All five winners earned UFC contracts on Tuesday night as the latest round of Contender Series fights added another handful of fighters to the UFC roster.
In the main event, Brendson Ribeiro produced what White called “the knockout of the night” as the underdog came up big to finish Bruno Lopes in the first round as he handed the LFA light heavyweight champion the first defeat of his career.
In the co-featured matchup, Canadian bantamweight Serhiy Sidey claimed a first-round TKO finish of Ramon Taveras to earn himself a UFC contract, but White was far from impressed with the referee’s decision to stop the fight.
Sidey had just dropped Taveras and followed him to the mat. But, despite Taveras appearing to still be in the fight, referee Kevin MacDonald dived in to stop the fight, prompting White to call the stoppage “one of the worst stoppages” he’d ever seen. White still gave the contract to Sidey, but also said he’d give Taveras another shot at a deal with a return appearance at the Contender Series later this season.
The night’s other finish came in the opening bout of the night, as Brazilian flyweight Dione Barbosa finished Rainn Guerrero via first-round armbar, while middleweight Dylan Budka and Brazilian featherweight Jean Silva earned unanimous decision wins to earn themselves UFC opportunities.
Dana White’s Contender Series 61: Official results
- Brendson Ribeiro def. Bruno Lopes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:47
- Serhiy Sidey def. Ramon Taveras via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:26
- Dylan Budka def. Chad Hanekom via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Kevin Vallejos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dione Barbosa def. Rainn Guerrero via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:35