UFC Signs Rodolfo Bellato, Four Others on Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Rodolfo Bellato def. Murtaza Talha Ali via TKO (Punches) R2 4:46

DWCS
2023, Week 9Credit: Getty/UFC

Victor Hugo Silva def. Eduardo Torres via Submission (Kneebar) R2 2:16

DWCS 2023, Week 9Credit: Getty/UFC

Magomed Gadzhiyasulov def. Jose Medina via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

DWCS 2023, Week 9Credit: Getty/UFC

Mauricio Ruffy def. Raimond Magomedaliev via TKO (Punches) R3 4:45

DWCS 2023, Week 9Credit: Getty/UFC

Rodolfo
Bellato was the embodiment of mercilessness.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder was among five hopefuls to
punch a ticket to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship during
Week 9 of
Dana White’s Contender Series, as he drowned the previously
unbeaten Murtaza
Talha Ali with punches in the second round of their featured
light heavyweight attraction on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas.
Ali (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 4:46 into Round 2.

Bellato (11-2, 1-1 DWCS) tipped his spear with a series of savage
leg kicks, then engaged the KHK MMA Team standout in the clinch.
Ali more than held his own initially, as he uncorked collar-tie
uppercuts, elbows off the break and right hands over the top. As
time wore on, however, his effectiveness waned. Bellato trapped him
along the fence, hacked open a cut under his right eye and
overwhelmed the Bahraini with output. He mixed knees to the head
and body with punches, elbows and hammerfists to the head. Ali
eventually wilted, took a knee in a sign of submission and ate a
burst of left hands until referee Jason Herzog had seen enough.

Light heavyweights Magomed
Gadzhiyasulov and Jose
Medina, bantamweight Victor
Hugo Silva Silva and welterweight Mauricio
Ruffy are joining Bellato on the UFC roster.

KHK MMA Team’s Gadzhiyasulov kept his perfect professional record
intact and did so in relatively overwhelming fashion, as he laid
claim to a unanimous decision over Medina in a three-round light
heavyweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it the same:
30-27 for Gadzhiyasulov (8-0, 1-0 DWCS).

Medina (11-3, 0-1 DWCS) was game but woefully outmatched,
physically and athletically. Gadzhiyasulov tore into him with a
variety of techniques, from jabs and one-twos to body kicks,
spinning back elbows and even a Showtime kick. He opened cuts
underneath Medina’s left eye and across the bridge of his nose, but
the finish he sought was never in play. Gadzhiyasulov appeared to
run out of gas in Round 3, where he turned to takedowns,
ground-and-pound and positional control to salt away another
victory.

The loss was Medina’s first in nearly four years.

Meanwhile, Astra Fight Team’s Silva disposed of Eduardo
Torres with a kneebar in the second round of their bantamweight
co-feature. Torres (16-2, 0-1 DWCS) raised the white flag of
surrender 2:16 into Round 2, his five-fight winning streak having
run its course.

Silva (24-4, 1-0 DWCS) seized the reins at the start and never let
go. He struck for a takedown in the first round, progressed to side
control, applied some ground-and-pound and transitioned from an
attempted heel hook to a calf slicer. Torres survived but only
prolonged the inevitable.
Silva countered an ill-advised takedown from the Team Weichafe rep
in the middle stanza, sat down on a deep kneebar and bent the joint
beyond its bounds. Torres had no choice but to
tap.

The 30-year-old Silva has rattled off 13 consecutive victories.

Finally, Ruffy put away Raimond
Magomedaliev with punches in the third round of their
welterweight pairing. Ruffy (9-1, 1-0 DWCS) drew the curtain 4:45
into Round 3, where the promising Fighting Nerds prospect put his
fourth straight win in the books.

Magomedaliev (10-2, 0-1 DWCS) leaned on leg kicks, one-twos and
modest clinch work but never shifted out of first gear. His lack of
urgency proved costly in the long run. Ruffy chipped away at his
lower leg with repeated kicks, weakened his base and let his hands
fly once mobility became an issue. Magomedaliev became more and
more of a stationary target, and his situation deteriorated
noticeably in the third round. Ruffy backed up the Russian with a
spinning back elbow, bullied him to the canvas and climbed to full
mount with less than a minute left on the clock.
Ground-and-pound followed, and Magomedaliev eventually failed to
answer the referee’s calls to intelligently defend
himself.

The setback snapped a five-fight winning streak for Magomedaliev.

By Martial Arts Videos