Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series concludes this evening (Oct. 10, 2023) with an extra-large finale at the APEX.
The action begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Last week’s action produced five contracts in four fights, among them arguably the least-deserved in the history of the program. Rodolfo Bellato’s mauling of Murataza Talha, Victor Hugo Silva’s kneebar of Eduardo Matias Torres, and Mauricio Ruffy’s comeback upset of Raimond Magomedaliev all produced well-deserved calls to the big show, but Jose Daniel Medina inexplicably joined victor Magomed Gazhiyasulov in UFC despite losing virtually ever second of their fight.
After suffering an early stoppage against Serhiy Sidey last month and missing weight in the process, Ramon Taveras (8-2) returns to face Cortavious Romious (7-1) in the Bantamweight main event. Rickson Zenidim (14-1), previously slated to join the show in August before running into visa issues, gets his shot against knockout artist Andre Lima (6-0) in the co-feature.
Earlier in the evening, Season 6 veteran Connor Matthews (6-1) faces Jair Farias (10-0) at Featherweight, Yuri Panferov (6-0) takes on fellow unbeaten Middleweight Torrez Finney (6-0), and BRAVE CF vet Issa Isakov (10-2) meets Marquel Mederos (7-1). The rare sixth bout is a transplant from last week; Lucas Rocha (16-1) nuked the scales for a planned Flyweight bout with Davi Bittencourt (14-3), so they’re trying again at 135.
‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:
Ramon Taveras vs. Cortavious Romious — Taveras def. Romious by KO (punches) at 0:29 of Round One
Rickson Zenidim vs. Andre Lima — Lima def. Zenidim by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Connor Matthews vs. Jair Farias — Matthews def. Farias by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Yuri Panferov vs. Torrez Finney — Finney def. Panferov by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:43 of Round Two
Marquel Mederos vs. Issa Isakov — Mederos def. Isakov by KO (knee) at 4:09 of Round One
Davi Bittencourt vs. Lucas Rocha — Rocha def. Bittencourt by KO (knee) at 0:18 of Round Two
‘Contender Series’ Play-By-Play Results:
135 lbs.: Ramon Taveras vs. Cortavious Romious
Round one: They meet in the center and immediately start slugging it out. Heavy punches from both men with kicks peppered in. Romious is the first to go down from a big counter left. He pops up, only to eat a hard 1-2 and a right hook that sends him to his knees again. Again he rises and again Taveras sits him down, this time for good with a crushing straight left and two hammerfists for good measure.
Final result: Taveras def. Romious by KO (punches)
125 lbs: Rickson Zenidim vs. Andre Lima
Round one: Lima on the front foot, Zenidim circling. Low kicks from Lima. One minute in. Solid Lima body kick. Stiff jab by Zenidim catches Lima throwing. Pretty much sparring so far as Zenidim circles and Lima plods forward. Two minutes in. Counter overhand by Lima. Another one to answer a leg kick. Another. Uppercut whiffs, body kick and right hand do not. Zenidim doing a lot of movement and very little throwing as Lima waits to counter. Glancing head kick by Lima with two minutes to go.
Lima trying to press the action against the fence and Zenidim changes levels. Knee from Lima on the exit and he avoids one from Zenidim. Lima whiffs on a spin. Blocked head kick, heavy right cross. One minute to go. Another right hand prompts Zenidim to shoot, so Lima denies that and lands another right hand. Looping overhand, straight right, body shot, stiff jab, right cross. Just walking Zenidim down. Another huge lead right into the clinch. 10-9 Lima.
Round two: Not sure what Zenidim’s plan is; Lima’s walking him down with impunity. Solid low kick from Lima. Zenidim tries a head kick. One minute in. Lima trying to goad Zenidim into fighting and succeeds, as Zenidim wings a flurry and tries to shoot. Lima sprawls on it and takes top half guard. Back to full. Lima stands and lets him up two minutes in. Another low kick lands for him. Another. Lima slips, Zenidim not in position to capitalize. Zenidim back to doing his Kalib Starnes impression. Two minutes to go.
Another low kick from Lima and again he spreads his arms in bafflement at Zenidim’s passivity. Low kick again. Glancing low-high rights from Zenidim. Lima wraps a head kick around his shoulder with a minute to go. Another leg kick. Solid body kick. Zenidim with a rare body kick, eats a right hand when he tries to exchange. Lima whiffs on a wheel kick and avoids a head kick. 10-9 Lima.
Round three: Zenidim finally showing a bit of life, but there’s nothing behind his shots. Counter elbow by Lima a minute in. Zenidim tries a head kick, then whiffs on the next one. Right cross by Lima. Zenidim tries some arm punches. Two minutes to go. Hard 1-2 lands for Lima, body kick strays low. Zenidim back to circling. He tries to run in for a takedown and gets pressed against the fence. Nice trip into half guard by Lima. Two minutes to go.
Zenidim turns to his side, trying to stand. Solid punches from Lima in response. Lima flattens him out again. Back to full guard with a minute to go. Right hands from Lima, half guard again. Lima jumps on a guillotine, can’t get it, jumps again at the bell. 10-9 Lima.
Final result: Lima def. Zenidim by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Connor Matthews vs. Jair Farias
Round one: Farias circling as Matthews tries to work behind the jab. Matthews catches a body kick and trips him to the mat. Farias keeps him at bay with his legs and tries to stand, but Matthews dives back on him a minute in. Some awkward positioning ensues, then Matthews gets half guard. Farias scoots to the fence, stuck in a front headlock two minutes in. Matthews snaps him down and tries to spin to the back, only getting one hook in. He nearly gets mount, but Farias scrambles free and gets some distance. 2-3 from Farias. They swing hard and Matthews finds the mark with a solid left cross. Body kick with two minutes to go.
Low kicks from Farias. He catches Matthews with a lengthy flurry. Stiff jab from Matthews, who’s moving a bit awkwardly after eating a heavy low kick. Continuing to pressure and land body kicks. One minute to go. Body and low kicks from Farias. Two check hooks land in a row for him, then a hard right hand that has Matthews stumbling back. Farias blitzes with straight punches, but Matthews soon gets his wits back and lands some hard right hands before shooting in for a takedown. 10-9 Farias.
Round two: Body kick from Matthews. Counter 1-2 by Farias, who wads in and blasts Matthews with a hard combo. Matthews catches him off-balance, then lands a heavy right hand and pursues. Solid body kick against the fence. Farias catches a head kick, can’t use it. Feinted shot from Matthews. One minute in. He actually changes levels soon after and hits an outside trip. Farias scrambles and Matthews moves to his back, looking to cinch up an inverted triangle. Farias pops his head out two minutes in and they return to the feet. Matthews shoots again and completes a single-leg. Farias quickly stands again, caught in a front headlock. They separate. Matthews backs him to the fence, shoots again, no dice. Solid right hand as he continues to push forward.
Matthews picking his shots, walks into a check hook. He shoots under a right hand and takes Farias down against the fence. Two hard elbows land for him on the way up. Farias constantly finding himself stuck against the fence looking for check hooks. Low kicks by Matthews, eats a couple in return. Head kick nearly connects. Flying knee attempt, 3-2. 10-9 Matthews.
Round three: Matthews back on the front foot as Farias backs himself to the fence and circles. Hard overhand right, low kick behind it. Body shots, Farias tries to answer in kind. Farias body kick. One minute in. Matthews tries a combination. Straight right by Farias. Blitz from Farias and now they’re exchanging punches and body kicks. Nice reactive shot from Matthews puts him on top. He takes half guard, then mount, but he’s too high and Farias stands. Matthews keeps the front headlock and Farias puts a hand on the mat; it’s not weight-bearing, so Matthews’ subsequent knees are legal, but Herb Dean tells him off because he’s an idiot. They separate with two minutes to go.
Farias doing just enough not to get hurt and Matthews happy to cruise. Farias tries to put together some combos. Matthews shoots, denied, takes him to the fence. Separation with a minute to go. Farias lobbing a variety of shots, not landing much. Double hook by Matthews, body kick. Solid right hook. Knee lands for him. Farias comes alive with a flurry at the 10-second mark and walks after him until the bell. 10-9 Matthews.
Final result: Matthews def. Farias by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Yuri Panferov vs. Torrez Finney
Round one: Panferov circling, firing punches, but Finney changes levels and carries him all the way to his corner before dumping him to the mat. Elbows from Panferov as he tries to stand. Finney controlling at the base of the fence a minute in. Panferov works to his feet. Two minutes in. Finney driving in on Panferov’s hips as he eats elbows. Panferov tries to break his grip with a kimura, lands a knee, then visibly hurts Finney with a flurry of punches as soon as he gets a bit of space. Finney manages to shoot back in and hit a high-crotch takedown against the fence. Panferov back to his knees, dragged to his rear with two minutes to go.
Panferov looking for a kimura from bottom half guard. Nothing there. Not a lot of offense from Finney as Panferov slowly works his way up. One minute to go. Panferov gets double unders, separates, then hurts Finney again with punches. Again Finney changes levels and takes him down into half guard. They pause to re-insert Finney’s mouthpiece. Finney finally lands a few punches before the bell. 10-9 Panferov.
Round two: Panferov wings a left hook and Finney changes levels, then smacks Panferov with a huge right hand point blank. They trade power shots and Finney again takes him to the fence for a takedown. Landing punches on the way up. Finney lifts him up and hauls him to his corner for a slam a minute in. Panferov gives up his back on the way up. Finney tries to mount, can’t get it, slips both hooks back in as Panferov tries to stand. Looking for the RNC on the chin but despite a nasty squeeze, he can’t force the tap two minutes in . Trying to flatten Panferov out. He fires some punches to distract Panferov’s hands and allow him to slip his arm under Panferov’s chin, forcing a quick tap.
Final result: Finney def. Panferov by submission (rear naked choke)
155 lbs.: Marquel Mederos vs. Issa Isakov
Round one: Mederos backs him to the fence and lands a low kick. Slick single-leg by Isakov into a rear body lock. Mederos defending well, still on his feet a minute in. Mederos isn’t going down but he’s not breaking the grip, either. Finally he exits with a knee two minutes in and looks to fire heavy punches. Solid combinations against the fence. Cross counter by Isakov. Overhand right and low kick from Mederos. Calf kick seems to bother Isakov, who’s content to hang near the fence. Two minutes to go.
Another low kick from Mederos, jab behind it. Heavy three-piece. Isakov backs him off with a pair of straights, eats a low kick for his trouble. Mederos whiffs on a 1-1-2, lands a front kick downstairs. Isakov’s just lingering against the fence as Mederos patiently picks his shots. Finally Isakov moves, but maybe passivity was the right call, as he changes levels directly into Mederos’ knee for a nasty knockout.
Final result: Mederos def. Isakov by KO (knee)
135 lbs.: Davi Bittencourt vs. Lucas Rocha
Round one: Bittencourt comes flying out of his corner with heavy shots before changins levels. Good sprawl by Rocha and he threatens a front headlock, but Rocha scrambles through to secure a rear waist lock as they stand. Big belly-to-back suplex. Bittencourt can’t secure back mount, settles for punching with Rocha stuck on his knees a minute in. Back up, back down with another slam. Rocha again gets to his feet, Bittencourt still attached. Bittencourt drags him to his knees once again, still can’t keep him down two minutes in. Rocha finally manages to separate and immediately eats a left hand and spinning back kick. He sprawls on the next shot, gets hauled to the fence anyway. He denies a takedown with two minutes to go.
Bittencourt continuing to drive against the fence. Trading knees downstairs, nice trip by Bittencourt. Back to turtle position they go. Good mat return, still can’t keep Rocha down. Rocha separates and sprawls on the next shot, but gets put right back in their usual position when he tries to take the back and Bittencourt slings him over a shoulder with a minute to go. Another mat return and this time Bittencourt gets his hooks in. Rocha manages to slip free and they slug it out on the way up, Rocha even trying a Saenchai kick. 10-9 Bittencourt.
Round two: Good jab from Rocha, who sprawls on Bittencourt’s first shot. Bittencourt tries to throw a dipping jab and Rocha’s waiting with a perfectly timed knee, sending Bittencourt face-first to the mat.
Final result: Rocha def. Bittencourt by KO (knee)
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