Fight 1 (Light Heavyweight): Tobias (-485) vs de Oliveira (+370)
Tobias looked like he hit like a truck early in the fight, but de Oliveira had a good chin. Tobias was unable to get the KO on the feet, so he took him down. Within 10 seconds of the takedown, the fight was over via rear naked choke. Tobias looked great at just 22 years old and will definitely be getting a contract.
Fight 2 (Featherweight): Reyes (-205) vs Torres (+170)
Torres got Reyes to the fence early and landed some big hits. Torres also got the first takedown but Reyes was able to get back up. Javier Reyes mauled him after that. He hurt him with a hook to the body and then followed it up with knees and punches. Torres eventually went down and the referee stopped the fight. Javier Reyes would be the only Colombian fighter in the UFC if he gets a contract. I think he should get the contract, despite his age.
Fight 3 (Women’s Flyweight): Montenegro (-250) vs Chaves (+205)
Montenegro hit some big early shots making Chaves bleed. Chaves consistently moved forward and had Chaves on the back foot. Chaves cut Montenegro on the side of her head and her cheek. Chaves defended Montenegro’s only takedown attempt. Both women bled heavily in round 1 which was a true brawl. Either fighter could’ve won the first round, which I think is likely a split round by the judges. I gave the round to Chaves 10-9.
Montenegro landed a big hook early in round 2, knocking Chaves down. Montenegro landed ground and pound but the fight wasn’t stopped. Chaves eventually got to half guard to survive the onslaught. Even so, Montenegro still had top position and was dominating the round with elbows and mount position. Chaves eventually escaped and got back to her feet but got caught in the clinch against the fence with Montenegro still winning the exchange. Montenegro got her back on the feet but Chaves avoided the takedown. Montenegro clearly won the round, potentially a 10-8. I think it could be anywhere from 19-19 to 20-17. I’m gonna stick with 10-9 here which means I have it 19-19.
With 3 minutes left in the fight, significant strikes are dead even. Both fighters have chins of steel. Montenegro took down Chaves. Chaves outdueled Montenegro on the feet for the rest of the round. Ultimately I give Chaves a 10-9 here.
It feels wrong to have Chaves as the winner but I have Chaves 29-28. I would like to see a 28-28 draw with both women getting contracts. It was indeed a split decision for Jeisla Chaves 29-28. I would still like to see both get contracts for the 2nd time this season.
Fight 4 (Featherweight): Zurcher (-130) vs Magomedov (+110)
Both fighters came out a little slow and cautious. Magomedov wobbled Zurcher with a jab through Zurcher’s guard. He followed it up with a few strikes. Then a big uppercut to the chin sent Zurcher down with the referee stopping the fight before Magomedov could really follow up. He should definitely get a contract.
Fight 5 (Middleweight): Barbir (-140) vs Kondratavičius (+120) – Main Event
The fight started with a big scramble, constantly rolling and fighting for position. There were some big exchanges back and forth. Quickly though, a clean 1-2 combo from Kondratavicius immediately ended the fight in favor of the underdog. He should easily get a contract.
Power Ranking:
- Rafael Tobias
- Mantas Kondratavičius
- Murtazali Magomedov
- Javier Reyes
- Jeisla Chaves
- Sofia Montenegro
This ranking includes performance tonight but also how I feel about them as a prospect. For example, Reyes gets a knock for his age and experience. If I was simply ranking the strength of these fighters, he would be higher. The women come in at the bottom due to the lack of a finish, but don’t let that fool you, I like both fighters.
Contracts:
Tobias got praise for his large number of fights and young age as well as great submission, he gets a contract.
Reyes did everything he needed to. He gets a contract.
Dana brought up his “women will never fight in the UFC” past quote. He’s been proven wrong, he said although he thought Montenegro won the fight, he’s giving both women a contract.
“Another Magomedov”, no suspense for Murtazali he’s undefeated and he got a quick KO. He gets a contract.
Mantas Kondratavičius also had no question, he had a huge KO and gets an easy contract.
Final Thoughts
A big night tonight on the Contender Series. Another women’s fight, another 2 contracts, and every winner receives a contract. Usually there is some uncertainty for me on at least one of the fighters, not tonight. I successfully predicted all 6 fighters that would receive contracts and I like all of their chances in the UFC as prospects. Chaves and Montenegro need to work a bit more on technique in the UFC, but should provide some fun unranked fights in the meantime. We also had 3 betting underdogs win and receive contracts. As for the losers, I am most interested in Đani Barbir, who I had picked to win his fight with an honorable mention to Brahyan Zurcher. I was impressed by the resume of Jair de Oliveira but not by the actual fight. As a guy who has fought heavyweight and moved down to Light Heavyweight, he looked small and lacked the power he needed to do damage. Justice Torres is someone I could see getting another shot at DWCS after fighting the experienced Javier Reyes.
