Cavalcanti redeems 2024 DWCS failure with 98-second TKO to seal UFC contract

Igor Cavalcanti turned a second chance into a UFC contract, stopping Oscar Ravello by TKO at 1:38 of the opening round at Meta Apex in Las Vegas during Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. The Brazilian middleweight’s 98-second finish was his 14th professional victory and erased the disappointment of falling short on the same show in 2024.

The bout opened at a frantic pace, with both fighters committing immediately to exchanges. Cavalcanti landed the decisive blow early — a powerful right hand that sent Ravello to the canvas and shifted the contest firmly in his favour.

Ravello showed resilience, surviving the initial knockdown and continuing to return fire from the floor. Cavalcanti refused to let him recover, maintaining relentless pressure and connecting repeatedly with ground strikes until referee Kevin MacDonald stepped in to wave off the contest.

“First of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity,” Cavalcanti said in his post-fight interview. “You know, to breathe and to be able to fight and do what we love… We are brawlers, we love to brawl.”

The finish completes a redemption arc for the Brazilian, who left his first DWCS appearance in 2024 without a contract. This time, there was no doubt — the stoppage was emphatic enough to leave the judges irrelevant and the promotion with little choice but to sign him.