The fourth season of Dana White's Contender Series kicked off with a bang as Dana White handed out three UFC contracts under the roof of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Jordan Leavitt, Uros Medic and Dustin Jacoby were awarded contracts as all three put together dominant performances that impressed White.
It was the first time the series would take place under conditions of a global pandemic, but the new blood that will arrive in the UFC couldn't have asked for better circumstances.
In the featured fight, Dustin Jacoby put on a striking clinic but simply couldn't put away Ty Flores. Regardless, the vicious pounding earned him the unanimous decision victory and a UFC contract.
Jacoby is the first fighter to appear in the Contender Series who had previously fought in the UFC. In his first stint back in 2011, Jacoby was 0-2 and subsequently released. After losing to John Salter during his time with Bellator in 2015, Jacoby took a break from MMA. Upon his return, he showcased improved striking and poise.
Jacoby's striking was the difference-maker early on as he coupled it with high pressure to keep Flores from being able to find his range while eating a bevy of hard strikes.
After making sure he left an impression in the first round, the 32-year-old reversed a takedown attempt and whipped a left hand and a combination into the face of Flores. Jacoby strung together a series of punches and knees that busted up Flores' face. To Flores' credit, he managed to keep his senses intact despite the high powered assault.
Eventually, Flores was worn down from the vicious assault, and his face was a crimson mask. A right hand sent Flores stumbling, and Jacoby again gave chase and pummelled his wounded opponent. Again, Flores somehow managed to get to his feet and refused to give up. Although Flores was badly hurt, Jacoby had depleted his gas tank in search of a finish. Surprisingly, Flores made it out of the second frame.
Both were exhausted in the final round but Jacoby did enough to take home the decision for his first fight in five years. His next fight will be as a part of the UFC roster.
Uros Medic undoubtedly was the highlight of the night as he demonstrated some powerful striking and poise with a first-round stoppage of Mikey Gonzalez. The Serbian came out firing early and got Gonzalez's attention with a short left hand. With Gonzalez on his back foot, Medic gave chase and fired a sledgehammer-like body kick that nearly crumbled his opponent.
Gonzalez went into survival mode as the undefeated Medic throttled him with some ground and pound. Gonzalez threatened a kneebar which caused Medic to briefly back away. But Gonzalez already had the fight taken out of him, and it was only a matter of time before Medic dropped him with a leg kick and finished the fight with some heavy punches to his downed opponent.
Finally, Jordan Leavitt showcased impressive jiujitsu skills with a first-round submission of Luke Flores. Leavitt wasted little time dragging the fight to the mat and patiently maneuvered around Flores and snuck in an arm triangle that Flores could do little to stop and tapped out with under a minute left in the first round.
It was an easy victory that impressed White and garnered him a UFC contract. And that was significant for Leavitt as he announced that he had a baby on the way. A life-changing moment for the fourth-generation Las Vegas native.
Dana White's Contender Series: Season 4, Week 1 fight card
- Dustin Jacoby def. Ty Flores via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27 & 29-27)
- Uros Medic def. Mikey Gonzalez via 1st-round TKO (2:12)
- Jerome Rivera def. Luis Rodriguez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28)
- Jordan Leavitt def. Luke Flores via 1st-round submission due to arm triangle (4:15)
The Cross vs. Robinson fight was scratched, reportedly because of a medical issue with Robinson.