Vitor Petrino Salvo Leads Latest Crop of UFC Signees on Week 7 of DWCS

Vitor Petrino Salvo left nothing to chance.

The undefeated Brazilian was one of four fledgling mixed martial artists to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he disposed of Rodolfo Bellato with punches in the second round of their light heavyweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Salvo (7-0) tagged his countryman’s figurative toe 3:36 into Round 2.

Bellato (8-2) knocked down the CM System standout and climbed to his back in the first round but failed to net the desired finish. It did not turn out well for the Team Nogueira export. Salvo ducked an ill-advised spinning backfist in the middle stanza and countered with a left hook that sent “Trator” crashing to the canvas in a supine position. A diving standing-to-ground right hand froze Bellato in place before referee Mark Smith could arrive on the scene.

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In addition to Salvo, the UFC signed welterweight Gabriel Souza de Bonfim, lightweight Ismael Bonfim and heavyweight Karl Williams.

Gabriel de Souza “Marretinha” Bonfim put away Trey Waters with a shoulder choke in the first round of their welterweight clash. Waters (6-1) checked out 4:13 into Round, suffering his first defeat in seven professional appearances.

Bonfim (13-0) chipped away with an educated job and power punches to the head and body, hunting for openings from the outside. The towering 6-foot-5 Waters fired back, albeit with less-refined technique. Bonfim eventually closed the distance for a takedown, withstood an attempted guillotine choke and answered the maneuver with the counter made famous by Jason Von Flue. Unable to free himself, Waters had no choice but to tap.

The 25-year-old Bonfim has finished all 13 of his opponents, six of them inside one round.

Ismael “Marreta” Bonfim let his intentions be known with a unanimous decision over reigning Fight Nights Global titleholder Nariman Abbasov in a three-round lightweight affair. Bonfim (18-3) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judiciary, putting his 12th consecutive victory in the books.

Abbasov (27-4) did what he could to shift the narrative but had no real answers for the Brazilian’s clean standup, deft footwork and sublime head movement. Punishing jabs and left hooks to the body were Bonfim’s weapons of choice. The promising 26-year-old had Abbasov on skates on multiple occasions in the first round, kept him at bay with a piercing jab in the second and even managed to mix in a belly-to-back suplex late in the third.

The setback was Abbasov’s first since Dec. 9, 2016 and snapped his 12-fight winning streak.

Elsewhere, American Top Team’s Williams stepped in on short notice and made the most of his opportunity, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Jimmy Lawson in a three-round heavyweight affair. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Williams (7-1), who typically completes at 205 pounds.

Lawson (4-2) never established a foothold. Williams took down the former Penn State University wrestler in all three rounds, transitioned from one dominant position to the next and drowned him with ground-and-pound. Fatigue also became a factor for Lawson. Williams kept his foot on the gas in the third round, where he bullied his way to top position yet again and climbed to full mount in the closing seconds.

Williams, 32, has won four fights in a row.

Finally, takedowns, ground-and-pound and suffocating top control carried current Oktagon MMA champion Tereza Bleda to a unanimous decision over Nayara Arnault Maia Correia in a three-round women’s flyweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-26 for Bleda (6-0).

Correia (7-1-1) was physically, athletically and technically outmatched. Bleda, 20, powered the Nova Uniao representative to the floor in all three rounds, stymied attempted reversals and shut down the Brazilian’s increasingly desperate bids for leg locks. The Czech powerhouse doubled over and dropped Correia with a knee to the body in the third round, where she seemed to be closing in on a potential finish before settling for a lopsided decision.