Week 10 Results & Scorecards | Dana White's Contender Series, Season 7

Lucas Rocha spent the first round dealing with Davi Bittencourt tossing him around the cage and living around his hips. But after stuffing the first takedown attempt of the second round, the streaking Brazilian knocked out his compatriot with a perfectly timed, perfectly placed knee to the chin, sending him crashing to the canvas just 18 seconds into the second round.

Rocha needed to have a monster performance after missing weight last week and getting a second chance here, and “Fenomeno” delivered and then some. That’s now six straight wins for the 23-year-old, who moves to 17-1 with the victory.

MarQuel Mederos defeats Issa Isakov by KO (knee) at 4:09 of Round 1

In the words of DJ Khaled, “Another One!”

Just like Lucas Rocha in the opener, MarQuel Mederos used a perfectly placed knee to close out his clash with Issa Iasakov in spectacular fashion.

The Factory X Muay Thai product did well to remain upright out of the chute when Isakov was locked on his waist, and once he broke into space, Mederos took control. He switched stances and varied his attacks, chopping at Isakov’s legs and touching him up with his hands before firing a knee up the middle that found a home and put him out.

That’s now six straight wins for the 26-year-old lightweight, who trains with an outstanding crew and looks like another tremendous young talent from the Colorado-based team guided by Marc Montoya.

Torrez Finney defeats Yuri Panferov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:42 of Round 2

Torrez Finney got the better of Yuri Panferov in a battle of unbeaten middleweight prospects, making solid adjustments heading into the second round to secure the submission finish.

Finney looked to grapple right out of the chute, but Panferov did well to work back to his feet and land significant offence whenever they were in space. Between rounds, Finney was given clear, precise insights on things to change between rounds, and in the second, he executed them all, putting hands in front of his takedown attempts. Once he got Panferov to the canvas, he climbed onto his back and laced up the choke.

Unbeaten as an amateur and still undefeated as a pro, the 24-year-old Finney is now 7-0 overall with six finishes, and is an interesting prospect to watch going forward despite his diminutive stature.

Connor Matthews defeats Jair Farias by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Connor Matthews impressed last season in his loss to Francis Marshall, and earned a call back to the UFC APEX with a win in front of Dana White and company in March. Tuesday night, the 31-year-old featherweight impressed again, bouncing Jair Farias from the ranks of the unbeaten.

After a competitive first round, Matthews started taking control early in the second, using clean, fundamentally sound strikes to batter Farias while mixing in takedowns and submission attempts when he was able to control the lanky Brazilian on the canvas. Farias tried to throw more in the third and had some success, forcing Matthews to show his grit and tenacity as he tired down the stretch.

For the first time in the night, the judges were called upon to decide the winner, and all three saw it in favor of Matthews, who collected the biggest win of his career in his second trip to Las Vegas.

Andre Lima defeats Rickson Zenidim by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Andre Lima earned a clear, but largely uneventful unanimous decision win over Rickson Zenidim in the penultimate fight of the season.

“Mascote” was the more active and effective of the two throughout, working to try and corral Zenidim from the outset, as the younger Brazilian was content to circle on the outside of the cage for much of the fight. In the spots where he was able to close the distance or Zenidim opted to come forward, which were few and far better, Lima landed well, mixing solid kicks with sharp hands while avoiding any real damage.

It wasn’t the kind of dominant, explosive performance Lima was hoping for when he touched down in Las Vegas, but it was a clear win over an intriguing prospect who seemed disinterested in engaging for much of the night.

Ramon Taveras defeats Cortavious Romious by TKO (strikes) at 0:29 of Round 1

Ramon Taveras made the most of his second opportunity of the year, stopping Cortavious Romious in 29 seconds to wrap up Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series. 

The bantamweights met in the center of the cage and started firing, both men swinging hammers without concern for their health, with Taveras sending Romious to a knee twice before finally putting him away.

After looking sharp in his Week 5 appearance against Serhiy Sidey before it was stopped prematurely, Taveras took full advantage of his second chance, closing out the season in style.