Cody Steele has found the on and off switch.
The undefeated Syndicate MMA contender defeated Chasen Blair with punches in the second round of the lightweight showcase at the UFC Apex on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Dana White’s Contender Series Week 9 Ultimate Fighting – Became one of four hopefuls to receive a championship contract. Vegas. Steele (7-0, 1-0 DWCS) ended the match 4:07 into the second round.
Blair (6-3, 0-1 DWCS) went toe-to-toe with the Texans and held his own for a while. Steele applied relentless pressure and flung a flurry of punches, causing visible damage to his opponent in the first five minutes. Blair appeared to turn the tide early in the second round, using an effective counter game, basic one-twos, and intermittent leg kicks. Steele was neither impressed nor daunted. He stepped forward with utmost confidence and knocked Blair down at the bottom of the cage with a powerful left hook. Steele pounced on his turtle-like opponent and delivered a final flurry of punches, forcing him to stop the match.
Light heavyweight Artem Vakitov, heavyweight Mario Pinto and welterweight Islam Duratov will join Steele on the revamped UFC roster in the future.
The stoic Vakhitov, a former Glory kickboxing champion with an impressive track record, knocked out undefeated Islem Maslav with punches in the first round of the light heavyweight attraction. Maslav (3-1, 0-1 DWCS) ended the match 4:23 into Round 1.
Vakitov (3-1, 1-0 DWCS) was forced to readjust after a sluggish start. Maslav initially proved to be the aggressor, crowding the Kill Cliff Fight Club export in the clinch and forcing him to defend the takedown. Vakhitov had all the answers. Eventually he created some space, stunned Maslav with a right hook, drove him to his knees with an uppercut, and continued to pound him with punches until the job was done.
Vakitov, 33, defeated current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in kickboxing in September 2021, but Pereira sat cageside at the Russian’s request.
Meanwhile, Rebels Fight League champion Pinto swept Nova Uniao’s Lucas Toliverio Camacho with punches in the first round of their heavyweight fight, keeping his perfect professional record intact and standing tall. and achieved victory. Pinto (9-0, 1-0 DWCS) drew the curtain 1:43 into the first round.
Camacho (6-1, 0-1 DWCS) hit his front foot with a jab and tested the waters with a few leg kicks, but was left with his chin exposed at the most inopportune moment. A counter left hook from the 26-year-old Pinto dropped the Brazilian on the spot, leaving him vulnerable to further attacks. More punches then landed, prompting a stoppage.
This was Pinto’s fifth first-round finish in his career.
Further down the card, Duratov eliminated Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Vanilton Antunez with a brutal standing elbow in the first round of their welterweight showdown. Antunez (16-7, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 2:44 into Round 1, suffering his first setback in more than two years.
Duratov (11-1, 1-0 DWCS) used his aggressiveness to dominate the Brazilian from the start. The UFD Gym standout stumbled Antunes with a multi-punch volley in the first 90 seconds, traded knees as the mood rose, and ultimately dragged him to the canvas. Once they were back upright, Duratov began to move. He angled off the fence to get into range and drove an elbow into the side of Antunez’s head. The lights went out.
Duratov, 26, is currently on an 11-fight winning streak.
In the end, Hex Fight Series two-division champion Sean Gauci landed brutal body blows and a well-timed takedown before scoring a unanimous decision over Anthony Drilich in a three-round all-Australian flyweight showdown. demanded. All three cageside judges gave the fight the same score, 29-28 (10-1, 1-0 DWCS) for Gauci.
Dolilich (8-2, 0-1 DWCS) jumped out to the lead in the first round, tipping the spear with a ton of effective punches, body kicks and occasional elbows. Gauci increased his activity level in the mid-round and began targeting the midsection of the Scrappy MMA rep, completing two takedowns. He picked up where he left off in the third round, combining a late takedown and ground-and-pound with elbows to end the performance.
Gauci, 28, rode a seven-fight winning streak but was unable to secure a UFC contract.
