Featherweight prospect Aalon Cruz was one of the standouts at Dana White’s Contender Series 22 on Tuesday, July 30. The event at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas featured multiple finishes but it was Cruz’s victory over Steven Nguyen that really stole the show.
Three rounds into his fight, Cruz — who now holds a professional record of 8-2 — launched into mid-air to land a perfectly placed flying knee that immediately sent an unconscious Nguyen crashing to the ground.
It was one of the most impressive knockouts we’ve seen in the history of Dana White’s Contender Series and one of the best flying knee KOs in recent memory.
Check it out below:
When Dana White’s Contender Series 22 was all said and done, four fighters accomplished their dream of earning the call up to the Ultimate Fighting Championship with an official UFC contract.
The four fighters who earned contracts were Cruz, main event participant Aleksa Camur, Tracy Cortez, and Rodrigo Nascimento. Camur scored a TKO victory which stemmed from a flying knee of his own in Round 2, Cortez earned a unanimous decision win over Mariya Agapova, and Nascimento choked out Michal Martinek with an arm-triangle in the first round.
The full results from Dana White’s Contender Series 22 can be seen below.
Dana White’s Contender Series 22 Results
Contract x4 #DWCS- Aleksa Camur def. Fabio Cherant via TKO (flying knee, punches) – Round 2, 0:48
- Aalon Cruz def. Steven Nguyen via knockout (flying knee) – Round 3, 4:36
- Tracy Cortez def. Mariya Agapova via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Rico Farrington via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Rodrigo Nascimento def. Michal Martinek via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:16
Dana White’s Contender Series returns on Tuesday, August 6, though no bouts have officially been announced at this time. If this season of the Contender Series is any indication, there will be multiple UFC contracts up for grabs so the fighters will have to put their best foot forward.
Dana White’s Contender Series airs exclusively on ESPN+.