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There were plenty of finishes at the Meta Apex on Tuesday night
The 10th season of Dana White’s Contender Series is underway and some future UFC stars appear ready to make the leap. Tuesday night saw the beginning of the 10-week program to find the next generation of UFC and four contracts were handed out.
The biggest debut goes to Bilal Hasan, who made quick work of Mridul Saikia at bantamweight. Hasan finished Saikia in under one minute before hitting the moon walk in celebration. UFC CEO and president Dana White confirmed after the show that Hasan had absolutely earned himself a spot in the UFC.
“This is an absolute no brainer,” White said. “Came in with a ton of hype and lived up to it. When you come in as the biggest favorite in the history of Contender Series. I’m excited about you and excited to see you in the UFC.”
The main event saw former linebacker Anthony Wint destroy Matt Adams at heavyweight in just 34 seconds. Wint, who played collegiately at FIU and and then land on the New York Jets practice squad, ran over Adams quickly after Adams attempted a takedown. Wint pushed through the attempt and rolled Adams in to the corner where he unleashed heavy ground and pound that forced the stoppage. White made sure to add him to the heavyweight roster.
“You are a f—ing tank, my friend, holy shit,” White said. “I didn’t get to see much, but what I did get to see was pretty nasty. I have a long history with your coach [Robbie Lawler], who has nothing but good things to say about you.
“This kid’s explosive, he’s nasty. He’s obviously got that mean killer instinct. He was telling me after the fight, ‘I want to fight in Philly this weekend. And if not Philly, please put me in L.A.’ This guy’s right up my alley.”
Plus, Thomas Pagliarulo battled back against a tough Ananias Mulumba to score a stunning finish at featherweight. Pagliarulo was rocked early in the first round but managed to gain his composure and hold on through a wave of strikes coming at him from Mulumba. He took Mulumba’s back in the third round before turning it over and finishing it off with ground and pound. For Mulumba, it’s a tough loss after also coming up short on the show a year ago against Marwan Rahiki.
DWCS Week 1 results
- Anthony Wint def. Matt Adams via first-round TKO (punches) *
- Abe Alsaghir def. Fabrizio Escarrega via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bilal Hasan def. Mridul Saikia via first-round TKO (punches) *
- Thomas Pagliarulo def. Ananias Mulumba via third-round TKO (strikes) *
- Joe Kropschot def. Jon Kunneman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) *
*Denotes contract won
