LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie reported from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 66 event.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with promotion CEO Dana White on hand to make the decisions at the UFC Apex. Tuesday’s episode was the 10th and final of the show’s seventh season.
White was once again in a generous mood as he eclipsed the previous record of 43 as he offered contract Nos. 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46 on the season. Five of the six winners received UFC deals: bantamweight Lucas Rocha, lightweight Marquel Mederos, featherweight Connor Matthews, flyweight Andre Lima, and bantamweight Ramon Taveras this week.
The lone fighter who did not receive a contract was middleweight Torrez Finney, a physical specimen who finished Yuri Panferov by second-round rear-naked choke.
White said Finney needed more time to develop and that he’d be doing the fighter a disservice by bringing him into the UFC now.
Additionally, White announced Taveras’ UFC debut – a rare move due to rare circumstances. Taveras will rematch Serhiy Sidey, a fighter he lost to in controversial fashion due to a premature stoppage earlier in the season.
Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 66 include:
- Ramon Taveras def. Cortavious Romious via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:29
- Andre Lima def. Rickson Zenidim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Connor Matthews def. Jair Farias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Torrez Finney def. Yuri Panferov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:43
- Marquel Mederos def. Issa Isakov via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 4:09
- Lucas Rocha def. Davi Bittencourt via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 0:18
Continue reading below for more details about each fight.
Davi Bittencourt vs. Lucas Rocha
Round 1 – These two do not like each other, from what I understand. Rocha missed weight last week and the bout was pushed back – and up a weight class. But here we are. Bittencourt tries a running kick upon the fight’s start. Rocha eats a combination but then clips Bittencourt, who drops down. They grapple. Bittencourt takes Rocha’s back. Eventually Rocha works up against the fence. Bittencourt shoots again and gets Rocha’s back again. Rocha gets up. They separate. Bittencourt lands a spinning back kick to the body and shoots for another takedown. He was too far out and it was too telegraphed to secure initially, but he sticks with it and drags Rocha down along the fence. Rocha pops up. Bittencourt leans against him along the fence. Bittencourt tosses Rocha to the canvas and lands on the back again. Once agian, Rocha rises up. They separate. Bittencourt shoots again. Rocha sees it coming and tries to hop over the back. Bittencourt reverses the reversal and is again leaning on Rocha’s back. Rocha works up and Bittencourt hops onto his back. This time, unlike the others, Bittencourt has the body lock in. He tries a rear-naked choke. Rocha escapes. Standing, Bittencourt lands a punching combination to a kneeling Rocha. Things get wild as Rocha tries a “Showtime” kick right before the horn. 10-9 Bittencourt.
Round 2 – They trade calf kicks and jabs. Bittencourt shoots. Rocha stuffs. Bittencourt rushes in with a punch and Rocha knees him in the head. OH! Bittencourt facesplants unconscious. What timing! Referee Mike Beltran dives right in. That was violent.
Result: Lucas Rocha def. Davi Bittencourt via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 0:18
Photos: Lucas Rocha def. Davi Bittencourt
Records: Davi Bittencourt (14-4), Lucas Rocha (17-1)
Division: Bantamweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Issa Isakov vs. Marquel Mederos
Round 1 – Isakov shoots early and ties Mederos against the cage. He elevates Mederos, who stays on the feet. Great balance. Isakov still has a hold, though. After a lengthy struggle, Mederos breaks the grasp of Isakov and goes on the offensive. Mederos slings some leather at Isakov, who looks a bit uncomfortable with the aggression coming toward him. Mederos lands a hard leg kick and whiffs on a big combination. Another Mederos leg kick lands. Isakov feints a lot, but he doesn’t have much lateral movement. Mederos lands another kick and stuns Isakov with a punch. In the stand-up, Isakov’s back has been against the fence for over a minute know. That’s never a good sign. Mederos digs the body with a big teep kick. There’s about one minute left. Mederos’ range is so good. He’s in and out. Isakov ducks down and eats a big Mederos knee. Isakov is out! Two knee knockouts in a row. The night of the knee is upon us, it seems.
Result: Marquel Mederos def. Issa Isakov via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 4:09
Photos: Marquel Mederos def. Issa Isakov
Records: Issa Isakov (10-3), Marquel Mederos (8-1)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Torrez Finney vs. Yuri Panferov
Round 1 – Man, Finney is… uniquely built. He’s an absolute fire hydrant. He’s giving up five inches in height but somehow has a multi-inch reach advantage. Panferov is from “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.” Anyway, they touch gloves. Panferov tags Finney with a nice combination. Finney shoots for a takedown and elevates Panferov over his head. Panferov is all the way elevated and Finney runs across the cage with him, then comes to a stop. Finney drops Panferov to the canvas but it wasn’t with as much power as it seemed at the beginning. Panferov lands some good elbows from the bottom and gets to his feet against the fence. Finney still has hold of a leg. Panferov breaks the grip and lands a combination that puts Finney on roller-skates. Finney gets tagged against and desperately shoots. Finney elevates Panferov again and dumps him. Panferov works for a kimura from the bottom but gives up his grip. Panferov works back up. On the break, Panferov tags Finney with another combination. Finney again shoots and gets a takedown. His mouth guard falls out. Referee Mike Beltran briefly calls timeout. Finney gets his mouthpiece back in and action resumes. Finney is in half guard. The round ends. 10-9 Panferov on damage.
Round 2 – Panferov throws a looping combination. Finney shoots but Panferov stuffs. Finney throws a hard overhand right that drills Panferov in the head. That hurt. Finney slowly brings Panferov to the canvas along the fence. Finney lands a series of punches as Panferov works his way back up. Finney picks Panferov up and drops him. Finney works his way to the back. Panferov turns into him and pushes off the cage. Finney grabs Panferov’s back again. Finney working for a face crank. Panferov is straining but Finney loses any sort of grip. Finney takes back mount and lands some shots. That opens up the choke and this time Finney gets the quick tap. Panferov will be kicking himself for that one.
Result: Torrez Finney def. Yuri Panferov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:43
Photos: Torrez Finney def. Yuri Panferov
Records: Torrez Finney (7-0), Yuri Panferov (6-1)
Division: Middleweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Jair Farias vs. Connor Matthews
Round 1 – Another “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” athlete up next in Matthews. He’s fighting a bit of an unknown in Farias, who’s out of the “Fighting Nerds.” Farias throws a kick and Matthews catches it. Matthews is in side control. Now he’s in half guard. Farias tries to scramble up and Matthews grabs a headlock and rips Farias back down. Matthews switches to the back. Matthews tries mount but Farias leverages and shoves him off. They’re back to their feet and Farias lands a combination. Matthews tags him with a left, though. Farias drills Matthews with two leg kicks and then a multi-punch combination. Matthews lands a hard counter right. This fight is getting fun. Matthews doubles up on a body kick and Farias seems to be guarding his right side now. Both men land. Farias seems to get the better of it. It appears Matthews may have rolled his ankle or something. He stumbled a bit. Matthews scores a takedown just as the round ends. 10-9 Matthews.
Round 2 – Farias lands a nice uppercut that pops Matthews hard. Matthews returns and drops Farias! Matthews tags the rising Farias, who circles away. Wow, this round is off to a wild start. Matthews shoots for a takedown and gets it. Farias gives up his back and Matthews goes for a reverse triangle. Farias escapes out and gets up. Farias takes a big breath. He’s tired. Matthews takes him down again. Farias raises up and Matthews headlocks him again. They separate. Farias backs up to the cage and Matthews shoots. Farias stuffs it and spins Matthews around. Back at distance, Matthews walks Farias down. Farias lands a sneaky left. Matthews rips a body kick. Farias looks exhausted. Matthews ducks under a massively telegraphed right hand and gets a takedown. Again, Farias rises up. Matthews lands two elbows on the break. Farias circles away. Both guys land two leg kicks. Matthews boots Farias in the body, then tries a flying knee. Both of these guys are moving in slow motion, but Matthews is significantly faster. The round ends. Farias goes to the wrong corner and sits on the ground. That’s not good. 20-18 Matthews.
Round 3 – Farias’ body language looks awful in the corner and his team is all over him. Farias tries a leg kick and Matthews checks. Matthews digs the body with a front kick, then a punch. Farias lands a body kick. Farias lands a boxing flurry and clips Matthews. He’s got a second wind. Matthews bites down on his mouth piece and fires back. Matthews shoots for a takedown as Farias gets wild. He gets it. Matthews briefly mounts him but Farias slips away. Against the fence, Matthews leans on Farias and gets a warning from Herb Dean to watch his knees as Farias’ hand is down. There’s an awkward moment where Matthews thinks Dean called timeout but Dean tells him to keep fighting. Farias just lets Matthews get back to where he was before Dean said anything. They break and Matthews digs Farias with a body kick. Matthews shoots and walks Farias back to the cage. Farias lands a hard body punch. Matthews lands a punch and a body kick. Matthews lands a right hand. Farias cranks another body kick. Farias lands a good flurry to end the fight. MMA Junkie scores it 29-28 Matthews.
Result: Connor Matthews def. Jair Farias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Photos: Connor Matthews def. Jair Farias
Records: Jair Farias (10-1), Connor Matthews (6-2)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
Andre Lima vs. Rickson Zenidim
Round 1 – Zenidim lands a leg kick. Lima goes with a body kick. Zenidim returns with another leg kick. Zenidim circles. Lima whiffs on a punch and Zenidim jabs him. Tons of movement by Zenidim. He’s looking a bit like Dominick Cruz in his directions. Zenidim moves in and Lima punches him. Lima rips a body kick and an overhand. Lima lands a hard counter leg kick. Lots of stance-switching for Zenidim, who eats a head kick as he circles. Lima appears to be cracking the code. The past two laps Zenidim has done around the outside, Lima has halted his movement with a big kick. Zenidim ties up Lima. After some clinching, Lima trips backward. Zenidim hurls his body but purposely avoids Lima. Good call. That would’ve been the most illegal knee in Dana White’s Contender Series history. Zenidim shoots and Lima denies. Lima punches the body and Zenidim signals that it was low. Zenidim keeps fighting. Lima moves in with a big overhand right. They clinch and separate. The horn sounds. 10-9 Lima.
Round 2 – They trade kicks. Zenidim is doing his wide laps around the outside. Lima kicks his leg hard as he circles. Zenidim lands a kick of his own. Zenidim is funky, but he needs more offense. Lima puts his hands up in frustration. Zenidim lands a punching combination and shoots. Lima denies and ends up on top. Lima moves to half guard. Zenidim shoves him off. Referee Beltran lets Zenidim up. Lima lands a big calf kick. Those have been working in a fight where offense has been pretty insignificant. Lima puts his hands up again. They trade leg kicks. Lima leg kicks Zenidim again. Lima lands a high kick but Zenidim rolls with it. Zenidim has blood coming from his mouth. Lima rips the body and Zenidim complains of another cup shot. Zenidim returns with a body kick of his own. The round ends. 20-18 Lima.
Round 3 – Lots of kicking. Zenidim’s cardio is great but you can’t just win a fight with movement. Lima pops Zenidim. After some more circling and point-fighting, Lima kicks Zenidim in the cup. This time, Beltran intervenes. After a brief timeout, the action resumes. Lima ties Zenidim up against the fence and dumps him to the canvas. Lima pummels away with short, slow shots that land over and over. Zenidim eventually ties Lima up. Lima is in half guard. Lima postures up and Zenidim pulls for a guillotine choke. Zenidim gets up as Lima tries another guillotine choke. The horn sounds. MMA Junkie scores it 30-27 Lima.
Result: Andre Lima def. Rickson Zenidim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: Andre Lima def. Rickson Zenidim
Records: Andre Lima (7-0), Rickson Zenidim (14-2)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Mike Beltran
Cortavious Romious vs. Ramon Taveras
Round 1 – These dues comes out swinging. Oh my goodness. There’s no defense. They’re winging and slinging. Taveras drops Romious, who pops back up. Down goes Romious again. Back up – and down again. Taveras dives in and finishes off the job. Wow. Wow. Wow. Taveras, who was the victim of a premature stoppage earlier in the season, capitalizes on his second chance with a sub-30-second knockout win.
Result: Ramon Taveras def. Cortavious Romious via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:29
Photos: Ramon Taveras def. Cortavious Romious
Records: Cortavious Romious (7-2), Ramon Taveras (9-2)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Herb Dean
