Anthony Wint's 34-Second KO Headlines Four-Contract Contender Series Return

Dana White's Contender Series came back for a tenth season on August 12, and it wasted no time. Four prospects walked out of Meta APEX in Las Vegas with UFC contracts, and two of them barely broke a sweat. Anthony Wint needed 34 seconds. Bilal Hasan needed 45.

Wint's the story that writes itself. A former New York Jets linebacker cut in 2019, then stalled by the pandemic, he pivoted to MMA and turned pro in 2023. Six straight wins got him the Contender Series call. Win number seven, a brutal ground-and-pound stoppage of Matt Adams, got him into the UFC. White called him a tank and mentioned his long history with Wint's coach, former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler (30-16, 22 KO) — a name that carries weight in that room.

The Hype Pick Delivered

Hasan came in as, by White's own count, the biggest betting favorite in the ten-year history of the show. That's a lot to carry into an Octagon with the boss watching. The former CFFC flyweight champ shrugged it off, danced to the cage, folded India's Mridul Saikia in 45 seconds, then moonwalked across the canvas to Billie Jean. White told him he lived up to every bit of the hype. Hasan, for his part, says he isn't in a rush — he wants to climb the flyweight ladder at his own pace and keep making moments.

The other two earned their spots the hard way. Featherweight Thomas Pagliarulo grinded through a back-and-forth war with Ananias Mulumba before turning it on for a third-round TKO. He fights out of Tiger Beetle MMA alongside #5-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen (18-7) and Carrington Banks, backed by the New England Cartel — decent company for a new signee. White told him he'd been in a dogfight and finished a tough kid.

Then there was Joe Kropschot, the night's first winner and first contract. His armbar on Jon Kunneman cranked so far it dislocated his opponent's elbow — and Kunneman still refused to tap, riding the damage all the way to the scorecards. Kropschot got the decision and the deal. Not the cleanest finish White saw all night, but a memorable one, and enough to kick Season 10 off with four new faces on the roster.

For Wint especially, it's a full-circle turn. He said he cried in his car the day the Jets released him, and framed the comeback in terms of faith — another mountain to climb, another chance to fall and be caught. Whatever you make of the language, the résumé speaks plainly: 7-0, a 34-second finish, and a UFC contract.