Ihor Potieria, Daniel Zellhuber Land UFC Contracts on Dana White’s Contender Series Week 5

Ihor Potieria proved he belongs with overwhelming force.

The Ukrainian was one of two hopefuls to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he dismissed the previously unbeaten Lukasz Sudolski with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight feature on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Potieria (19-2) brought it to a close 3:41 into Round 1.

Sudolski (8-1) fired off a few thudding inside leg kicks but struggled to manage distance. Potieria engaged him in the clinch and worked punches, elbows and knees along the fence. The World Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder exploded out of a break, smashed Sudolski with chopping punches and floored him with a right hand. Potieria offered no refuge, swamped the Berserkers Team rep with punches and sealed the deal.

In addition to Potieria, UFC President Dana White awarded a contract to unbeaten Romero Team prospect Daniel Zellhuber. He rode a stout jab and kicks to the body, legs and head to a unanimous decision over Jungle Fight champion Lucas Almeida in a three-round lightweight attraction. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for the promising 22-year-old Zellhuber (12-0).

In his first outing since Nov. 30, 2019, Almeida (12-1) raced out to a strong start but could not maintain the frenetic pace he pushed. Zellhuber shifted momentum with a spectacular throw inside the first minute of the second round, exploited a six-inch reach advantage and picked apart the Brazilian from the outside. Almeida spent much of the second half of the match swinging at air against a younger, fitter opponent. Zellhuber continued to score with jabs and front kicks to the body, all while mixing in knees from the clinch and power punching combinations.

It marked just the third time in 12 pro assignments that Zellhuber had to go the distance.

Meanwhile, jab-cross combinations, darting in-and-out movement and multiple takedowns spurred Future Fighting Championships titleholder Caio Borralho to a unanimous decision over Aaron Jeffery in a three-round middleweight showcase. Borralho (9-1) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

Jeffery (10-3) pressed the issue in the clinch but too often failed to pair those efforts with meaningful offense or positional control. Borralho was superior in open space, where he threatened with jumping knees and fought well on the counter. Jeffery upped the aggression in the third round, where he scored with punches, knees and elbows at close range, albeit in a losing effort.

The 28-year-old Borralho has won six fights in a row.

Finally, Gorets Fight Team representative Rizvan Kuniev put away Edivan Santos with punches in the third round of their heavyweight pairing. Santos (12-3) succumbed to blows 60 seconds into Round 3, suffering his first setback in nearly four years.

Kuniev (10-2-1) wore down the Brazilian with a soul-stealing clinch, multiple takedowns and suffocating top control. By the end of Round 2, cracks had begun to form in the Santos foundation. Kuniev executed a takedown inside the first 30 seconds of the third round, climbed to a dominant position and cut loose with ground-and-pound, first with elbows and later with punches. Santos turned away from contact, prompting the stoppage.

The 29-year-old Kuniev has rattled off eight consecutive victories.