For UFC fans, one of the most exciting times of the year is when Dana White’s Contender Series returns. It fills Tuesday nights with exciting fights as top prospects look to impress Dana White and earn a contract to compete inside the octagon.
Last week was this year’s debut and it got off to a very rough start. White was incredibly critical of the fighters competing last week and only two contracts were handed out. That said, last night was a more typical night on The Contender Series and all five winners earned themselves a UFC contract.
UFC Contract Winners
Featherweight: Ramiro Jimenez (11-0) – Jimenez got the night off to a great start when he ran through Tommy Cuozzi in the first round of their matchup finishing the fight with brutal combination followed up with elbows on the ground. White was more than happy to give the undefeated featherweight a contract.
Heavyweight: Josh Hokit (6-0) – The UFC’s heavyweight division definitely needs some fresh talent and they got some fresh talent last night. Hokit completely dominated and broke Guilherme Uriel in the first round of their fight. In the second round, he put his foot on the gas and got a stoppage which earned him a contract.
Bantamweight: Louis Lee Scott (10-0) – If there was one fighter entering the cage last night that I didn’t think would get a UFC contract it was Scott. Scott missed weight by half a pound and normally, Dana White wouldn’t dish out a contract to someone who missed weight. However, Scott put on an incredibly well-rounded performance leading up to his third round TKO over Kaushik Saikumar. In the end, it was enough for White to look beyond the half pound miss.
Middleweight Cam Rowston (12-3) – A year ago, Rowston lost a decision on The Contender Series which put him back on the regional scene. He won three straight fights to earn another shot and he took full advantage. Rowston ran through Brandon Holmes and stopped him in the first round. The Australian told White that he wanted to fight on the upcoming Perth card and White said that he’ll put him on that card for his UFC debut.
Featherweight Jose Delano (16-3) – The final UFC contract of the night went to former LFA featherweight champion Jose Delano. Delano was the only guy to win by decision but that’s more of a credit to Manuel Exposito. Delano put it on him for three rounds and hit him with everything but the kitchen sink. After starting 1-2 in his professional career, Delano is now 15-1 in his last 16 fights. White commented that the matchmakers believe he’s ready to jump right into ranked competition.
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