A heavyweight highlight finish was featured for a second consecutive week on Dana White’s Contender Series as Danylo Voievodkin made quick work of Bailey Schoenfelder in Tuesday’s main event.
Voievodkin landed a right hook, left hook combination that sent his opponent to the canvas and he immediately jumped on a rear-naked choke. A rocked Schoenfelder tapped out despite Voievodkin having no hooks in while on the back.
The 24-year-old from Ukraine improved to 7-0 with none of his victories lasting three full minutes.
Voievodkin was a huge underdog but ended up as one of five UFC contract recipients on the night.
Welterweights Daniel Frunza and Vadym Kutsyi put on a show in the penultimate scrap on the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Frunza rocked his opponent in the opening minute of the fight before Kutsyi countered with a well-timed takedown. Kutsyi, with blood dripping from near his right eye, landed some strong ground strikes then Kutsyi knocked Frunza down with a right-hand uppercut he threw from the hip after Frunza managed to work back to his feet.
Kutsyi landed more strikes and accumulated some control time yet Frunza landed the harder shots overall in a great round between the 170-pounders. Kutsyi was visibly gassed in the second round and Frunza took advantage, hurting Kutsyi with a kick to the body and swarming him with punches.
Featherweight Kevin Vallejos made UFC president Dana White’s decision an easy one thanks to a first-round finish of Cam Teague, piecing up his opponent with fast and accurate hands.
Vallejos, who fights out of the same gym that produced UFC lightweight prospect Francisco Prado, improved to 14-1 as a pro by picking up his 10th career victory by KO/TKO.
“Tonight it all came together (for Vallejos),” Daniel Cormier said of the quick technical knockout on the broadcast. “This guy’s boxing is sick.”
The 22-year-old from Argentina said during his post-fight interview with Laura Sanko that he is the type of fighter willing to fight anyone, anytime. He even offered to step in on short notice at UFC 307 next weekend to face undefeated, No. 6-ranked featherweight UFC contender Movsar Evloev who was recently left without an opponent.
Vallejos’s only blemish on his record occurred one year ago on the Contender Series and it’s a loss that has aged well. He dropped a unanimous decision to Jean Silva who has burst onto the UFC scene this year with stoppage wins over Westin Wilson, Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober, each more impressive than the one preceding it.
Brazil’s Kevin Christian used his 6-foot-7 frame to his advantage when grappling — not when on the feet — during his second-round submission win over Francesco Mazzeo.
Alexia Thainara swept the scorecards against Rose Conceicao in the opening bout of the night, using pressure and high volume to land more than 100 significant strikes in an altogether unremarkable strawweight contest.
DWCS Season 8, Week 7 Official Results:
-- Danylo Voievodkin def. Bailey Schoenfelder via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:13 of Round 1
-- Daniel Frunza def. Vadim Kutsyi via TKO at 3:30 of Round 2
-- Kevin Christian def. Francesco Mazzeo via submission (triangle-armbar) at 4:17 of Round 2
-- Kevin Vallejos def. Cam Teague via TKO at 2:23 of Round 1
-- Alexia Thainara def. Rose Conceicao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC contract recipients: Danylo Voievodkin, Kevin Vallejos, Daniel Frunza, Kevin Christian, Alexia Thainara
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