The first edition of the Contender Series for season 10 ended up as a mixed bag with a couple of blistering knockouts and a few fights that didn’t exactly set the world on fire.
Flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan, who was the biggest favorite in the history of the show at -5000 odds, proved why he was must-see TV on Tuesday night after he delivered a lightning quick knockout in his fight. Heavyweight Anthony Wint did much the same in his fight after he reversed a takedown and then just unloaded shots
to put away Matt Adams less than a minute into the opening round.
In the end, UFC CEO Dana White signed four new fighters to the UFC roster: Joseph Kropschot, Thomas Pagliarulo, Bilal Hasan and Anthony Wint
Anthony Wint vs Matt Adams
Wint immediately started chopping away with leg kicks before Adams dove for a takedown that was quickly stuffed. Wint reversed positions and trapped Adams on the ground as he began raining down punches. Wint just kept hammering away until referee Herb Dean swooped in to stop the fight as the former New York Jet added another knockout win to his resume.
Anthony Witt def. Matt Adams via TKO (strikes) 34 seconds, R1
Fabrizio Escarrega vs. Abe Alsaghir
There was no feeling out process with Escarrega attacking immediately and Alsaghir countering with a takedown attempt against the cage. After the fighters separated, Escarrega connected with a short punch that dropped Alsaghir to a knee before pressing forward to take the fight to the ground. Another wild scramble led to Escarrega tagging Alsaghir with some hard shots back on the feet.
With room to work, Alsaghir finally connected with some stiff shots of his own but Escarrega countered quickly with a punch of his own that once again rattled his opponent. While Alsaghir kept trying for the takedown, Escarrega shut him down and eventually reversed him against the cage. Even when Alsaghir started to land shots on the feet, he would abandon his striking and go for another takedown.
With five minutes remaining, Escarrega was still in control but he wasn’t inflicting much damage to really steal the show. Eventually, Alsaghir escaped a bad position and he ended up getting on top of Escarrega and then taking the back for a moment. But he couldn’t maintain control and the lightweights were just jockeying for position on the ground as time ran out
Abe Alsaghir def. Fabrizio Escarrega via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Bilal Hasan vs. Mridul Saikia
The biggest favorite in Contender Series history showed why he’s going to be a massive prospect to watch for the future as Bilal Hasan lived up to the hype with his performance on Tuesday. Hasan connected with a thudding body kick and just stayed on the attack with Saikia playing defense.
Saikia threw a low leg kick and Hasan looked to catch it but then out of nowhere uncorked a hellacious right hand that twisted his opponent’s head around. Saikia crumbled to the canvas and Hasan quickly followed where he began raining down shots until referee Herb Dean had no choice but to stop the fight.
The end came at just 45 seconds into the first round as Hasan celebrated with a moon walk in the cage.
Bilal Hasan def. Mridul Saikia via TKO (punches), 45 seconds, R1
Thomas Pagliarulo vs. Ananias Mulumba
A straight punch from Pagliarulo wobbled Mulumba to open the fight but then a split second later Mulumba connected with a shot of his own that buckled Pagliarulo’s knees. A stiff left hand from Mulumba rocked Pagliarulo again and he stayed on the attack.
After absorbing some nasty leg kicks, Pagliarulo did manage a takedown but Mulumba was able to scramble free to get back to his feet. Pagliarulo continued looking for takedowns and then used Mulumba’s defensive position to throw knees on the ground, carefully avoiding the head for a potential foul.
With Mulumba slowing down, Pagliarulo was able to pop him with a slick jab and then mixing up his strikes to keep the Contender Series veteran guessing during the exchanges. Mulumba opened the final round with some leg kicks and a hard left hook but Pagliarulo countered with another takedown and nearly snatched a D’arce choke on the ground. Pagliarulo also sliced Mulumba open with some short inside elbows.
As the punishment continued, Pagliarulo was really starting to hammer away at Mulumba and the continued assault was enough for referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight.
Thomas Pagliarulo def. Ananias Mulumba via TKO (ground strikes) 4:24, R3
Jon Kunneman vs. Joseph Kropschot
Right out of the gate, Kunneman was ultra-aggressive throwing bombs with every punch and looking for the knockout. Kropschot countered with a perfectly timed long jab and straight punches that consistently connected against his shorter opponent. As time passed, Kropschot also started stabbing away at Kunneman’s body with a nasty front kick that was repeatedly digging to the ribs.
In the second round, Kropschot was landing with the crisper, cleaner strikes including a staggering left hook that rocked Kunneman briefly. The kicks to the body continued from Kropschot but Kunneman finally connected with a blistering combination including an uppercut that definitely caught the LFA middleweight champion off guard.
With time running short, Kunneman scored a well-timed takedown but Kropschot was quick to counter with a submission attempt before getting back to his feet again. From there, Kropschot continued battering the body with both punches and kicks as he kept Kunneman on his back foot. A late scramble on the ground ended with Kropschot transitioning from a kimura to an armbar attempt.
Kropschot fully extended the arm and the elbow was definitely going the wrong direction but Kunneman refused to tap as time ran out. He didn’t get the finish but Kropschot still got the win.
Joseph Kropschot def. Jon Kunneman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
