Goodnight!
Former Cage Warriors standout and Paddy Pimblett teammate George Staines punched his ticket to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) by knocking out Loai Abushaar with a vicious slam tonight (Tues., Sept. 29, 2026) during Week 8 of Contender Series Season 10 inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Featherweights exchanged nasty low kicks to open the fight before Abushaar narrowly missed with a high kick. Staines then closed the distance, secured a takedown and forced his opponent to work
back to his feet.
Abushaar managed to stand, but he wasn’t upright for long.
Staines immediately lifted him and delivered a brutal mat return that knocked Abushaar unconscious. The undefeated Englishman landed a few unnecessary follow-up punches before the referee could intervene.
Check out the devastating finish below:
Staines, 26, improved to 11-0 with the biggest victory of his young career.
The Next Generation MMA Liverpool prospect trains alongside Pimblett and fellow undefeated standout Luke Riley. Despite turning professional just three years ago, Staines has already faced respectable competition across Cage Warriors and OKTAGON MMA.
Staines now owns a 45 percent finishing rate, with three submissions and two knockouts. After producing that kind of highlight on Contender Series, he should not have to wait long to hear UFC CEO Dana White and co to call his name for his UFC debut.
As for Abushaar, the loss snapped his four-fight winning streak. He remains a talented prospect who could eventually find his way into UFC — it just won’t be this year.
For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.
