The final episode of Contender Series 8 took place last night in Las Vegas, resulting in four more fighters being awarded UFC contracts.
Two of the picks were easy, with Nick Klein taking just 37 seconds to find a finish via rear-naked choke, while Jonathan Micallef also got the job done in the opening round via a triangle choke.
The rest of the fights went to the scorecards, and Luis Gurule just edged out a hard-fought battle via split-decision to earn his contract, while Yadier del Valle claimed a dominant decision win.
Spare a thought for Julieta Martinez though as a solid performance that led to a split-decision win wasn’t enough to earn her a spot on the UFC roster. It wasn’t all bad news for the 20-year-old though as Dana White suggested that her age was a factor in their decision and that continuing to train at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Mexico would likely lead her to getting signed in the future.
Check out all the results below.
Nick Klein def. Heraldo Souza via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:37, Round 1
HE WASTED NO TIME
Nick Klein gets the submission victory just 36 seconds into round one! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/v7hjsMdkDi
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2024
Luis Gurule def. Nicholas Piccininni via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Luis Gurule gets the victory on 7 days notice #DWCS pic.twitter.com/lAeZNn0Vfe
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2024
Yadier del Valle def. Antonio Monteiro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
What a fight
Yadier del Valle comes out on top! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/ATMqdzpwxw
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2024
Julieta Martinez def. Leslie Hernandez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
This one came down to the scorecards
Who did you have coming out on top? #DWCS pic.twitter.com/3DWcxjqq7E
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2024
Jonathan Micallef def. Mohamed Ado via technical submission (triangle choke) at 3:01, Round 1
Jonathan Micallef gets the slick submission to kick the night off
Do you think that was enough to earn a UFC contract? #DWCS pic.twitter.com/ISsCOzmUx4
— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2024
