After Tuesday night’s Contender Series season finale saw four more contracts awarded, 37 total fighters punched their tickets from the regional scene to the octagon.
Victoria Leonardo, Tucker Lutz, Gloria de Paula and JP Buys all got the seal of approval from Dana White following DWCS Season 4: Week 10. Nick Maximov, who was transported to the hospital following his decision win over Oscar Cota, was offered a spot on The Ultimate Fighter from White.
Of all the contract winners, Lutz was probably the most surprising after earning his second decision win of the season. White slow rolled it and took Lutz on a bit of a journey before giving him a shot.
Buys gets submission win, albeit controversial
In the featured bout, JP Buys and Jacob Silva stepped into the Contender Series cage—each for the second time in the final fight of the 2020 season. Buys first competed on the inaugural season of the Contender Series—a second-round TKO loss to Joby Sanchez—and was looking to join his wife Cheyanne on the UFC roster, while Silva dropped a decision to contract winner Jeff Molina in one of the best fights of the 2020 campaign.
Buys ducked under a big right hand from Silva seconds in and completed a takedown. After around 90 seconds of work, Buys transitioned to side control. Silva exploded up trying to get the fight back to the feet, but Buys was able to get the fight back to the mat. Buys worked for a head and arm choke, before adjusting the grip to a modified rear naked choke. Silva—red in the face—was able to break the hold and stay in it. Buys would subsequently land hammer fists, and slapped on a tight guillotine.
Referee Marc Goddard stepped in and stopped the fight, and Silva immediately protested the stoppage, repeatedly saying, “I was breathing.” Silva ended up smiling at the camera and taking the loss in stride, as Buys won his fifth straight.
Maximov earns decision win despite over 50 pound disadvantage
Nick Maximov, a protege of the Diaz brothers, jumped up to heavyweight for the first and only time in his career in the co-main event of the night against Oscar Cota. The 22-year-old light heavyweight struggled at times with the size of Cota, especially considering he was outweighed on the scales by 54.5 pounds, but was able to get control on the ground for almost the entire fight.
With that, Maximov (6-0) remained unbeaten as a pro, sweeping the scorecards in the process with a pair of 30-26’s and a 29-28.
De Paula and Lutz earn scorecard sweeps
Gloria de Paula went the distance with Pauline Macias in a strawweight matchup, but the Brazilian’s performance was super impressive from start to finish. De Paula swept the scorecards, including a pair of 10-8’s from the judges.
Hoping to make their second chances count, previous season four winners Lutz and Sherrard Blackledge had a gritty battle for 15 minutes. In the end, Lutz was victorious, and while fans may see him in the UFC some day, it won’t be right now as he wasn’t awarded a contract.
In the opening bout, multi-time Invicta FC competitor Victoria Leonardo put away 22-year-old Australian prospect Chelsea Hackett via TKO in the second round. Leonardo was a 2-to-1 underdog.
Check out full DWCS Season 4: Week 10 results below:
JP Buys vs. Jacob Silva via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:54
Nick Maximov def. Oscar Cota via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Gloria de Paula def. Pauline Macias via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Tucker Lutz def. Sherrard Blackledge via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Victoria Leonardo def. Chelsea Hackett via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:41
