Dana White was in a generous mood as his Contender Series returned to action at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The 57th Contender Series event kicked off the seventh season of the Tuesday night talent-finding fight series, with all five winners on the night earning contracts from the UFC president.
The featured bout of the night saw undefeated Brazilian middleweight Cesar Almeida move to 4-0 with a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Lucas Fernando, while fellow Brazilian Caio Machado earned a unanimous decision win over Poland’s Kevin Szaflarski in their heavyweight bout.
Unbeaten bantamweight Payton Talbott got the win on the scorecards over fellow American Reyes Cortez to earn himself a UFC deal, while in the opening bout of the night, Peru’s Kevin Borjas and Victor Dias went back and forth in an entertaining scrap that had White on his feet as they battled to the final horn.
The lone finish of the night came courtesy of Australian striker Tom Nolan, who needed just 82 seconds to knock out Bogdan Grad and score the most impressive win of the night.
Dana White’s Contender Series 57: Official results
- Cesar Almeida def. Lucas Fernando via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
- Tom Nolan def. Bogdan Grad via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:23
- Caio Machado def. Kevin Szaflarski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Payton Talbott def. Reyes Cortez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kevin Borjas def. Victor Dias via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)