Four prospects earn UFC contracts as illegal knee mars Contender Series win

Four fighters earned UFC contracts at Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 8 on September 29 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, according to UFC's own recap of the card. Cageside Press reported the results of all four completed bouts.

Lightweight George Staines stopped Loai Abushaar in the first round, and women's strawweight Aieza Bertolso submitted Camila Reynoso in the first round. Dana White praised both performances, saying the pair "could not have performed better" and calling their contract decisions easy ones. Heavyweight Adama Diop also earned a contract after a messy second-round stoppage of Zaurbek Sabanov that White described as one of the "sloppiest" fights on the card, saying he wanted to see what Diop does with the opportunity.

The fourth bout drew the most attention. Featherweight Ian Escuza stopped Luca Borando in the first round, but UFC's recap said the finish came after Escuza landed an illegal knee to a downed Borando during the sequence. White said the result should have been a no contest in his view, and placed the blame on referee Herb Dean for missing the strike. Escuza still received a contract, which White attributed to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby's advocacy for the prospect.

A fifth scheduled bout, a featherweight matchup between Ilias Bulaid and Erick Visconde, was called off after Bulaid fell ill, with Cageside Press reporting it has been rescheduled for Week 10.

What it means

The contract decision leaves Escuza on the UFC roster despite the officiating dispute, with no indication from UFC that the result itself will be reviewed or changed. White's public criticism of Dean puts scrutiny on the officiating at Contender Series events without UFC announcing any procedural response.