UFC Signs Record-Tying Five Competitors on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship roster grew by five on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as a record-tying number of competitors—Dustin Stoltzfus, Adrian Yanez, Cory McKenna, T.J. Laramie and Impa Kasanganay—were all awarded contracts by the promotion on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Stoltzfus dislocated former Ring of Combat champion Joseph Pyfer’s elbow with a slam in the first round of their middleweight showcase. The injury resulted in an immediate stoppage 4:21 into Round 1, as Stoltzfus (13-1) extended his run of consecutive victories to 10.

The two 185-pound hopefuls traded leg kicks before Pyfer (7-2) secured a takedown and set up in top position. Stoltzfus answered some mild ground-and-pound with an active bottom game and forced a scramble. Pyfer positioned himself for a guillotine, only to be hoisted skyward and dropped. He braced for impact with his right arm, leading to a gruesome injury.

Yanez Vanquishes Huang in 39 Seconds

Metro Fight Club rep Adrian Yanez needed less than a minute to put away Brady Huang with punches in the first round of their bantamweight scrap. Huang (11-2) succumbed to blows 39 seconds into Round 1, the victim of the fifth-fastest finish in the history of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Yanez (11-3) barely broke a sweat. The Bellator MMA alum buckled Huang’s knees with a clean left hook, reset and then connected with a vicious multi-punch combination that was punctuated with another left hook and a chopping right hand. A dazed and confused Huang stumbled backward, prompting referee Jason Herzog to intervene.

The 26-year-old Yanez has won four fights in a row, three of them finishes.

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McKenna Upends Legacy Fighting Alliance Queen Demopoulos

A stifling top game, effective ground-and-pound and airtight submission defense carried Team Alpha Male’s Cory McKenna to a unanimous decision over reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos in a three-round women’s strawweight confrontation. McKenna (5-1) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Demopoulos (5-2) was far too willing to rely on her ground game. McKenna swooped into top position in all three rounds, dodged various submissions—most notably a triangle choke in the second round and an armbar in the third—and cut loose with punches. They battled to a relative stalemate on the feet, though McKenna connected with the fight’s most memorable strike: a head kick in the third round. She closed with a flourish, as she peppered Demopoulos with punches during their exchange in the waning seconds.

The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak for Demopoulos.

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Laramie Stops Experienced Swain

Former TKO Major League MMA champion T.J. Laramie forced a doctor stoppage against Daniel Swain in between the first and second rounds of their featherweight encounter. Swain (20-10-1) appeared to suffer a rib injury in Round 1 and was deemed unfit to continue by the cageside physician.

Laramie (12-3) struck for a takedown in the first round and freed himself from multiple armbar and triangle choke attempts before going to work with traumatizing ground-and-pound. Swain soon found himself pinned hopelessly to the canvas. Laramie alternated between half guard and full guard, uncorking elbows and hammerfists until the first five minutes expired. The stoppage was called after Swain underwent a brief examination.

The 22-year-old Laramie has rattled off four consecutive victories.

Unbeaten Kasanganay Bests Adams

Gym-O representative Impa Kasanganay kept his perfect professional record intact with a unanimous decision over Anthony Adams in a three-round middleweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-27 for Kasanganay (7-0).

Adams (8-2) held serve in the first round, where he utilized the clinch, leg kicks and even a front kick to the face. Kasanganay turned the tables in the middle stanza, as he pieced together combinations, executed a takedown and moved toward the back with ground-and-pound. He picked up where he left off in Round 3. There, Kasanganay delivered another takedown, shifted to the back of the kneeling Elevation Fight Team product and slammed a series of knees into his ribs.

The 32-year-old Adams has fallen short in both of his DWCS appearances.