MMA Junkie was on scene reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 51 event.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
The fifth week of the sixth season sees 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. Heavyweights were in the featured bout as Mick Parkin (6-0) took on Eduardo Neves (5-1).
At the conclusion of the event which saw only one bout go to the scorecards, White issued contracts to all five winners for the second week in a row.
Denise Gomes, Cameron Saaiman, Jesus Santos Aguilar, Darrius Flowers, and Mick Parkin are now the latest additions to the UFC roster.
South African bantamweight Saaiman, who won his fight with a vicious knockout, now becomes the youngest male fighter on the active UFC roster at 21.
The UFC Apex hosted Tuesday’s card, which streamed live on ESPN+. The full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 50 include:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Mick Parkin def. Eduardo Neves via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:57
- Darrius Flowers def. Amiran Gogoladze via TKO (shoulder injury) – Round 1, 1:13
- Jesus Santos Aguilar def. Erisson Ferreira da Silva via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:56
- Cameron Saaiman def. Josh Wang-Kim via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:52
- Denise Gomes def. Rayanne Amanda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Continue reading below for more details about each fight.
Rayanne Amanda vs. Denise Gomes
The strawweight battle saw the fighters trading strikes on the feet for the first half of the round. Amanda put together clean combinations of punches as Gomes stalked around the cage, attempting multiple wheel kicks. Amanda initiated the clinch game after a takedown attempt, which was countered by a kimura attempt from Gomes. They wrestled for position until the end of the round.
Gomes came out more aggressive with her striking early in the second round, but a flying knee attempt was caught and used to take her down. They quickly returned to the feet, and the striking exchanges continued as Gomes kept Amanda on her back foot. Gomes landed a few big strikes, but Amanda began firing back, sparking a brawl in the closing moments of the second.
Continuing to be the aggressor early, Gomes led the striking battle by firing off sharp punches as she forced Amanda to move backward. In the second half of the round, Amanda began to move forward looking for big overhand punches, but Gomes continued to be the more accurate striker throughout the last round that was filled with action on the feet.
Result: Denise Gomes def. Rayanne Amanda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Rayanne Amanda (11-6), Denise Gomes (6-1)
Division: Strawweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Cameron Saaiman vs. Josh Wang-Kim
The bantamweights touched every corner of the octagon as they bounced around looking to land punches and kicks. Wang-Kim offered a variety of kicking attacks as he showed off a smooth striking game. Saaiman answered with strikes of his own before the clinch battle began against the cage. They returned to the center and continued to trade strikes in a competitive opening round.
Wang-Kim brought the fight to the mat early but found himself fighting off a guillotine from Saaiman. They got back to the feet and Saaiman appeared to grow in confidence as he pressed forward with punches and kicks. In the closing seconds, Saaiman completed a takedown after peppering Wang-Kim with a high volume of strikes.
Saaiman picked up right where he left off, pressing the action with combinations. Wang-Kim working on his back foot, struggled to stop the pressure. Out of nowhere, Saaiman put together a crisp combination of punches ending in a hard left hook that put Wang-Kim down and out.
Result: Cameron Saaiman def. Josh Wang-Kim via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:52
Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Cameron Saaiman (6-0), Josh Wang-Kim (5-2)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Jesus Santos Aguilar vs. Erisson Ferreira da Silva
The flyweights started at a high clip, with both Aguilar and Ferreira swinging hard with strikes early. Aguilar got a takedown, but had to fight his way out of a deep guillotine counter. They returned to the feet briefly, but Ferreira got a takedown of his own and looked for another guillotine. Aguilar brought the fight back to the feet, but was reversed on another takedown attempt and Ferreira took his back. With seconds remaining, Aguilar reversed and rained down hard punches until the horn.
After an initial hard striking exchange that appeared to rock both fighters, the fight continued on the mat. Aguilar found his way to Ferreira’s back, where he would look to secure a rear-naked choke while mixing in a few strikes from behind. Ferreira did his best to prevent damage and reversed position in the closing seconds, as Aguilar did at the end of the first.
The round once again began with a hard exchange, and quickly ended up on the ground again. This time, Aguilar found the neck of Ferreira and wouldn’t let go. The guillotine attempt was locked in deep, and Ferreira had no choice but to tap.
Result: Jesus Santos Aguilar def. Erisson Ferreira da Silva via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:56
Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Jesus Santos Aguilar (8-1), Erisson Ferreira da Silva (11-2)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Darrius Flowers vs. Amiran Gogoladze
Gogoladze pressed the action early with strikes before taking the fight to the ground. As the fighters scrambled for position, Gogoladze attempted an inverted triangle. Flowers lifted up and slammed his opponent, in a move that looked like a tombstone piledriver from WWE’s Undertaker. The impact caused an injury to Gogoladze’s shoulder and he tapped, prompting an immediate end to the fight.
Result: Darrius Flowers def. Amiran Gogoladze via TKO (shoulder injury) – Round 1, 1:13
Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Darrius Flowers (12-5-1), Amiran Gogoladze (14-3)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Jason Herzog
Mick Parkin vs. Eduardo Neves
The heavyweights didn’t spend much time sizing each other up. Just a few seconds into the fight, high-impact punches were exchanged frequently. Neves began doing the Ali shuffle, but Parkin ignored his taunts and secured a takedown a moment later. Parkin found the back and locked in a rear-naked choke to get the tap.
Result:Mick Parkin def. Eduardo Neves via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:57
Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Mick Parkin (5-0), Eduardo Neves (5-0)
Division: Heavyweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
