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DWCS winner says he saw Charlie Cleveland knockout coming

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DWCS winner says he saw Charlie Cleveland knockout coming
Gabriel
Lourenco claims he was confident about a knockout win after
studying tape on his
Dana White's Contender Series opponent.

Lourenco (8-1) took on Charlie
Cleveland (6-2) in a heavyweight matchup on
Week 4 of DWCS 2026. Lourenco took hardly over two minutes to
drop his opponent with a right hand before dropping vicious
hammer-fists to secure a stoppage win. The 26-year-old earned an

Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his first-round
knockout.

Gabriel Lourenco explains the flaw he spotted before his
first-round knockout

Lourenco had predicted a first-round knockout victory ahead of his
DWCS appearance. “Black Mamba†credits his
Chute Boxe coach, Luciano
Ferreira, also known as “Mutante,†for his opponent analysis.
Lourenco had observed that Cleveland never tucked his chin, making
a knockout inevitable at some point.

“We had been studying him throughout,†Lourenco said in his
post-fight interview. “Coach Luciano ‘Mutante' is right here… We
always knew his head was held high; we knew that at one point [my
right hand] was gonna go in… Representing Luciano, representing
Chute Boxe will be honor. I want more knockouts like this.â€

Lourenco ultimately won a contract for his knockout win.

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UFC newcomer says he can ‘pack out’ Madison Square Garden by himself

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UFC newcomer says he can ‘pack out’ Madison Square Garden by himself
Adam
Livingston believes he can sell out Madison Square Garden.

Livingston (8-1) opened
Week 4 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026 with a lightweight matchup
against Hunter
Smith (8-2). He went toe-to-toe in a slugfest against Smith for
three rounds, earning an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in his second DWCS
opportunity.

Adam Livingston targets UFC's November MSG card after earning
his contract on DWCS

Livingston says he wasn't in his best shape when he came up short
in his first DWCS appearance last year. The 25-year-old believes he
is gradually coming into his prime now. Livingston also aimed high
by calling for a main card opener spot at the UFC's Madison Square
Garden card in November. The New Yorker believes he has enough fans
to sell out MSG by himself.

“This is my f*cking time, guys,†Livingston said in his post-fight
interview. “I'm 25 years old now, I'm growing into my body, I'm a
f*cking man now. Last time I was 23, coming off a f*cking trip;
that wasn't my best performance. You guys got one of the best
versions of me today and it's just the beginning. I'm coming for
all you f*cking lightweights… I want MSG in November. I want to
open up the main f*cking card. And I will put on a show like that
every f*cking time. I'm from New York, I'll pack out the f*cking
place by myself.â€

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Dan Hooker says he’d fight Francis Ngannou for the right price

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Dan Hooker says he’d fight Francis Ngannou for the right price
Dan
Hooker doesn't mind welcoming newcomers to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship if he's compensated
accordingly.

Hooker (24-14) enters enemy territory to take on promotional
debutant Salahdine
Parnasse (23-2) at
UFC Paris on Sept. 5. “The Hangman†recently revealed that his
fight purse for his upcoming bout against the French star is the
“biggest payday†of his career so far.

Dan Hooker discusses his career-high payday for Salahdine
Parnasse at UFC Paris

The Kiwi is no stranger to accepting matchups others usually avoid,
be it short-notice bouts or welcoming fighters into the UFC, as he
did with Michael
Chandler. Hooker jokes that he would even fight former UFC
heavyweight champion Francis
Ngannou for the right purse.

“I'd fight Francis Ngannou for the amount of money they are
paying,†Hooker told RMC Sport Combat. “So, they give me this kind
of stepper on the scale with the same weight as me… Biggest payday
of my career for sure.â€

Notably, in a previous interview, Hooker claimed that he's also
open to welcoming Usman
Nurmagomedov, currently the most sought-after free agent in
mixed martial arts, to the UFC.

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DWCS Season 10, Week 4 results: 5 UFC contracts handed out after night of finishes

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DWCS Season 10, Week 4 results: 5 UFC contracts handed out after night of finishes

Five more fighters have joined the ranks of the UFC.

On Tuesday night, Week 4 of Season 10 of Contender Series took place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, featuring four stoppages over five fights, including one 15-second knockout. At the end of the night, Dana White was so impressed by the performances that he handed out UFC contracts to all the winners.

Adam Darby def. Patrick Rivera

In the main event of the evening, Adam Darby showed why he was the biggest betting favorite on the card, wailing on Patrick Rivera for the better part of 15 minutes before getting a doctor's stoppage in the third round, earning himself a UFC contract.

Darby was over a 4-to-1 favorite against Rivera, and right from the start, Darby chewed Rivera up with low kicks and sharp punches. By the third round, Rivera's face was barely recognizable from the start of the fight, and Darby had landed a would-be record for low kicks in a UFC welterweight fight (Contender Series bouts are not counted as UFC fights). Rivera was simply too tough for his own good, and midway through the round, referee Kerry Hatley decided he'd seen enough, calling in the doctor to check Rivera's eye, and then ended the fight.

Modestino Rodrigues def. Brandon Holmes

In the penultimate fight of the evening, Modestino Rodrigues demolished Brandon Holmes in seconds, earning his spot in the UFC.

A former K-1 kickboxer, the 22-year-old out of Brazil showed off how dangerous his striking is, landing a low leg kick before lighting Holmes up with a blitz of punches almost immediately, causing the referee to jump in just 15 seconds into the bout, giving Rodrigues the win and a UFC contract.

Silvestre Sanchez def. Liam McCracken

In the swing bout of the evening, Silvestre Sanchez made the case for being the next big UFC fighter out of Mexico as he beat down Liam McCracken in their lightweight contest.

McCracken had some success early against Sanchez as his speed and jab gave the Mexican fighter some problems, but Sanchez simply would not be deterred, bullying McCracken with power shots and takedowns. By the third round, Sanchez had bloodied McCracken up and appeared to be on his way to a hard-fought decision, but instead he took the judges out of the equation with a thudding left hook that ended McCracken's night and earned Sanchez a UFC contract.

Gabriel Lorenco def. Charlie Cleveland

In the second bout of the evening, Gabriel Lorenco delivered a savage knockout of Charlie Cleveland — albeit with some controversy — to punch his ticket into the UFC.

Lorenco and Cleveland came out throwing bombs right away, and early on, it looked like Cleveland was getting the better of things. But when Cleveland got lazy while circling out from in close, Lorenco clocked him with a wild hook that sent him crashing down. Miraculously, Cleveland somehow popped back up, but a nasty elbow (that may have landed on the back of the head) sent him back down, and a few hammerfists finished the job and earned Lorenco a contract.

Adam Livingston def. Hunter Smith

In the opening bout of the evening, Adam Livingston made good on his second attempt on Contender Series, winning a spirited scrap over Hunter Smith to earn a UFC contract.

Livingston competed on Season 9 of Contender Series, losing to Tommy Gantt. The 25-year-old returned to the APEX on Tuesday hoping for redemption, but it certainly wasn't easy. Livingston used his length and striking acumen to repeatedly crack Smith — a few times with spinning attacks — but Smith pressured him relentlessly with power punches, turning the fight into a back-and-forth battle. In the end, Livingston did enough to edge out a split decision and earn his UFC contract.

Check out the full Contender Series results below.

Adam Darby def. Patrick Rivera via TKO (doctor's stoppage) — 2:42, Round 3

Modestino Rodrigues def. Brandon Holmes via TKO (punches) — 0:15, Round 1

Silvestre Sanchez def. Liam McCracken via TKO (punches) — 2:44, Round 3

Gabriel Lorenco def. Charlie Cleveland via TKO (punches) — 2:02, Round 1

Adam Livingston def. Hunter Smith via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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