Danny Barlow Headlines Wave of Half a Dozen UFC Recruits on Week 8 of DWCS

Danny Barlow shined bright in the spotlight.

The undefeated Law School MMA export was one of six hopefuls to punch a ticket to the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he took care of Raheam Forest with punches in the first round of their welterweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Forest (7-2, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 1:19 into Round 1.

Barlow set the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder on rubbery legs with a clubbing left hand and swarmed with punches and knees before pinning his reeling opponent to the fence. More punches followed before a final left hook to the body prompted referee Mark Smith to call for the stoppage.

Featherweights Danny Silva and Angel Pacheco are set to join Barlow on the UFC roster, along with bantamweight Vinicius de Oliveira and women’s flyweights Ernesta Kareckaite and Carli Judice.

The once-beaten Silva rode savage punching combinations, concussive standing elbows and an unshakable will to a unanimous decision over Start BJJ’s Pacheco in a memorable three-round firefight at 145 pounds. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 30-27 for Silva (8-1, 1-0 DWCS).

Neither man gave ground without considerable resistance, as they combined to land more than 400 significant strikes across 15 minutes. However, Silva connected with the more impactful blows. He floored the Brock Larson disciple with a stinging left hook in the first round, doubled him over with a wicked left hook to the body in the second and refused to take his foot off the gas. Pacheco returned fire in admirable bursts but lacked the oomph necessary to give his relentless counterpart true pause. Silva emptied his gas tank and tool box, unleashing everything from spinning back elbows upstairs to hammerfists to the thigh. By the time it was over, Pacheco’s left ear appeared to be partially separated from his head and his face bore multiple cuts and abrasions.

The loss closed the book on Pacheco’s three-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Sombra Team’s de Oliveira punched out Budo Sento Championship titleholder Victor Madrigal in the first round of their bantamweight pairing. Madrigal (15-5, 0-1 DWCS) melted 3:02 into Round 1, his three-fight winning streak having run its course.

De Oliveira (19-3, 1-0 DWCS) carved up the Mad Dogs MMA rep with brutal kicks to the lower leg, a variety of body kicks and clean counters. Madrigal backed him to the fence, fired his hands and paid the price for his lack of attention to defense. De Oliveira connected with a savage left hook, sending his opponent crashing to the canvas stiff and unconscious. No follow-up shots were required

It was the 14th finish of de Oliveira’s career.

Finally, Kareckaite outstruck and outhustled the previously unbeaten Judice to a split decision in a frenetic three-round battle at 125 pounds. All three cageside judges submitted 29-28 scorecards, two of them for Lithuania’s Kareckaite (5-0-1, 1-0 DWCS).

Judice (3-1, 0-1 DWCS), a former college softball player, handled herself well in all phases despite her lack of combat sports experience. However, she could not match the former Hexagone MMA champion’s non-stop output. Kareckaite unleashed three-, four- and five-punch volleys, performed well in the clinch, countered effectively and mixed in sneaky kicks to the head and body in a non-stop 15-minute sprint.

Kareckaite, 25, has rattled off three straight victories.

In other action, Alexander Soldatkin (14-4, 0-1 DWCS) was disqualified for an illegal knee strike on a grounded Mario Piazzon (8-0, 1-0 DWCS) just 20 seconds into the third round of their heavyweight confrontation.