Dana White's Contender Series was created as a feeder system to stock the UFC's roster with new talent. On Tuesday night, the promotion's president took that mission in a whole new direction.
Three of the evening's five winners on Week 5 of Season 4 were awarded UFC contracts. And the other two victors, as well as one of the losers, received the consolation prize of an invitation back to the Contender Series for another try. White said there would be one more card next week, then additional Contender Series events in November.
The most eye-opening performances -- and the night's only finishes -- were turned in by light heavyweight William Knight and flyweight Jimmy Flick, and they got it done in vastly different ways.
Knight, who competed and won on the Contender Series last year, faced early adversity against Cody Brundage, who came in unbeaten and quickly put Knight on the canvas and went for a submission. Knight weathered the storm and got the fight back to standing, and when Brundage tried for another takedown, Knight (8-1) dropped him with elbows to the head and finished him by TKO at 2:23 of Round 1.
Flick, by contrast, was in control of his fight the whole way. That's not to say the LFA champion and submission machine had it easy, though. Nate Smith withstood everything Flick threw at him for the first two rounds, but in the third Flick (15-5) finally sunk in an arm triangle choke to get the finish at 3:15. It was the 13th submission of Flick's career, his seventh by arm triangle.
The other winner to earn a ticket into the UFC was bantamweight Ronnie Lawrence (6-1), who landed 12 takedowns in a relentless upset win over Jose Johnson by unanimous decision.
"He's special," White said afterward.
The UFC president issued return invitations to the Contender Series to the other decision winners, lightweight Tucker Lutz and featherweight Melsik Baghdasaryan. He also invited back Smith, who lost to Flick.