Scott battled back and forth with India’s Kayshik Saikumar, who arrived for their bout at the UFC APEX with an unblemished 5-0 record. And, as the matchup headed into the final round after Scott had defended well against Saikumar’s grapple-heavy attack and repeated leg-lock attempts, Scott turned to his striking as he hurt his man to the body and head before eventually finishing him with strikes at the 2:20 mark in the final round.
Scott’s performance received rave reviews from UFC president and CEO Dana White, who paid tribute to the Englishman’s display, despite him missing weight by half a pound at Monday’s official weigh-ins.
“I literally got to see everything from you,” said White.
“As we were going to that last round, I didn’t think there was going to be a finish, and I’m like, even though there’s not a finish, I’ve literally seen everything this guy can do – striking, submission defence, conditioning, and then I got to see the killer instinct. Great combo to finish the fight.”
White then addressed Scott’s narrow weight miss, but decided that the Brit’s performance was enough to overcome the on-scale issue as he welcomed Scott to the UFC bantamweight division.
“When you come here and you don’t make weight, it is one of the worst things that you can possibly do. It’s almost a guarantee that you’re not gonna make it into the UFC. But, after that performance, I’m gonna let that half a pound go. Welcome! Get over here!”
Scott’s contract-winning performance means that another member of Manchester Top Team has made it to the world stage with the UFC. Headed by coach Carl Prince and featuring the experience of former UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt, the team has helped develop the career of undefeated featherweight contender Lerone Murphy, whose stunning knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319 may have earned him a shot at Alexander Volkanovski’s undisputed featherweight title.
Also making waves in the UFC is MTT’s Cameroonian light heavyweight Ateba Gautier, who looks like one of the scariest prospects in the UFC’s 205-pound division.
They’re now joined by Scott, who will look to build on his perfect 10-0 record as the bantamweight looks to make an impression in one of the UFC’s most talent-packed weight classes.
Scott was part of a full house of contract winners, as White awarded UFC deals to all five winners: Brazilian featherweight Jose Delano, Australian middleweight Cam Rowston, American heavyweight Josh Hokit and Mexican featherweight Ramiro Jimenez.
Dana White’s Contender Series: Official results
- Jose Delano def. Manuel Exposito via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Cam Rowston def. Brandon Holmes via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:58
- Louis Lee Scott def. Kaushik Saikumar via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:20
- Josh Hokit def. Guilherme Uriel via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:06
- Ramiro Jimenez def. Tommy Cuozzi via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:53
