Brito (20-6) took on a surging Fazil in a welterweight matchup in
the main event of
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026. While Brito looked
dangerous early in the fight, Fazil's pressure put him on the back
foot as the bout progressed.

However, Brito shut Fazil's lights off with a vicious right hand
early in the third round to earn an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He notably planned to
pull off the finish right in front of UFC CEO Dana
White.

Kaik Brito details Namo Fazil knockout that secured UFC
contract

Brito knows that it looked like he was leaving everything in the
Octagon in the back-and-forth bout. However, the Brazilian claims
he was waiting for the right moment.

In the final round, when his back was against the cage, Brito
noticed he was fighting close to White. That's when he decided to
launch the missile of a right hand that flattened Fazil. He also
says he is ready to make his UFC debut as soon as possible.

“I move different,†Brito said in the post-fight interview. “I cut
angles in a completely different way. And throughout the fight, it
looked like I was going for it all. Believe me, I was saving some
things; I knew I was gonna need it at the end. And I saw Dana right
there, I thought, ‘I'm gonna do this right in front of the boss.
He's gonna see it.' I'm gonna be ready… I want to fight as soon as
possible.â€

Brito came up short against Oban
Elliott in his first DWCS opportunity in 2023. He then went 3-1
on the regional circuit, finishing all of those wins to earn
another shot at a UFC contract.

Dana White's Contender Series.

Perez (15-2) came up short against Manoel
Sousa in his first DWCS opportunity last year. “Puas†rebounded
with a first-round knockout win on the regional circuit to earn
another shot at an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He took on Logan
Paxton in a lightweight bout at
Week 2 of DWCS 2026, putting on a striking clinic, knocking
down Paxton twice and finishing him the second time.

Cristian Perez changed his DWCS strategy before stopping Logan
Paxton for UFC deal

Perez had shown impressive grappling in his first DWCS bout against
Sousa. While he's still confident in his ground game, the
27-year-old knows that UFC CEO Dana
White is looking for highlight-reel finishes on Contender
Series. Perez knew he had to alter his game plan to put on a show
to earn a UFC contract.

“The last time the game plan was exactly that: take him down and
try to finish my opponent,†Perez said in a post-fight interview.
“I feel that I do have a very solid purple belt in jiu-jitsu. But
we needed to change the game plan. When you come here, Dana doesn't
want you to come here just to win the fight; he wants you to come
here and impress, to show a savage, that you're an animal. And
that's what we came here for: to fight and put on a show for
everyone.â€

Perez not only earned a UFC contract but also an offer from White
to compete at
Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale,
Arizona.

Rakhmonov (19-0) hasn't fought in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship since defeating Ian Garry in
December 2024. While Rakhmonov was expected to fight for the title
next, he suffered a knee injury, forcing a lengthy stint on the
sidelines. The welterweight title has since changed hands multiple
times, with Jack
Della Maddalena beating Belal
Muhammad to win it before losing the belt to Islam
Makhachev, who successfully defended it against Garry at
UFC
330.

Rakhmonov appears to be making progress with his recovery and
Stephen
Thompson claims “Nomad†will bounce back even better.

Shavkat Rakhmonov remains a major UFC welterweight threat
despite lengthy absence

The long layoff saw Rakhmonov get dropped from the official UFC
welterweight rankings, effectively removing him from discourse
regarding the title mix. However, Thompson, who suffered a
submission loss to Rakhmonov in 2023, warns that the latter
shouldn't be underestimated.

Thompson notes that just because Rakhmonov hasn't competed doesn't
mean he hasn't been training. “Wonderboy†believes he will return
from the injury with a stronger mindset.

“Huge threat,†Thompson told Home of Fight. “The guy is very
skillful everywhere. Just because you don't see this guy fighting,
a lot of people think he's not been training. This dude has been a
through-and-through martial artist since day one. That's all he
does is train. Don't underestimate this guy coming back. I feel
like he's gonna come back even better, a stronger mindset, stronger
fighter spirit. He's looking for blood.â€