UFC Reels In Explosive Brendson Ribeiro, Four Others on Week 5 of DWCS

Those who choose to exchange with Brendson Ribeiro do so at their own risk.

The Shooto Brazil titleholder was one of five hopefuls to net an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he buried Bruno Lopes with first-round punches in the featured light heavyweight attraction on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lopes (11-1, 0-1 DWCS) succumbed to blows 3:47 into Round 1.

Neither man showed much in the way of caution. Lopes moved forward behind a few leg kicks and winging power punches, only to walk into a buzzsaw. Ribeiro (15-5, 1-0 DWCS) dropped the Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with a crisp one-two, then pounced with punches and hammerfists until the job was done.

Bantamweight Serhiy Sidey, featherweight Jean Silva, women’s flyweight Dione Silva Barbosa de Lima and middleweight Dylan Budka will join Ribeiro on the UFC roster, bringing the total number of Season 7 signees to 21.

Sidey cut down Ramon Taveras with punches in the first round of their bantamweight co-feature. Taveras (8-2, 0-1 DWCS) met his end 2:26 into Round 1, though he appeared to be defending himself lucidly when referee Kevin MacDonald called for the stoppage.

The 27-year-old Sidey (10-1, 1-0 DWCS) probed for openings with kicks to all levels, using his long legs to counteract his opponent’s quick hands. Taveras connected with a few clean jabs and combinations but failed to move the Battlefield Fight League off his spot. Sidey popped him with a jab, stepped back to reset and floored him with a surgical one-two. He followed up with punches and hammerfists, as MacDonald swooped in to wave it off.

The setback interrupted a run of four consecutive victories for Taveras.

Meanwhile, Silva called upon high-impact punches, knees, elbows and kicks in a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Kevin Vallejos in a three-round featherweight scrap. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Silva (11-2, 1-0 DWCS).

Vallejos (11-1, 0-1 DWCS) had all the necessary tools, except for firepower. After a clean first round, the promising 21-year-old prospect ran into trouble. Silva mauled him with body-head combinations, stepping elbows and even a few shovel uppercuts. He followed a close-range knee strike with an elbow upstairs and a flurry of punches, as he flirted with a finish. Vallejos weathered the assault but retreated to his corner between rounds with significant damage to his nose. The two-division Samurai Fight House champion’s situation did not improve much across the final five minutes, as Silva continued to stalk him with a variety of weapons and threw in a late takedown for good measure.

Silva now finds himself on an eight-fight winning streak.

Kings MMA’s Barbosa de Lima put away Rainn Guerrero with an armbar in the first round of their women’s flyweight affair. Guerrero (5-2, 0-1 DWCS) conceded defeat 4:35 into Round 1, her four-fight winning streak having run its course.

Barbosa de Lima (6-2, 1-0 DWCS) slipped on kick, setting of an extended ground exchange that ultimately played into the Brazilian’s hands. Guerrero scrambled to her feet at one point, only to get lured into the clinch. Barbosa de Lima executed a head-and-arm throw and threatened with a scarf hold armlock before surrendering top position. She proved to be just as dangerous from the bottom, where she caught the armbar and activated her hips to force the tapout.

The 31-year-old Barbosa de Lima has won three fights in a row.

Finally, Demolition Fight Team’s Budka (6-2, 1-0 DWCS) took a unanimous decision from Chad Hanekom (9-3, 0-1 DWCS), drawing 29-28 marks from all three members of the cageside judiciary in one of the season’s most forgettable encounters. UFC President Dana White placed the blame for the lack of action squarely on Hanekom.