A 24-year-old American scored one of the knockouts of the summer and was instantly handed a UFC contract

• A 24-year-old American stole the Contender Series show Tuesday with a thunderous finish.
• A.J. Fletcher knocked his opponent out with a flying knee in front of Dana White.
• The UFC boss was so impressed he handed him a contract in an instant.

A 24-year-old American scored one of the knockouts of the summer and was instantly handed a UFC contract.

The upcoming MMA star AJ Fletcher was competing Tuesday in Dana White's Contender Series, which takes place at the Apex in Las Vegas, and is a separate entity to the UFC designed to funnel talent into the main promotion.

Nicknamed "The Ghost," Fletcher has haunted all of his opponents to date as he entered the Apex unbeaten in eight bouts, and extended that run to nine with a highlight-reel flying knee.

It was midway through the opening round when Fletcher spotted his opening.

With his welterweight opponent Leonardo Damiani's back against the fence, he closed a two-step gap, shifted his weight onto the ball of his lead foot, and lifted off.

Fletcher hurled his kneecap into Damiani's face and the Italian buckled immediately. Though down, Fletcher showed no mercy and pounced onto the fallen fighter so he could aim six crisp, short-range punches at his dome.

The referee had seen enough - it was all over.

Watch it all right here:

The youngster scored his finish in front of Dana White, and the UFC president was so impressed he handed the Louisianan fighter a contract before the night was over.

"If this isn't No.1 tomorrow on ESPN's top plays, something's wrong over at ESPN," Dana White said to commentator and former MMA fighter Laura Sanko.

The win advanced Fletcher's undefeated pro-MMA record to nine wins (four knockouts, four submissions, and one decision) against no losses or draws.

But he wasn't the only athlete to earn a contract.

In a first-ever for the Contender Series, White distributed five deals in total.

Azamat Murzakanov also scored a thunderous first-round finish to earn himself a contract.

Joanderson Brito, Victor Altamirano, and Carlos Candelario also scored deals of their own.

The show returns Tuesday for the second live episode of the fifth season.