Advances in DNA testing may one day reveal that Andreas Gustafsson is of brown bear ancestry.
The Vasteras Fight Club product was one of four prospects to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship during week two of Dana White’s Contender Series, defeating Pat Pytlik at close range and finishing him off with a series of knees to the head in the second round of the welterweight showcase. Pytlik (9-2, 0-1 DWS) succumbed to the accumulated punishment 3 minutes, 20 seconds into the second round.
Gustafsson (11-2, 1-0 DWCS) got into the clinch and, with no regard for his own health, methodically beat the Canadian with relentless pressure and close-range strikes. Pytlik managed to create distance with some dirty boxing, but he couldn’t keep the Swedish beast at bay. Gustafsson closed the gap in the middle rounds, chipping away with elbows and finally finishing his opponent with three knees to the head.
Heavyweight Rizvan Kniev will join Gustafsson on the UFC roster, along with bantamweights Cody Haddon and Cortavious Romeus. Kniev, the Eagle Fighting Championship titleholder, stopped Tata Fight Team’s Hugo Cunha in the first round of their heavyweight bout with a knee to the body and follow-up punches. Cunha (8-2, 0-1 DWCS) succumbed to strikes 4:59 into the first round.
Kniev (12-2-1, 2-0 DWCS) harassed the Brazilian with his jab, held on in the clinch and targeted the head, body and legs at all levels with close-range knees. Late in the first round, the Gorec Fight Club representative covered Cunha with punches and landed a devastating knee to the torso, sending Cunha to the canvas with a follow-up strike. With no punches to return, the bout was stopped with one second remaining.
This was Kniev’s fourth career appearance in the first round.
Meanwhile, Pure Vida BJJ’s Romeus used his fast-twitch striking and agile ground-and-pound to earn a unanimous decision victory over Michael Imperato in a three-round bantamweight bout. With all three judges scoring the bout the same, Romeus (9-2, 1-1 DWCS) won 30-27 for his fifth victory in six bouts.
Imperato (12-7 MMA, 0-1 DWCS) pulled his guard many times but was usually forced into a bad position and taken punches and elbows from above. Romeus took him down with a liver kick in the first round, then beat him down with ground-and-pound late in the second, then avoided a triangle choke and armbar attempt several times to win by decision.
The 34-year-old Imperato has lost three of his last four fights.
Further down the card, in a bantamweight bout, Haddon submitted Billy Bland via rear-naked choke in the first round. Haddon (7-1 MMA, 1-0 DWCS) ended the bout at 3:09 of the first round to extend his winning streak to five fights. All five of those victories have come by finish, with three coming within the first round.
The two 135-pound prospects traded blows from the start, with Brand on the back foot, firing sharp jabs and the occasional leg kick. Haddon came forward and landed a devastating left hook that dropped the Team Alpha Male representative to the ground and left him vulnerable to a sustained attack. The former Hex Fight Series champion pounced on Brand with punches, then backed up to secure the choke and tap out.
The setback was Brand’s first since his unfortunate encounter with Payton Talbot on Feb. 12, 2022.
Finally, Agozi Combativs prospect Torres Finney maintained his perfect professional record but didn’t receive a contract with a unanimous decision victory over Cameron Rowston in a three-round middleweight bout. Finney (9-0, 2-0 DWCS), a former two-way football player at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was defeated by a landslide 29-28 scorecard from all three cageside judges.
Rowston (8-3, 0-1 DWCS) was the better stand-up attacker but couldn’t stay on his feet long enough to capitalize on his moves. Finney landed multiple takedowns (11 in 15 minutes) and was unfazed by the City Kickboxing expert’s effective get-up game. Rowston occasionally threatened with submissions and remained competitive even when his back was turned, but all the hard work from the former Shuriken Fight Series champion was for naught.
The loss ended Rowston’s five-game winning streak.
