Four fighters earn UFC contracts to end Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series
Four fighters earned UFC contracts on Tuesday night to close out the fourth season of Dana White's Contender Series. Earning contracts on Season 4's final fight night were flyweight JP Buys, women's strawweight Gloria de Paula, lightweight Tucker Lutz, and women's flyweight Victoria Leonardo.
JP Buys (9-2) headlined the card against Jacob Silva (6-4) and earned a first-round stoppage via a guillotine choke. This was Buys' second appearance in the Contender Series after he lost to Jobby Sanchez back in 2017, when he was 4-1.
Gloria de Paula (5-2) showed some impressive striking in her performance against Pauline Macias (4-1), winning via majority decision. The 25-year old Brazilian displayed her striking prowess in the clinch, punishing Macias with a barrage of elbows and knees.
Tucker Lutz (11-1) picked up a unanimous decision victory against previously-undefeated prospect Sherrard Blackledge (5-1). This was Lutz's second fight in this year's contender series after he beat Chase Gibson in his previous appearance.
Victoria Leonardo (8-2) earned a UFC contract with a second-round finish of Chelsea Hackett (3-1-1). Hackett appeared to be dominating the striking exchanges on the feet, but Leonardo was able to take the fight to the ground in both rounds and finish her opponent with strikes.
Dana White hands out four UFC contracts in Contender Series Season 4 finale
Dana White's Contender Series has been a huge success for the UFC in terms of providing a platform to young fighters. Previous seasons of DWCS have seen the likes of Sean O'Malley, Dan Ige, Geoff Neal, Edmen Shahbazyan and Maycee Barber earn contracts with the UFC before going on to make their respective names in the company.
This weekend, DWCS veteran Alex Perez challenges UFC Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC 255. Perez will be the first Conternder Series alumni to challenge for the title.
An All-American wrestler, Perez is 6-1 in the UFC, beating notable names such as Mark De La Rosa, Jordan Espinosa and Jussier Formiga. It'll be interesting to see if he can deal with the intense pressure of the reigning champion Figueiredo.