The five-fight card at the UFC APEX produced four first-round finishes, and one thrilling back-and-forth battle that produced a split-decision verdict, and two new UFC fighters.
The night kicked off with Rafael Tobias finishing Jair de Oliveira in their all-Brazilian battle at 205 pounds. Tobias was a cut above Oliveira in their matchup, as he used his size and strength advantage to overwhelm his compatriot on the feet, then dragged him to the mat and locking up a rear-naked choke for the win.
That was followed by a first-round TKO finish from Colombian featherweight Javier Reyes, who notched his 22nd career victory at the expense of Justice Torres.
A solid body shot sparked the finishing sequence as Reyes walked down his opponent an unloaded a barrage of strikes that forced Torres to the mat and, eventually, prompted the stoppage.
After two quickfire finishes, women’s flyweight hopefuls Jeisla Chaves and Sofia Montenegro delivered action of a different kind as they went to war for the full 15-minute duration that saw blood spilled and momentum shift back and forth in a fight you couldn’t take your eyes off.
The pair left everything in the Octagon in their chase for victory, but in the end it was Chaves who claimed the win via split decision. But, as the night concluded, both women were celebrating earning UFC deals after White opted to give both fighters a shot on the big stage.
The co-main event saw Kyrgyzstan’s Murtazali Magomedov live up to his nickname of “The Highlight” as he took his perfect professional career to 10-0 with a first-round TKO stoppage of previously undefeated former PFL prospect Brahyan Zurcher in their featherweight bout.
And in the main event, Lithuanian middleweight Mantas Kondratavicius needed just 66 seconds to stun, then finish, previously undefeated Croatian Dani Barbir with strikes and earn himself a UFC deal in the process.
In the end, Kondratavicius, Magomedov, Chaves, Montenegro, Reyes and Tobias all walked away with UFC deals after another fun night of fights at UFC HQ.
Dana White’s Contender Series: Official results
- Mantas Kondratavicius def. Dani Barbir via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:06
- Murtazali Magomedov def. Brahyan Zurcher via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:37
- Jeisla Chaves def. Sofia Montenegro via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Javier Reyes def. Justice Torres via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
- Rafael Tobias def. Jair de Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:46
