Las Vegas- Five UFC contracts were handed out Tuesday night as Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 continued with Week 3 from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Alex Apodaca, Guilherme Uriel, Sean Clancy Jr., Ronald Humphrey and Nick Galanti all earned contracts after picking up wins on the five-fight card. (UFC)
The biggest surprise of the night came in the main event, where Apodaca defeated highly touted prospect Bella Mir by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Apodaca, who entered as a major betting underdog.
Apodaca said her experience in difficult fights helped her stay composed as the matchup went deeper.
“I don’t want to be overlooked anymore,” Apodaca said after the win. “I think that I did prove that tonight.”
White, who has known Mir for several years, admitted he was personally invested in seeing her succeed but credited Apodaca for handling the moment.
“Alex had deep water experience and Bella didn’t,” White said during his post-fight press conference.
Ronald Humphrey also made a major impression, submitting Alexis Miranda by rear-naked choke in the first round. (UFC) White praised Humphrey’s well-rounded game and said he was eager to see him compete in the UFC.
Humphrey, however, treated the contract more like the beginning of another assignment than a final destination.
“He announced it and now I have another job,” Humphrey said. “Whoever is on the line in front of me, it’s war.”
His personality also stood out during his post-fight media availability, where he joked about having a “black belt in whoop-assology” while repeatedly making it clear that he does not care who the UFC puts in front of him.
Galanti produced one of the quickest moments of the night, stopping Carlos Petruzzella just 35 seconds into the opening round. The New Jersey middleweight said he had visualized reaching the UFC for years.
“When you really have a dream and pursue it, crazy things happen,” Galanti said.
He also revealed that he previously walked away from a six-figure career working construction in New York to pursue fighting full time.
“I’m just an ordinary person that might have done something extraordinary today,” Galanti said.
With five fights, five winners and five new UFC contracts, Week 3 delivered exactly what the Contender Series is built around: prospects taking a single opportunity and turning it into a place on the UFC roster.
