George Staines Lands First Slam KO in Contender Series History

Tuesday's Week 8 of Contender Series Season 10 at the UFC APEX gave up a genuine first: George Staines put Loai Abushaar to sleep with a slam, the first slam knockout in the show's history. It took the Englishman just 61 seconds to close the main event and walk away with a UFC contract.

The card was trimmed to four bouts after featherweight Ilias Bulaid fell ill roughly an hour before the doors opened, forcing his scheduled fight with Erick Visconde to Week 10. That left eight fighters to carry the night — and all four winners finished. Every one of them got signed.

The Main Event Nobody Will Forget

Staines trains alongside Paddy Pimblett, and he fought like a man who'd studied the assignment. He walked Abushaar down early, locked up a body lock, and when his opponent tried to work free, "Saint" hoisted him back up, trapped an arm, and drove him into the canvas. The landing did the damage. A couple of follow-up shots later, the referee had seen enough.

It's the kind of finish that plays on a loop, and it's exactly what the show is built for. Staines gets a contract and an instant highlight reel to introduce himself to the wider audience.

Diop Grinds His Way In

The co-main between Adama Diop and Zaurbek Sabanov was less clinical and more of a brawl. Diop, the reigning EFC champion carrying Senegal on his back, leaned on relentless pressure and some scrappy wrestling to wear Sabanov down. By the second round he'd taken over, closing the show with a standing TKO at 2:13.

It wasn't pretty, and Dana White said as much. During the contract announcement the UFC CEO ripped into the performance, calling it a terrible fight and telling Diop he looked terrible — before handing him the contract anyway. Not the warmest welcome, but a welcome all the same.

Escuza Keeps a Streak, Barely

Ian Escuza has never seen the second round in his career, and across seven pro fights he's now never made it past the second minute either. He blitzed Luca Borando in just 32 seconds with knees from the clinch. The problem: the last knee landed while Borando had a knee on the mat, making it an illegal strike.

Herb Dean consulted the other officials and ruled the foul incidental to the finish, leaving the result as a win. White made clear he disagreed and was leaning toward not signing the Peruvian. Sean Shelby went to bat for Escuza and got him the contract. Two decision-makers, two opinions, one lucky prospect.

Bertolso Backs Up the Hype

The opener might have been the cleanest work of the night. Aieza Bertolso, the LFA strawweight champion who plenty of fans thought deserved a direct UFC call-up, needed one round to prove the point. She scored an early takedown, controlled Camila Reynoso on the ground, and locked up an inverted D'Arce.

When Reynoso survived the initial squeeze, Bertolso simply jumped guard, cinched a body triangle, and left the Argentinian nowhere to go. The tap came at 3:02 of the first. It was the most polished performance of the evening, and it validated everyone who'd been shouting her name before the fight.

Four fights, four finishes, four contracts — a clean sweep for the matchmakers. Staines owns the headline with the slam nobody had pulled off before, Bertolso arrives as the most ready-made prospect of the bunch, and Escuza and Diop both left with contracts despite White's public grumbling. Week 8 was messy in spots, but nobody left the APEX without a stoppage on their reel.