Contender Series history was made this week.
On Tuesday night, Week 7 of Season 10 of Contender Series took place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas and delivered possibly the card of the season, with six fighters leaving Las Vegas with UFC contracts, including two of the night’s losers — a first in Contender Series history.
Norbert Novenyi Jr. def. Theo Haig
In the main event of the evening, Norbert Novenyi Jr. outlasted Theo Haig in a fight that was significantly more difficult for the London Shootfighting prospect than most expected.
Novenyi was the biggest betting favorite on the card, and nearly scored an immediate knockout, dropping Haig in the opening moments of the fight. But Haig hung tough and then implemented his grappling, taking Novenyi’s back and smothering the highly-touted prospect for much of the first round. That seemed to take the wind from Novenyi’s sails and for the remainder of the fight, “Magic” kept things cautious on the feet and leaned on his own grappling chops to win a forgettable decision over Haig.
For a man that many fans thought should be signed to the UFC without going through Contender Series, Novenyi’s underwhelming performance didn’t wow Dana White, leaving him as the only winner of the evening without a UFC contract, though White did tell Novenyi that they wanted to see him back for another try in the future.
Alvi Dasuyev def. Jaden Ortega
In the co-main event of the evening, Alvi Dasuyev and Jaden Ortega threw down in a wild scrap, with Dasuyev taking a hard-fought unanimous decision, but both men leaving the evening with UFC contracts.
Dasuyev is the Ares welterweight champion, and early on it looked like he’d have a quick night at the office as he put it on Ortega early, even scoring a knockdown. Ortega proved insanely durable, though, and by the end of the second round, Dasuyev was gassed out from wailing on Ortega, which opened up Ortega’s own offense. Dasuyev dug deep in the third round though, staving off the surging Ortega and even scoring enough to win the round despite looking completely spent. Afterward, Dasuyev blamed jet lag for his poor cardio, saying he definitely would have scored the knockout.
Marcos Degli def. Paris Moran
In the swing bout of the evening, Marcos Degli showed why Carlos Prates has been pushing for him to get into the UFC as LFA interim flyweight champion, submitting Fury FC champion Paris Moran and winning a UFC contract.
A hyped prospect, Degli had trouble pulling away from the experience Moran early, getting dominant positions but being unable to do too much damage to Moran. However, in the second round, Degli again got back control, and though it looked like Moran was defending it, Degli snuck one arm under the neck and was able to feed it deep enough to finish the choke with only one arm, forcing the tap.
Piero Guaylupo def. Callum Connor
In the second bout of the evening, Piero Guaylupo and Callum Connor put on one of the best fights of the season, with Guaylupo winning a unanimous decision but both men earning UFC contracts.
Right from the opening bell, Guaylupo came out and put the pressure on Connor, backing him up and ripping powerful hooks to the head and body. In response, Connor fired back with a wide diversity of strikes — elbows, knees, spinning attacks, kicks — trying to keep the 21-year-old at bay. Guaylupo would not be deterred, though, and at the end of the first round, he dropped Connor in what looked like the end of the fight. But Connor battled back and survived, and the two continued taking chunks out of each other for the next 10 minutes, landing nearly 400 significant strikes between them. In the end, Dana White was so impressed he awarded both men UFC contracts.
Damian Piwowarczyk def. Emilio Quissua
In the opening bout of the evening, Damian Piwowarczyk, training partner of Jan Blachowicz, overcame a slow start to show off his own Legendary Polish Power and earn a UFC contract.
With extensive experience in KSW, Piwowarczyk was a known commodity entering Contender Series, but early on Quissua’s forward pressure left the action fighter on the defensive, not showing the all-offense style he’s known for. Near the end of the first round, though, Piwowarczyk finally woke up, dropping Quissua with a big right hand and then following up to get the stoppage just before the round ended.
Check out the full event results below.
Norbert Novenyi Jr. def. Theo Haig via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Alvi Dasuyev def. Jaden Ortega via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Marcos Degli def. Paris Moran via submission (rear-naked choke) — 4:46, Round 2
Piero Guaylupo def. Callum Connor via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Damian Piwowarczyk def. Emilio Quissua via TKO (punches) — 4:55, Round 1
