Modestino Rodrigues needed only 15 seconds to walk away victorious Tuesday when it mattered most.
At Dana White's Contender Series 90, Rodrigues (8-1) finished Brandon Holmes (6-2) with a big right hand moments into their middleweight bout at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The stoppage, made by referee Chris Tognoni, was highly-criticized as too early by many viewers. Holmes was knocked down but didn't appear to be given much leeway to recover. Regardless, a win is a win for the Brazilian.
RIGHT FROM THE START ⏰
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 2, 2026
Modestino Rodrigues earns the knockout in 15 seconds!!!!
[ #DWCS | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/rArESSvLEY
With the win, Rodrigues, 22, likely punched his ticket to the UFC. All eight of Rodrigues' wins have been first-round knockouts.
Modestino Rodrigues scores a 15 second finish against Brandon Holmes 😲 #DWCS
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) September 2, 2026
Thoughts on the stoppage? pic.twitter.com/Uyls28VVLE
Holmes, 29, comes up short in his second DWCS attempt. In 2025, Holmes was knocked out in the first round by Cam Rowston, a fighter who has since gone 3-0 in the UFC.
Up-to-the-minute DWCS 90 results include:
- Modestino Rodrigues def. Brandon Holmes via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:15
- Silvestre Sanchez def. Liam McCracken via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:44
- Gabriel Lorenco def. Charlie Cleveland via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:02
- Adam Livingston def. Hunter Smith via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: DWCS video: Modestino Rodrigues finishes Brandon Holmes in 15 seconds
