Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream Dana White’s
Contender Series live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or
streaming device via the ESPN app. Gadzhi
Omargadzhiev was bent on netting a UFC contract, and woe betide
any man — or any ligaments — that got in his way. The 28-year-old Russian prospect finished Jansey
Silva with an excruciating-looking kneebar in the first round
of their middleweight feature at DWCS Week 9. Omargadzhiev struck for an early
takedown and the fight never made it back to the feet, as he stayed
busy with chipping ground-and-pound while relentlessly working
towards dominant positions. With just over a minute left in the
round, Omargadzhiev leaned back for a leg attack. The Brazilian
elected to try and defend by punching, but to no avail, as Omargadzhiev isolated and hyperextended Silva’s
knee. Silva tapped quickly, and referee Herb Dean
jumped in for the stoppage at 4 minutes, 19 seconds. With the win,
the first kneebar in Contender Series history, the UFC-bound
Omargadzhiev moves to 13-0 as a professional; Silva falls to
7-2.
Quinonez Outlasts Xiao
Cristian
Quinonez used footwork, rangy kickboxing and aggression to turn
back Long
Xiao in their bantamweight contest. The win was not without
adversity, as Xiao stumbled Quinonez with with punches in the first
as well as second rounds, and pursued him in desperation mode for
the final five minutes. The biggest moment of offense in the fight,
however came late in the second round, when Quinonez knocked Xiao’s
mouthpiece out with a flush uppercut, dropped him with a follow-up
punch and easily evaded a dazed takedown attempt. After three
spirited rounds, the Entram Gym prospect won by unanimous 30-27
scores, moving him to 15-3 and sending him up to the UFC. Xiao
drops to 16-6 in defeat.
Basharat Steamrolls Kahlon
In a matchup fraught with heightened tension thanks to a weight
miss and hurled slur by Oron Kahlon,
Javid
Basharat did his talking in the cage, mauling Kahlon from
pillar to post on his way to a third-round stoppage. The UK-based
Afghan took Kahlon down early in the first frame and pounded him
mercilessly for a likely 10-8 round, then repeated the feat in the
second round, showing little regard for Kahlon’s judo credentials.
In the third round, it was a kick that dropped Kahlon to the
ground, and this time Basharat went in for the kill, dropping heavy
strikes before locking up a mounted guillotine choke for the
tap. The submission came at 4:12 of Round 3, sending Basharat
to 11-0 and to the UFC; Kahlon, who weighed in at 139 for the
scheduled bantamweight fight, falls to 12-1.
Silva Strangles Yan
Karine
Silva weathered a storm of takedowns from Qihui Yan,
then turned the tables expertly for a second-round submission and
UFC contract in their flyweight contest. Silva (14-4) had her hands
full from the outset as the stocky and aggressive Yan came forward
like a cannonball, taking her down almost immediately. However, the
action was extremely even as Silva kept Yan on the defensive for
much of the round with submission attempts and strikes from her
back. In the second round, Yan landed another takedown, this one an
emphatic slam, but Silva calmly wrapped the shorter woman’s neck up in a
guillotine choke, closed her guard and held on for the tap,
which came at 1 minute, 44 seconds. With the loss, Yan’s
labyrinthine record goes to 20-4.
Torres Overwhelms Englund
The first of two Entram Gym representatives to net UFC contracts on
Tuesday, Manuel Roberto
Torres used superior reach and power — and an eye poke that
went unaddressed by the referee — to make short work of Kolton
Englund. Torres got the better of the early exchanges on the
feet, stinging Englund with low kicks, one-twos and his long jab.
When Englund dropped for a takedown, a close-quarters exchange led
to the eye poke that, while it appeared unintentional, clearly
compromised the Texan. Englund went into full retreat and Torres
pursued, dropping him with a pair of punches and finishing
the job with a torrent of ground-and-pound. Referee Dean
stopped the beating at 2:10 of the first round, sending Torres to
11-2, while Englund falls to 9-4.
Murad Squeaks by Bin
In the featherweight opener, Oliver
Murad took a razor-thin split decision over Xie Bin. The first
two rounds were characterized by Murad’s slight edge on the feet
and Bin’s attempts to bring the fight to the ground, with neither
man truly putting his stamp on the fight. By the final round, both
men had slowed visibly, and it was Murad who elected to shoot for
the takedown. After another round that could have gone to either
fighter, Murad prevailed with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. It
was good enough to bring his record to 6-0, but apparently not
quite good enough to stamp his passport to the UFC, as Murad was
the only winning fighter not to receive a contract. Bin falls to
8-3 in defeat.