Danilo Vojevodkin laughed in the oddsmakers’ faces.
The 6-foot-3, 263-pound Ukrainian fighter is a prohibitive 8-1 underdog in some books, but he was one of five prospects to earn a UFC contract in Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, and he defeated overwhelming favorite Bayley Schoenfelder by rear-naked choke in the first round of Tuesday’s heavyweight showcase at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Schoenfelder (5-1, 0-1 DWCS) raised the white flag 73 seconds into the first round.
Vojvodkin walked former University of Minnesota linebacker Shawnfelder backwards and dropped him with a left hook. A confused Bowenfelder couldn’t keep out the follow-up. Vojvodkin (7-0, 1-0 DWCS) got behind him and closed in on the choke, forcing the tapout.
Featherweight Kevin Vallejos, welterweight Daniel Frunza, light heavyweight Kevin Christian and women’s strawweight Alexia Taynara are scheduled to join Vojvodkin in the UFC rotation in the near future. Samurai Fight House titleholder Vallejos knocked out previously unbeaten Cam Teague with punches in the first round in their featherweight bout. The underdog Teague (7-1, 0-1 DWCS) succumbed to blows 2 minutes, 23 seconds into the first round.
It was a one-sided defeat. Vallejos (14-1, 1-1 DWCS) landed clean power punches to the head and body, steadily chipping away at the Port City Combat Sports representative’s resolve. He finally forced Teague against the fence with a left hook to the body and a right hook up high, then landed 20 consecutive punches to put his opponent on the defensive. A final left hook from Vallejos ended the bout on an emphatic note.
The 22-year-old Vallejos has won three straight fights.
Meanwhile, the tenacious Frunza knocked out Academy MMA star Vadim Kutsy with punches in the second round of their welterweight bout. Kutsy (16-2, 0-1 DWCS) was eliminated 3:30 into the second round, suffering his first setback in more than eight years.
Frunza (9-2, 1-0 DWCS) survived a harrowing first round that featured moments of confusion from both fighters. Couci dropped the Miami-based Romanian with a right hook and then battered him with standing punches, but all of his efforts came at a cost. In the middle stanza, Couci was slowing down and showing clear signs of running out of gas. Frunza took advantage, landing punches with both hands, sending Couci to the canvas with a body kick and then finishing the bout with a barrage of unlimited punches.
Frunza, 30, has recorded five consecutive finishes since suffering a submission loss to Gary Barreto Jr. in September 2021 under the CES MMA banner.
Meanwhile, Cosme Junior Team’s Christian took down Francesco Mazzeo with a triangle armbar in the second round of their light heavyweight showdown. Christian (9-2, 1-0 DWCS) forced his opponent to surrender 4 minutes, 17 seconds into the second round.
Mazzeo (4-1, 0-1 DWCS) scored a takedown in the first round, then landed some ground pound and avoided an armbar from the 6-foot-7 Brazilian, but he retreated to his corner bleeding from a cut he sustained at his elbow and visibly tired. Neither man did much to get the finish in the middle stanza. Mazzeo scored another takedown, but fatigued and slipped into a triangle choke. Christian bit down, isolating the Italian’s left arm and applying the torque he needed to tap out.
Christian is on a six-game winning streak.
Finally, the Rivas Family’s Taynara landed multiple takedowns and brutal leg kicks to earn a unanimous decision victory over current Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Rose Conceiçao in a three-round women’s strawweight bout. All three cageside judges scored the fight the same, with Taynara (11-1, 1-0 DWCS) winning 30-27.
Conceição (7-1, 0-1 DWCS) had issues with her aggression throughout the 15-minute bout. Taynara gnawed at her lead leg with kicks, caught her off guard with takedowns and responded with ferocious offense whenever the two traded punches. She kept her foot on the gas the entire time and never looked like a fighter trying to protect her lead.
The 26-year-old Taynara has now won nine matches in a row.
