Dana White Contender Series Awards Four Deals

Dana White’s Contender Series produced four new UFC contract winners at the Meta APEX, with England’s George Staines, Senegal’s Adama Diop, Peru’s Ian Escuza and Brazil’s Aieza Bertolso each earning a deal from UFC CEO White. The four victories lifted Season 10’s running total of contract winners to 38. The event brought together four fighters from four different nations, and each reached the contract result through a different kind of finish: a slam knockout, a second-round stoppage, a TKO confirmed after an officials’ review and a first-round submission.

Staines delivered the featured-bout finish, while Diop emerged from a heavy-punching contest with Zaurbek Sabanov. Escuza’s featherweight victory over Luca Borando included a consequential review after a knee landed while Borando was grounded, and Bertolso closed the opening bout with a D’Arce choke against Camila Reynoso. Those details matter because the contracts were not attached to a single template of performance. Dana White’s Contender Series saw decisive work in the clinch, on the mat and in open exchanges, with each winner leaving the night with a confirmed result and a distinct addition to the Season 10 contract tally.

Four finishes shape the contract night

In the featured lightweight bout, Staines earned the biggest win of his unbeaten career against Loai Abushaar. Abushaar looked to use his size and range early, but Staines landed leg kicks before stepping into clinching range. Staines picked Abushaar up and slammed him to the mat three times. After the third slam, Staines followed with punches, and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight after 61 seconds. The finish was the first slam knockout in Dana White’s Contender Series history and moved Staines’ professional record to 11-0. Diop defeated Russian striker Sabanov after a contest that reached the second round. Sabanov opened with kicks that Diop caught, then the fighters exchanged heavy punches. By the end of the first round, Diop was walking Sabanov down and throwing big punches. In Round 2, Diop found his range with a jab and continued to land heavy shots. A vicious combination forced Sabanov to turn away, prompting referee Bryan Miner to stop the fight. Diop’s victory extended his winning streak to six and raised his career record to 7-1, with six knockout wins.

Escuza’s featherweight bout with Borando began with both fighters trading in the center of the Octagon. Escuza connected with solid shots, locked up a Muay Thai clinch, took Borando to the fence and then to the mat. Following a brief front-choke attempt, Escuza hit Borando with a knee to the midsection as Borando tried to return to his feet. Escuza then landed a knee to the head, followed by another while Borando was grounded. Dean stopped the contest immediately after the second strike and consulted commission officials at Octagonside. The review determined that the illegal knee did not affect the outcome, leaving Escuza as the TKO winner. His record stands at 8-0, and all eight victories have come in the first round. Bertolso submitted Reynoso in the opening 115-pound bout. The undefeated LFA strawweight champion used range-finding jabs before taking Reynoso down. With Reynoso between her and the fence, Bertolso applied a D’Arce choke. Reynoso resisted for more than a minute, but Bertolso pulled guard and increased the pressure until Reynoso tapped. The result marked Bertolso’s eighth undefeated-career victory.

Results in context for Season 10

The four contracts took Dana White’s Contender Series to 38 Season 10 contract winners, while the individual results supplied clear record context. Staines remained unbeaten at 11-0 after a 61-second finish. Escuza also remained unbeaten, reaching 8-0 with eight first-round wins. Diop’s stoppage added to a six-fight winning streak and gave him a 7-1 record with six knockouts. Bertolso’s submission delivered the eighth victory of her unblemished career. The event also included one schedule change: the featherweight bout between Ilias Bulaid and Erick Visconde was moved to October 13. That bout was not part of the four-victor group that earned contracts at the Meta APEX. The completed results instead centered on the four fighters whose wins directly increased the running Season 10 total.

• George Staines stopped Loai Abushaar after three slams and follow-up punches; the stoppage came after 61 seconds and marked the first slam knockout in Dana White’s Contender Series history.
• Ian Escuza was ruled the TKO winner over Luca Borando after Herb Dean consulted commission officials, who determined that an illegal knee did not affect the outcome.

Dana White’s Contender Series added four contracts through four finishes that carried their own verified context: Staines’ historic slam knockout, Diop’s second-round barrage, Escuza’s reviewed TKO and Bertolso’s D’Arce choke. Together, those outcomes moved the Season 10 contract total to 38 while preserving the individual milestones attached to each winner.