Dana White’s Contender Series ‘Season 2, Week 4’ Play-by-Play & Results

Max Mustaki vs. Jalin Turner

Round 1

Turner sticks Mustaki with a jab, taking advantage of his reach. They exchange in close and Mustaki lands. Turner answers with a combination and Mustaki is already bleeding. A straight left to the chin wobbles Mustaki, who stumbles back to the fence. Turner moves forward to attack, staying composed. Turner is stalking Mustaki along the fence, and he drops his opponent with a shot to the body. Turner swarms his foe with punches on the ground until Mustaki rolls for a leg lock. Turner escapes and Mustaki slowly returns to his feet. Mustaki tags Turner with a left hook. Turner remains aggressive and he continues to work the body, landing a hook and a kick. Mustaki is on the retreat and Turner tags him with a pair of head kicks. Somehow, Mustaki regains his bearings and fires back at Turner, landing hard enough to force Turner to shoot for a takedown. They’re back up moments later and Turner connects clean with a straight punch. Mustaki shakes it off, but he’s bleeding profusely now. Turner has his hands held low, and Mustaki tags him with a two-punch combination. A right hand and a knee lands in close quarters for Turner. A short right stops Mustaki in his tracks, and he shakes his head once again. Mustaki lands a two-piece combo and Turner answers with another straight shot to end a wild opening stanza. Before the start of the second round, it’s apparent that Mustaki’s right foot is badly bruised and swollen. The cageside doctor determines that Mustaki cannot continue due to a broken foot, so the fight is halted after one round.

The Result

Jalin Turner def. Max Mustaki via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1 5:00

Riley Dutro vs. Jordan Espinosa

Round 1

Espinosa lands a hard leg kick and immediately takes Dutro down near the fence. Espinosa aggressively works to pass guard and moves to side control. Espinosa drops some short elbows to the head before locking up a choke. Dutro rolls out of danger and escapes. The flyweights return to their feet, and Dutro blocks a spinning back kick. However, Espinoza lands a nice left hook moments later. Espinosa shoots for a single leg takedown but Dutro pops right back to his feet and pushes his man into the cage. Dutro lands a knee to the midsection on the break. Espinosa lands a couple clean left jabs at range. Dutro backs Espinosa into the fence and clinches. Dutro lands a big right as they separate. Dutro knocks Espinosa down with a left and swarms. Dutro lands an overhand right and ties up his opponent. Espinosa breaks away and drops Dutro with a counter left. Espinosa follows his foe to the canvas, but Dutro is able to create space with his guard and scramble back to his feet. Dutro closes distance and lands some uppercuts in close. Espinosa circles away and lands a left hook. An entertaining opening stanza ends there. 10-9 Espinosa.

Round 2

Espinosa lands a big right hand in an initial exchange. Espinosa changes levels for a takedown and is denied easily by Dutro. Espinosa connects with a one-two combination. Espinosa lands a low kick followed by a left hook. Dutro keeps the pressure on, but it’s Espinosa who lands a right hand. Espinosa is smiling and talking a little bit now. Espinosa lands a combination, then catches a kick and finishes off another combo with a knee. Espinosa counters a low kick with a left hand. Dutro is struggling to cut the cage off this round, as Espinosa punctuates a one-two with a low kick to the calf. Dutro stalks Espinosa near the fence and forces a clinch. Dutro lands some short punches to the body as he pushes his foe to the fence. They separate and Espinosa circles away. A left hook lands for Dutro and Espinosa nods in acknowledgement. Dutro lands a left hook as the horn sounds. 10-9 Espinosa.

Round 3

Dutro moves forward but can’t connect. Both flyweights are moving well at the start of the frame. Espinosa shoots for a takedown, but Dutro is able to sprawl and push Espinosa to the fence. Dutro eats a right hand on the break, however. They clinch again and Dutro pushes Espinosa into the cage. Dutro ducks under a punch, but can’t get the takedown and Espinosa responds with a knee. Dutro, bleeding from his head, lands a low kick. Espinosa nearly drops Dutro with a right hand on the chin and then puts his wobbly opponent on the floor with a follow-up left head kick. Espinosa follows his foe to the mat, but Dutro is able to control Espinosa in guard and regain his senses. Espinosa lets Dutro up, and he seems to have recovered completely now. Dutra continues to walk Espinosa down. He lands a left hook, which Espinosa shakes off. Espinosa sidesteps a combination and lands a two-piece of his own while smiling at his foe. Espinosa drops Dutra with a left hand in the waning seconds of the round. Espinosa hesitates for a moment and Dutra rolls over onto all fours to cover up. Finally, Espinosa rushes in and lands one follow-up punch, prompting referee Mark Smith to step in to wave off the fight.

The Result

Jordan Espinosa def. Riley Dutro via TKO (Punches) R3 4:58

Toby Misech vs. Ricky Palacios

Round 1

Palacios lands a low kick and Misech answers with one of his own. A straight left lands for Misech, and Palacios answers with a low kick. They tie up briefly and Paalcios lands an uppercut. Misech lands a kick to the body; Palacios catches it and shoves his foe away. Moments later, Palacios connects a stinging body kick. A quick straight left lands for Misech, who is showcasing his handspeed in the opening round. Another left lands for Misech and Palacios responds with a body kick. Misech backs Palacios into the fence and lands a straight left. Misech moves forward and gets wobbled by a right hand. Misech recovers quickly, however, and Palacios isn’t able to capitalize. Palacios is staying active mixing up kicks and punches, but it’s Misech who finds the range on a two-piece combination. 10-9 Palacios.

Round 2

Misech again takes the center of the cage quickly. Palacios lands a pair of leg kicks to keep his foe at range. Misech blocks a high kick. Palacios connects with another stinging body kick but Misech counters with a straight left. Misech absorbs a kick to the cup, and Herb Dean calls for a pause in the action to issue a warning to Palacios. They’re exchanging in the pocket and Misech gets the better of it, landing a couple quick left hands. Palacios continues to look for the body kick. A rocket straight left backs Palacios into the cage. Palacios moves forward and whips another low kick to Misech’s lead leg. Palacios continues to attack the legs and body with kicks. Another inside low kick lands for Palacios. Palacios is bleeding from his right eye due to the barrage of left hands from Misech. They exchange as time winds down, and once again Palacios lands a whipping low kick before the round ends. 10-9 Palacios.

Round 3

Once again, Misech takes the center of the cage and mixes in a high kick with his punches. Misech counters a kick with a hard left. They’re both throwing with a purpose here early, displaying a sense of urgency. Misech swings heavy leather and then goes for a takedown, but Palacios shucks him off. Palacios responds with a solid right hand. Palacios catches Misech ducking and lands an uppercut. Palacios stops Misech in his tracks with a body kick and then tags him with a punch upstairs. Misech shoots for a takedown but can’t get it. Palacios is the aggressor now, and he lands a kick upstairs with Misech dipping his head against the cage. Palacios maintains his pursuit and lands a low kick. Another snapping low kick lands for Palacios. Misech isn’t offering much in the way of offense as we enter the last minute of the round. Misech lands a left hook. Palacios answers with a body kick. Misech tries to finish strong down the stretch, but he can’t land anything significant before time expires. 10-9 Palacios (30-27 Palacios).

The Result

Ricky Palacios def. Toby Misech via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Bevon Lewis vs. Alton Cunningham

Round 1

Lewis lands a glancing right head kick. Lewis punches his way into the clinch and lands a couple knees to the head. Lewis pushes Cunningham into the fence, and he lands a series of short uppercuts before the middleweights separate. They tie up again, and Lewis shoves his foe into the fence, just missing on a slashing elbow. Lewis lands an elbow on the break. Lewis misses a big right hand and ties up Cunningham again, pushing him back into the cage. Lewis creates some space and drops Cunningham with an elbow and a knee. Lewis attempts to lock up a chock on the ground, but Cunningham gives the referee a thumbs up. Cunningham battles to his feet, but does a poor job defending himself as Lewis unloads with more powerful knees. After about three in a row, referee Mark Smith steps in to save Cunningham, who is on shaky legs near the fence.

The Result

Bevon Lewis def. Alton Cunningham via TKO (Knees) R1 3:01

Kevin Aguilar vs. Joey Gomez

Round 1

Gomez counters Aguilar with a short left hook. Aguilar sprawls on a takedown and shoves Gomez away. A heavy overhand right lands clean for Gomez. Gomez is bleeding on the left side of his head, and Aguilar connects with a nice uppercut as his foe advances. Aguilar fends off a takedown against the fence, but Gomez secures a body lock and drags Aguilar to the mat. Gomez sets up in side control, but Aguilar is able to recover full guard against the fence. Gomez lands four right hands to the rigs form top position, then switches to left elbows. Gomez stays heavy on top, dropping elbows and punches until Aguilar scrambles to his feet. Both lightweights are bleeding now. Aguilar doubles up on his jab and connects with the second. Aguilar lands a hook to the body as the combatants exchange. A left hook makes Aguilar back up, but Gomez doesn’t follow up the effort. Aguilar lands a clean leg kick but eats a right hand for his efforts. Aguilar lands a right hook to the body before the horn sounds. 10-9 Gomez.

Round 2

Aguilar lands a right early and Gomez counters with a hard right of his own. The fighters trade wildly now, but it’s Aguilar who catches Gomez and briefly drops his foe. Gomez shoots for a takedown but Aguilar denies it with ease. Both fighters are swinging with ill intent . A hard straight right cracks Gomez. Gomez times a level change perfectly, ducking under an Aguilar right hand and takes his man down near the fence. Aguilar works his legs up high, threatening with a triangle from his back. Gomez slips free and is now in Aguilar’s full guard. Gomez stays busy, landing a series of short shots to the jaw of Aguilar. Aguilar looks to create space with his guard, but Gomez is heavy on top. Aguilar shoves Gomez off and returns to his feet with 40 seconds to go in the round. A left hook lands for Gomez. They trade again before the horn sounds. 10-9 Gomez.

Round 3

Aguilar jabs and just misses on the follow-up right hand. A looping left hand lands for Aguilar, and Gomez is wobbled briefly. Aguilar is consistently finding a home for his lead left early in this frame. Aguilar tags Gomez with a jab. Gomez isn’t offering much volume in this round. A right hand lands for Aguilar, but Gomez is able to counter successfully. Gomez lands a left jab, and Aguilar answers with his own left hand. A right lands for Aguilar, and he’s able to fend off a Gomez takedown. Aguilar finds the range on a pair of left hands in one final exchange before the final horn sounds. 10-9 Aguilar. (29-28 Gomez).

The Result

Kevin Aguilar def. Joey Gomez via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00