Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series was a violent one.
Ten fighters entered the UFC Apex on Tuesday night with hopes of winning a UFC contract.
UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers were cageside for the three-round war between Sean O’Malley’s teammate Tommy McMillen and David Mgoyan, which really set the bar for the remainder of the episode.
Week 4 of Contender Series also featured names like LFA Flyweight Champion Eduardo Chapolin, who recently jumped into Daniel Cormier’s arms after a KO win at LFA 215 just 11 days ago.
Chapolin halted top prospect An Tuan Ho by decision.
UFC’s White gave contracts to all of the winners apart from Chapolin, even giving someone he often wouldn’t go for a probability in the large show.
Dana White signs 36-year-old Mandel Nallo and 4 others from Contender Series
White first offered a contract to McMillen after his hard-fought decision win over Mgoyan, saying each men will get their win money. McMillen was transported to the hospital post-fight.
The UFC boss passed on Chapolin after his second win in 11 days, telling him ‘perhaps next time’.
Team Cormier’s Chapolin was the #1 overall pick on the newest season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
Bellator MMA veteran Mandel Nallo won his Contender Series fight with an incredible knockout of Samuel Silva at 36 years old.
White had never signed a fighter to Contender Series over the age of 35 until he saw Nallo.
“I don’t love your age, but I like your style,” White said as he welcomed Nallo to the UFC.
Brother of UFC middleweight and Fighting Nerds star Michal Oleksiejczuk, Cezary Oleksiejczuk won a UFC contract with a TKO stoppage of former Bellator fighter Theo Haig.
Within the last fight of the night, deadly striker Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani slept Jack Congdon with a head kick before ending him off with a running punch to secure his UFC future.
The UFC signed Patricio Pitbull at 37 years old
Moving on from Contender Series, the oldest UFC signing in recent memory is Bellator ‘GOAT’ Patricio Pitbull.
Pitbull was 37 when he signed to the UFC earlier this 12 months and now he’s 38, fighting a fellow former two-division champion in Losene Keita at UFC Paris this weekend.
As we covered, the UFC doesn’t typically sign fighters over or across the age of 35, but they’ve made a couple of exceptions lately.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page was 36 when he was picked up by the UFC. Former Bellator fighter Austin Vanderford was 34 and made his UFC debut days before turning 35.