Dana White Hands Out 4 Contracts on Contender Series, Blasts Split-Decision Judging

Dana White opened the 10th season of his Contender Series by handing out four UFC contracts to five winners at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. The two names he couldn't stop talking about were flyweight Bilal Hasan and heavyweight Anthony Wint, who both wrapped up their fights in under 60 seconds — the kind of statement work that fast-tracks a career on a show billed as the most intense job interview in the sport.

Hasan's finish of Indian prospect Mridul Saikia was the highlight of the flyweight talent pool, and White made clear he's eager to see what the unbeaten prospect does once he's inside the UFC. Wint, meanwhile, made his pitch backstage before the ink was even dry, telling White he wasn't leaving town until he had another fight booked. White said he'll likely slot the heavyweight onto the upcoming Sacramento card.

White has always preferred fighters who want a quick turnaround, and he confirmed matchmaker Mick Maynard deliberately left open slots on future cards to see what Week 1 produced. That's how a fresh Contender Series winner keeps the momentum — ride the buzz of a signing straight into an active schedule instead of sitting idle.

Winning Isn't Enough

The night's other contracts underlined White's long-running rule: taking the decision doesn't guarantee a deal. He was on the fence about Joseph Kropschot until the 31-year-old locked up a nasty third-round armbar and cranked it home. Thomas Pagliarulo also got the nod after stopping a motivated, dangerous opponent. Both fighters closed the show — exactly the finishing instinct White pays to see.

The flip side arrived in the lightweight bout between Abe Alsaghir and Fabrizio Escarrega. Alsaghir walked away with a split-decision win, but White didn't hide his disgust with the scorecards, calling the judging brutal and insisting Escarrega had clearly done enough to win.

Still, White refused to let the loser fully off the hook. He credited Escarrega for stuffing takedowns all night and forcing his opponent to gas out, but hammered the fence-leaning moments and the glance toward the referee for help. His point was blunt: neither man fought like they wanted a contract in the third round, and if Escarrega had come out swinging for a finish, he'd have earned a spot regardless of the decision.

That's the theme heading into the rest of Season 10. Finish rate and urgency, not just wins, are the currency. Hasan and Wint spoke that language in under a minute apiece — and White is already building cards around what happens next.