The penultimate instalment of Dana White’s Contender Series Season Six arrived on Tuesday night, with a repeat appearance by heavyweight and former NFL’er Austen Lane, and a 17-year old talent who had been fighting grown men for years in the form of Raul Rosas Jr.
Rosas Jr. was not in the main event on Tuesday, but was easily the most talked about fighter on the card thanks to his young age. His appearance Tuesday officially made him the youngest competitor to appear on the show, and saw him up against Mando Gutierrez — at 25, eight years his senior.
The featured fight of the evening featured a couple of fighters known for finishes, with Leon Aliu and Brunno Ferreira facing off in a middleweight affair.
Dana White’s Contender Series 55 takes place Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full results from the event, which airs on ESPN+ in the U.S., and UFC Fight Pass elsewhere, can be found below.
After a bit of a slow start, Jafel Filho exploded in the third round. Roybert Echeverria narrowly missed on a head kick, then was clipped by a Filho left hand. Echeverria dropped, trapped against the cage as Fialho rained down blow after blow. That wrapped things up with Filho earning the TKO victory.
Narullo Aliev overcame an early eye poke to employ a judo throw on Josh Wick, taking the fight to the mat and swarming with ground n’ pound. The high-volume attack was more than Wick could withstand; the ref soon waved it off.
Austen Lane landed one of the nastiest low blows in recent memory early in his heavyweight fight with Richard Jacobi. Jacobi went down in obvious pain, but took just over 90 seconds to recover. Later, they would go to the ground, and Jacobi would hunt for an arm-bar. That backfired, as Lane was able to get on top and secure the third straight TKO of the night.
Raul Rosas Jr., all of 17 years old, proved to be the real deal on Tuesday. While he went the distance for the first time against Mando Gutirrez, Rosas Jr. dominated, especially on the ground, where he attempted multiple submissions including a Suloev stretch. The first round alone got a standing ovation from Dana White, and while he couldn’t get the finish, he has a bright future in the sport.
As expected, the middleweight featured fight between Leon Aliu and Brunno Ferreira did not go the distance on Tuesday. Ferreira rocked Aliu early, and piled on with strikes. Aliu made it back to his feet after grabbing a leg, but was quickly put down for good in the fourth TKO finish of the night.
Dana White’s Contender Series Season Six, Week Nine Results
Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira def. Leon Aliu by TKO, Round 1, 1:35
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Austen Lane def. Richard Jacobi by TKO, Round 1, 4:34
Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Josh Wick by TKO, Round 1, 4:36
Flyweight: Jafel Filho def. Roybert Echeverria by TKO, Round 3, 1:31
Contract winners: Jafel Filho, Nurullo Aliev, Austen Lane, Raul Rosas Jr., Brunno Ferreira
