All Five Winners Net UFC Contracts on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series

All signs indicated Cameron Saaiman could have quite a future ahead of him.

The undefeated Team CIT representative was one of five hopefuls to net Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts during Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he punched out Josh Wang Kim in the third round of their bantamweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 21-year-old Saaiman (6-0) brought it to an emphatic close 2:52 into Round 3, scoring his fifth stoppage in six professional appearances.

Kim (5-2) zipped out to a strong start with darting movements, punishing body kicks and effective counters. However, the Alliance MMA rep emerged for the middle stanza a step slower, his output taking a noticeable dip after he executed an early takedown and failed to maintain top control. Saaiman crowded him with pressure, popped him with clean one-twos and threw in a late takedown of his own. The South African prospect rode that momentum into the third round, where he cut off the cage, forced Kim to retreat backward and leveled him with an exquisite left hook. No follow-up shots were necessary.

In addition to Saaiman, four other mixed martial artists—flyweight Jesus Santos Aguilar, heavyweight Michael Parkin, welterweight Darrius Flowers and women’s strawweight Denise Gomes—were welcomed to the UFC roster.

Related » DWCS Week 5 Round-by-Round Scoring

Entram Gym’s Aguilar submitted Erisson Ferreira da Silva with a guillotine choke in the third round of their frenetic clash at 125 pounds. The surging Aguilar (8-1) drew the curtain 1:56 into Round 3, where he extended winning streak to eight bouts.

Ferreira da Silva (11-2) failed to make the most of a productive first round in which he powered into top position on multiple occasions, achieved full mount at one point and eventually attached himself to the Combate Global veteran’s back. Aguilar turned the tide in the second period, strained the Brazilian’s gas tank beyond its bounds and set the stage for what was to come. He unleashed wild power punches at the start of Round 3, executed a takedown and caught the guillotine on a scramble, prompting the tapout from an exhausted Ferreira da Silva soon after.

Aguilar has stopped four of his past five opponents with guillotine chokes.

Meanwhile, Team Fish Tank’s Parkin submitted Eduardo Jose Neves with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their scrap at 265 pounds. The undefeated Parkin (6-0) closed the door 1:57 into Round 1 with the first submission win of his career.

Neves (5-1) fired off a few leg kicks and appeared to stun the Englishman with a clubbing right hand before powering into top position. However, his inability to stay composed and corral Parkin on the canvas proved costly. The 26-year-old returned to an upright position, took down Neves twice, advanced to the back while the two men were kneeling at the base of the cage and cinched the choke without much resistance.

Parkin has finished all six of his opponents inside two rounds.

Elsewhere, Chicago Fight Team’s Flowers slammed Amiran Gogoladze into submission in the first round of their brief but eventful battle at 170 pounds. Gogoladze (12-3) raised the white flag of surrender after suffering an apparent shoulder injury upon impact.

Flowers (12-5-1) withstood the initial assault, jockeyed for position in the clinch and denied an attempted takedown. Gogoladze wound up in bottom position and threatened with an inverted triangle choke. However, the maneuver left him exposed and vulnerable. Flowers hoisted him off the mat and dropped the favored Georgian on his back, resulting in the stoppage moments later.

The 27-year-old Flowers has won four fights in a row, three of them finishes.

Finally, an unwavering commitment to low kicks, power punching combinations and intermittent spinning attacks carried Parana Vale Tudo’s Gomes to a unanimous decision over Rayanne dos Santos in a three-round pairing at 115 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Gomes (6-1).

Horsepower was the difference. Dos Santos (11-6) had her moments but lacked the thump necessary to give her counterpart pause, and the inability to initiate grappling exchanges sealed her fate. Gomes unleashed power punching combinations and did some excellent work in close quarters, all while staying focused on assaulting the lead leg. She appeared to pull away across the final 10 minutes, as she broke down dos Santos with merciless pressure and the accompanying punishment.

Gomes, 22, has rattled off six consecutive victories.