
"Anybody who's been a fan of the sport knows it's been huge in Japan," said White. "And it's been a long time since there's been a star from Japan."
The 22-year-old Kinoshita "could be it," according to White.
Dana White was in a near-giddy state when he announced a clean sweep of UFC contracts for Contender Series winners.
White confirmed all five Contender Series winners would receive UFC deals.
Here they are:
- Yusaku Kinoshita
- Sedriques Dumas
- Mateusz Rebecki
- Victoria Dudakova
- Blake Bilder
Dana White's Contender Series returns Tuesday, September 6 for the seventh episode of the sixth season. It will air on ESPN+ from the Apex in Las Vegas.
The Contender Series concludes on September 27 after its 10th episode.
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