Three fighters impressed the UFC decision makers enough to be awarded contracts with the promotion following an action-packed week nine of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Lightweights Natan Levy and Nikolas Motta, as well as women’s strawweight Luana Pinheiro were the lucky recipients.

Find out how they won their UFC contracts below!

 

DWCS 9: Natan Levy puts Shaheen Santana to sleep

Fought at catchweight, Natan Levy remained unbeaten and earned his UFC contract with an impressive win over Shaheen Santana.

Levy showed a well-rounded game as he enjoyed success on the feet and had the edge in the grappling stakes.

The Israeli scored a takedown early in the third round and managed to secure an arm-triangle choke from full mount that left Santana unconscious.

 

DWCS 9: Nikolas Motta dominates tough Joseph Lowry

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1326350531225378816

Former Cage Fury Fight Championships lightweight champion Nikolas Motta dominated over three rounds to secure his UFC contract.

His opponent, Joseph Lowry, showed tremendous heart and durability as he managed to survive a 15-minute assault but he was largely outmatched.

Motta, who is also a former The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil contestant, landed big power punches at will and was somehow unable to put the resilient Lowry away, but he was nonetheless impressive with the dominance he showed throughout their fight.

 

DWCS 9: Luana Pinheiro finishes Stephanie Frausto in the first round

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1326342356656926726

Nova Uniao product Luana Pinheiro displayed her gym’s classic aggressive style as she put opponent Stephanie Frausto away in double-quick time on Tuesday night.

The end came when the 26-year-old Brazilian launched forward with a volley of hooks and follow-up punches to secure the victory and a UFC contract.

This win sees Pinheiro move to 8-1 and extend her winning streak to six wins in a row and could be a prospect to keep an eye on in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division.

 

Dana White Contender Series Week 9 Results

Middleweight: Mário Sousa def. Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz by unanimous decision after three rounds
Lightweight: Natan Levy def. Shaheen Santana by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 0:55 of round three
Lightweight: Nikolas Motta def. Joseph Lowry by unanimous decision after three rounds
Women’s Strawweight: Luana Pinheiro def. Stephanie Frausto by TKO (punches) at 2:48 of round one
Bantamweight: Danny Sabatello def. Taylor Moore Decision by unanimous decision after three rounds