Five UFC Contracts Awarded on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series

Azamat Murzakanov made deliberations easy.

The undefeated Russian leveled Matheus Scheffel with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight attraction on Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Murzakanov (10-0) closed the show 3:00 into Round 1. He was one of five competitors—A.J. Fletcher, Joanderson Sa de Brito, Victor Altamirano and Carlos Candelario were the others—who were awarded Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts during Week 1 of the 2021 season.

Operating behind a three-inch reach advantage, the 6-foot-2 Scheffel (14-7) tried and failed to keep his counterpart at bay with body kicks. Murzakanov charged forward, sidestepped return fire and dropped the Brazilian with a right hook, then delivered two standing-to-ground-punches that forced referee Herb Dean to act.

An undefeated Gladiators Academy prospect, Fletcher cut down Leonardo Damiani with a flying knee in the first round of their welterweight confrontation. Damiani (10-2-1) bowed out 2:24 into Round 1, as he suffered his first setback since Jan. 21, 2018.

Fletcher (9-0) chipped away with a few leg kicks and kept the Italian off-balance with two takedowns. Midway through the first round, he backed Damiani to the fence, took flight and unleashed a perfectly timed and exquisitely placed knee that folded him where he stood. Fletcher followed with a handful of punches on his unconscious adversary before referee Chris Tognoni could arrive on the scene.

The 24-year-old Fletcher has now authored eight finishes in his nine victories, six of them inside one round.

Meanwhile, Brito leaned on takedowns, ground-and-pound and airtight submission defense, as he laid claim to a technical unanimous decision over Diego Lopes in a three-round featherweight clash. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Brito (12-2-1). The bout ended prematurely 10 seconds into Round 3, where Lopes was unable to continue after being poked in the eye. Brito was deducted a point for the foul.

Operating out of a Chute Boxe affiliate in Bauru, Brazil, Brito executed multiple takedowns and consolidated them with suffocating top control and punishing ground-and-pound. Lopes (18-4) mustered significant resistance from the bottom and made his moves with attempted submissions. However, his bids for an armbar, a guillotine choke and an anaconda choke all failed.

Brito now finds himself on a 10-fight winning streak.

Finally, Altamirano overcame a slow start to eke out a split decision over the previously unbeaten Candelario in a competitive three-round flyweight affair. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards, two of them siding with Altamirano (10-1).

Candelario (8-1) controlled the first half of the fight with takedowns, ground-and-pound and counter left hands on the feet, but his pace and output slowed noticeably down the stretch. Altamirano cut loose with multi-punch bursts, often punctuating them with kicks to the body or lead leg. The reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance champion mixed in occasional knee and elbow strikes at close range, connected with a front kick to the midsection in the third round and scrambled to the back in one of their final exchanges on the ground.

Altamirano, 30, has won four fights in a row.