DWTNCS 12 Results and Recap: Lewis, Espinosa Get UFC Deals

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Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series
Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series Credit: UFC

After a short constitutional for International Fight Week, Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series was back in action as DWTNCS 12 went down at the TUF gym in Las Vegas.

After a short break to allow for International Fight Week, Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series returned on Tuesday, July 10. The featured fight at DWTNCS 12 thrust lightweights Kevin Aguilar and Joey Gomez into the spotlight, with Gomez looking to keep his perfect 7-0 professional record intact.

Lightweights would open the card as well, with Jalin Turner taking on Max Mustaki in the opening bout. Along the way, flyweight, featherweight, and middleweight fighters would also make appearances. As always, winners had the chance to earn UFC contracts, but how many was always the question — with the season already having set a record by awarding four on a single show.

Check back come fight time (starting off at 8PM EST) for a full recap and results from DWTNCS 12. The action goes down live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass!

Jalin Turner vs. Max Mustaki

It was Jalin Turner pressing the action, walking Mustaki down in the early going. Mustaki went to the body, but Turner connected clean first, and Mustaki wound up with his nose bloodied. Turner clipped him with a left hand resulted in wobbly legs a moment later, but Mustaki somehow recovered. Turner then went to the body, and Mustaki went down! Turner rushed in with ground n’ pound, while a bloodied Mustaki tried to defend with a heel hook.

Somehow, Max survived, with over half around to go, but was unsteady getting to his feet. He landed a solid shot to the body, but a kick from Turner backed Mustaki up. Mustaki then tagged Turner with a couple shots! Turner took Mustaki down to escape the offensive, but let his opponent up after a few moments. Mustaki landed a left-right combo with just over a minute remaining, while Turner seemed to have slowed. Mustaki’s jab connected. Turner answered with a hook and a knee to the body. Incredible round, and the second was hotly anticipated — but it wasn’t to be. Mustaki had a clearly damaged, possibly broken foot, and the fight was halted between rounds.

Jalin Turner def. Max Mustaki by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 5:00

Jordan Epinosa vs. Riley Dutro

In flyweight action, Jordan Espinosa took the fight to the ground immediately, while Riley Dutro attempted to stay active off his back. Espinosa was able to keep the pressure on, moving to side control and dropping short elbows. Dutro moved to his stomach, then to his back, to his front again, while Espinoza looked for a choke. Dutro escaped to his feet, but ate a hook and was nearly taken down again. He managed to fight the attempt off, however, and the pair settled in on the feet. Dutro would score a knockdown off a left with roughly two minutes remaining. Espinoza would then drop Dutro with a counter left, and add in some hammer fist. They’d escape the round however.

Espinosa attempted a half-hearted takedown early in the second, without coming close to landing it. From there, the action played out on the feet, with Dutro backing his opponent up, and Espinosa escaping to the side. Dutro began attacking the lead leg of his opponent, who seemed to have tired a little. Dutro was without question the aggressor, but Espinoza returned fire with a calf kick, and was successfully evading most of his opponent’s attacks. Ultimately, things would go to a third round.

Round three saw Espinosa looking for a single leg with in the first minute, but he was again too tired to complete. The pair clinched, and Dutro worked in some foot stomps. Espinosa changed levels again, but wound up poking his opponent’s eye moments later. Dutro continued to attack the lead leg of Espinosa, but Espinosa then came back with a huge right hand, dropping Dutro! Dutro managed to survive, with Espinosa pouncing on top of him, but that knockdown likely changed the course of the fight. Dutro made it back to his feet, bloodied, with two minutes remaining. Dutro tried to goad Espinosa into a firefight, raising his arms to egg him on, but Esponisa merely pointed to his cheek, as if saying “hit me if you can.” And then with just seconds remaining, Espinosa dropped Dutro again! A left hand did it, Dutro rolled over, back to his opponent and covering up, and the ref moved in to wave it off. The ref appeared to rule that Dutro had given up by turning his back though it appeared more like he was protecting himself and rolling with the shot.

Jordan Espinosa def. Riley Dutro by TKO, Round 3, 4:58

Toby Misech vs. Rick Palacios

Toby Misech came out early, backing his opponent up and attacking the legs. Palacios answered back with kicks of his own. Misech landed a left; Palacios came back with a combo, and initiated a clinch. Palacios began to mix things up, going to the body with kicks and finishing up top with a combo. Misech showed some variety of his own, but it was Palacios landing heaving near the two minute mark, a punch straight up the middle. Misech landed a left, Palacios answered with a right that wobbled his opponent! They’d battle it out for the remainder of the round, back and forth, and head to a second.

Palacios was mixing up kicks to the legs and side as round two commenced. Misech was being out-struck at least in terms of volume, but still tried to press forward whenever he could find an opening. After an eye poke stopped the action they got back to it, with Misech coming out and landing a left hand. Leading with a kick, Palacios was charging in on the attack, while the damage to his legs may have slowed Misech just a little.

Heading to the third it was still anyone’s fight. Thus far there’d been no thought of a takedown. Palacios landed a big kick to the body just over two minutes in. Misech was looking tired, but still game. However as the round progressed Misech was just looking to escape, circling left and right and rarely throwing as Ricky Palacios walked him down. A few high kicks would connect, but were at least partially blocked, and it wound up going to the judges.

Rick Palacios def. Toby Misech by unanimous decision (30-27. 29-28, 29-28)

Bevon Lewis vs. Alton Cunningham

Bevon Lewis threw a right early, and followed with a head kick to the same side not long after. That was blocked, but Lewis initiated a clinch, attacking with knees and elbows. They locked up by the cage, battling for position, with Lewis landing another elbow off the break. Alton Cunningham still looked fresh but simply couldn’t get going through the first half of the round. Lewis would up the pressure after that, landing some solid strikes while Cunningham covered up after a knee nearly dropped him, then unleashing a trio of vicious knees for the finish.

Bevon Lewis def. Alton Cunningham by TKO (knees), Round 1, 3:01

Kevin Aguilar vs. Joey Gomez

Gomez landed a left hook on Aguilar early, as the lightweight pair got underway in the featured fight. Gomez’s first takedown attempt was stuffed, however. He’d land an overhand on Aguilar a moment later; Aguilar would fire back. Yet before long Gomez would get the fight to the ground, with over three minutes to work. Gomez worked from guard, landing some ground n’ pound but Aguilar scrambled up just under the two minute mark. Aguilar fired off a left. A bloodied Aguilar made it out of the round but would need a new approach in the second.

Aguilar connected hard to open round two, and looked like he meant business. Aguilar pressed the attack, but found himself taken down and planted on his back just under the three minute mark. Gomez stacked his opponent up by the fence; Aguilar was forced to employ a high guard. Aguilar wouldn’t make it back to his feet until sometime inside the final minute. That gave him precious little time to pull out the round, with Gomez likely ahead on the scorecards.

With a lot on the line heading into the third, either Gomez or Aguilar should have been thinking finish. Yet neither could secure it. The action stayed on the feet with Gomez unable to get the affair back down, and with both men bloodied it came down to the final minute. Aguilar still had plenty of gas left in the tank, but it was Gomez in the driver’s seat pressing forward. They’d go to the final bell, with the decision in favor of Aguilar in a bit of a surprise.

Kevin Aguilar def. Joey Gomez by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

After the dust had settled, it was Bevon Lewis and Jordan Espinosa geting UFC deals based on their performances Tuesday.

Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 12 Results:

Kevin Aguilar def. Joey Gomez by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Bevon Lewis def. Alton Cunningham by TKO (knees), Round 1, 3:01
Rick Palacios def. Toby Misech by unanimous decision (30-27. 29-28, 29-28)
Jordan Espinosa def. Riley Dutro by TKO, Round 3, 4:58
Jalin Turner def. Max Mustaki by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 5:00