George Staines slammed Loai Abushaar unconscious in the first round of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 8 — the first slam knockout in Contender Series history — as four fighters finished their opponents at Meta APEX in Las Vegas on September 29, 2026 and left with UFC contracts.
UFC’s official fight videos and ESPN’s fightcenter scores are the sources for the results below. UFC posted a Contract Winners segment for Week 8; MMA Fighting reported that each of the four winners received a deal.
Staines’s slam and Diop’s second-round stoppage
In the lightweight main event, England’s George Staines improved to 9-0 with a KO/TKO by slam over Arizona’s Loai Abushaar at 1:01 of Round 1. UFC billed it as the first slam knockout in Contender Series history. Abushaar fell to 7-2.
Heavyweight Adama Diop of Senegal finished Zaurbek Sabanov of Russia by TKO (punches) at 2:13 of Round 2. Diop moved to 7-1; Sabanov dropped to 4-1.
Escuza in 32 seconds; Bertolso’s D’Arce
Peru’s Ian Escuza needed just 32 seconds of Round 1 to stop Italy’s Luca Borando by TKO (knees) in a featherweight bout, taking his record to 8-0. Borando is now 9-2.
In the women’s strawweight opener, Brazil’s Aieza Bertolso submitted Argentina’s Camila Reynoso with a D’Arce choke at 3:02 of Round 1. Bertolso is 8-0; Reynoso is 9-2.
Results
- George Staines def. Loai Abushaar by KO/TKO (slam), Round 1, 1:01
- Adama Diop def. Zaurbek Sabanov by TKO (punches), Round 2, 2:13
- Ian Escuza def. Luca Borando by TKO (knees), Round 1, 0:32
- Aieza Bertolso def. Camila Reynoso by submission (D’Arce choke), Round 1, 3:02
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