Campbell was one of 10 hopefuls looking to punch their ticket to the big time with an eye-catching display at the UFC APEX on Dana White’s Contender Series, and the 23-year-old FCC featherweight champion produced the fastest finish of the night to stop 10-2 prospect Demba Seck in just 80 seconds and earn himself a UFC deal from White.
Campbell’s victory came in the second bout of the night, and was the first to deliver a new UFC signing. The first matchup, a flyweight bout between Russia’s Rashid Vagabov and Brazil’s Paulo Henrique, went to the judges’ scorecards, with Vagabov taking the win. But the 14-2 prospect didn’t deliver as emphatically as his pre-fight odds suggested he might, leading White to pass on signing him.
Then came Campbell, who got the job done in swift fashion with a huge knee, followed by a flurry of punches and elbows, as he stopped Seck at the 1:20 mark of the opening round to earn his UFC chance.
STATEMENT MADE 😮💨
Kurtis Campbell wasted no time getting the finish tonight! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/NxpfrsENWW
— UFC (@ufc) October 1, 2025
Next up was American welterweight Chris Alvidrez, who upset the odds by defeating former BRAVE CF super-welterweight contender Eliezer Kubanza via TKO late in the first round.
Alvidrez looked the more active fighter throughout, landing shots and causing problems for Kubanza, who looked to be waiting for an opening to detonate a single KO shot. That opening never came, however, as Alvidrez rocked, wobbled, then eventually finished “King Kong” with strikes with 16 seconds left in the first round to earn himself a UFC contract.
The co-featured bout saw Canada’s Louis Jourdain claim a third-round rear-naked choke finish of Brazi’s Magno Diaz in their bantamweight matchup. Jourdain, brother of UFC veteran Charles “Air” Jourdain, impressed White with his all-round MMA display as he stopped Dias 39 seconds into the third round to claim his shot in the UFC.
The main event saw Aruba’s Damian Pinas stop Brazil’s Vitor Costa by knockout after one minute, 46 seconds to close the show in style and earn himself a UFC contract.
What a right hand from Damian Pinas 🤯
He gets the first round finish at #DWCS! pic.twitter.com/Xam2qqb7lM
— UFC (@ufc) October 1, 2025
Dana White’s Contender Series: Official results
- Damian Pinas def. Vitor Costa via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:46
- Louis Jourdain def. Magno Dias via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 0:39
- Chris Alvidrez def. Eliezer Kubanza via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:44
- Kurtis Campbell def. Demba Seck via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:20
- Rashid Vagabov def. Paulo Henrique via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
