Staines delivers first slam KO in Contender Series history to seal UFC contract

George Staines delivered the first slam knockout in Dana White’s Contender Series history on Tuesday night, finishing Loai Abushaar in the opening round of the Week 8, Season 10 main event at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. All four bouts on the card ended in stoppages, and every winner walked away with a UFC contract.

The evening nearly got off to a chaotic start before a single punch was thrown. Approximately an hour before the card began, the scheduled featherweight opener between Ilias Bulaid and Erick Visconde was pulled after Bulaid fell ill. That bout was rebooked for Week 10, leaving the show with four fights — all of which delivered.

Staines, a teammate of Paddy Pimblett, lived up to the billing in the main event. He pressed Abushaar early, secured a body lock, and when Abushaar attempted to defend, Staines hoisted him up and drove him into the canvas with his arm pinned. Abushaar was knocked out on impact. A few follow-up strikes followed before the referee stepped in, and “Saint” had his contract.

In the penultimate bout, Adama Diop represented Senegal with relentless forward pressure, wearing down Zaurbek Sabanov before finishing him by standing TKO in the second round. The EFC champion’s performance drew a characteristically blunt response from UFC CEO Dana White during the contract announcement, who told Diop the fight was terrible and he looked terrible — before signing him anyway.

The second bout of the evening produced its own controversy. Ian Escuza extended his unbeaten first-round finishing streak, stopping Luca Borando in just 32 seconds with a flurry of knees from the clinch. However, the finishing blow was deemed illegal after Borando had placed a knee on the ground. Referee Herb Dean consulted with ringside officials and ruled the illegal strike incidental to the outcome, preserving the win for Escuza. White stated at the contract ceremony that he disagreed with the decision and was initially reluctant to sign the Peruvian fighter, but relented after matchmaker Sean Shelby made the case for him.

The card’s opening bout also ended in a finish, with Aieza Bertolso defeating Camil to round out a clean sweep of stoppages on the night — a fitting result for a Contender Series episode that added a new entry to the record books.