Austin Bashi and his all-terrain brilliance did not disappoint.
The undefeated Warrior Way Martial Arts prospect was one of five hopefuls to land an Ultimate Fighting Championship contact during Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he took out Dorian Ramos with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their welterweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ramos (8-3, 0-1 DWCS) capitulated 3:15 into Round 2.
The 22-year-old Bashi (13-0, 1-0 DWCS) wore down the Apex MMA rep with merciless pace and output. He secured multiple takedowns, paired them with steady ground-and-pound, denied Ramos room to breathe and forced him into a defensive state. Bashi grounded him repeatedly in the second round, broke his considerable resolve and waited for a moment of weakness. He advanced to the back and slipped in the choke when Ramos made the unwise decision to try to stand. Bashi tightened his squeeze, dragged him to the mat and prompted the tapout.
Women’s flyweight Yuneisy Duben, lightweight Quillan Salkilld, middleweight Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos and welterweight Seok Hyun Ko are set to join Bashi on the UFC roster.
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A 300 Sparta titleholder, the undefeated Duben disposed of the heavily favored Shannon Clark with a highlight-reel one-punch knockout in the first round of their women’s flyweight encounter. Clark (5-1, 0-1 DWCS) checked out 1:13 into Round 1.
Duben (6-0, 1-0 DWCS) fought fire with fire. Clark rushed forward behind punches, showed no regard for her Venezuelan counterpart’s skills and paid the price. Duben ducked into a clubbing overhand right, found the off switch and floored the Legacy Fighting Alliance champion where she stood. An unconscious Clark collapsed backward as a most unwitting victim, her head bouncing violently off the canvas.
The 28-year-old Duben has authored three straight first-round finishes.
Meanwhile, Salkilld called upon crisp combination punching, kicks to all levels, tactical takedowns and superiority in the grappling exchanges, as the Eternal MMA champion laid claim to a unanimous decision over Gauge Young in a three-round lightweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it for Salkilld (7-1, 0-1 DWCS): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Young (8-2, 0-1 DWCS) flashed well-rounded skills in defeat. However, Salkilld leaned on his five-inch reach advantage, stayed busy in the face of heavy pressure and pieced together three-, four- and five-strike volleys. He executed multiple takedowns when it mattered most in the third round, where he flattened out Young and flirted with an arm-triangle choke in the closing seconds. While the finish failed the materialize, the message was sent.
Salkilld has rattled off seven consecutive victories.
Elsewhere, Cerrado MMA’s dos Santos rode high-volume punching, a punishing clinch and superb takedown defense to a unanimous decision over Will Currie in a three-round middleweight tilt. Dos Santos (10-1, 1-0 DWCS) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three members of the cageside judiciary.
Moments were few and far between for Currie (12-4, 0-1 DWCS), who seemed to be stuck in neutral for much of the match. Dos Santos crowded the Englishman along the fence and cut loose with punches, all while incorporating occasional knee and elbow strikes. The Thunder Fight champion stepped up his attack as time went on—his right uppercut proved to be a potent weapon—and had Currie in a constant state of retreat. The Great Britain Top Team rep managed to wheel behind a kneeling dos Santos late in third round and made a pass at a loose armbar, only to see the Brazilian free himself without issue.
Dos Santos, 27, has won four fights in a row.
Finally, Ko kept cool under fire, unleashed efficient punching body-head combinations and snuck in counters when opportunities presented themselves ahead of a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Igor Cavalcanti in a three-round welterweight battle. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Ko (11-2, 1-0 DWCS).
Cavalcanti (9-1, 0-1 DWCS), who had never before fought past the first round, swung for the fences but struggled to find a consistent avenue for his offense. Ko used deft footwork and head movement to steer clear of danger, peppered the Brazilian with punches and slowly but surely bled his gas tank dry. The Angel’s Fighting Championship titleholder completed a takedown less than 30 seconds into Round 3 and proceeded to smother Cavalcanti with top control and ground-and-pound while chewing almost four minutes off the clock. By the time they returned to an upright position, the writing had long been on the wall.
Ko, 28, now finds himself on a four-fight winning streak.
