Dana White's Contender Series 2025 Week 2 Play-by-Play and Results

Tommy Cuozzi (145.5) vs. Ramiro Jimenez (144.5)

Round 1

Herb Dean will serve as the referee for this matchup of undefeated featherweights. Jimenez rocks Cuozzi right away. A body kick and a left from Cuozzi lands. Cuozzi tags Jimenez with a combination as he keeps the pressure on. Jimenez lands a big kick to the body. Cuozzi pressures forward with punches and is shoved away. Both featherweights are trading willingly. Jimenez mixes shots to the head and body and finishes with a knee to the midsection. Jimenez rips the body and lands a left hook upstairs. The, Jimenez drops Cuozzi with a right hook-left hand and pounces. Jimenez tees off with punches as Cuozzi returns to his feet. Cuozzi is still fighting, but he’s taking serious damage in every exchange. Jimenez connects with a head kick and Cuozzo continues to look shaky. A 1-2 from Jimenez snaps Cuozzi’s head backwards. Cuozzi shoots to shift momentum, but Jimenez sprawls and the beating continues. Jimenez does damage in close quarters, rocking his man with a series of elbows to the head before ragdolling him to the canvas. From there, Jimenez follows up with a barrage of punches and Herb Dean steps in to save Cuozzi from further punishment in a quick and violent bout. Jimenez now has nine first-round finishes to his credit.

The Official Result

Ramiro Jimenez def. Tommy Cuozzi via TKO (Elbows and Punches) R1 2:53

Josh Hokit (229.5) vs. Guilherme Uriel (249.5)

Round 1

Blake Grice will be the third man in the cage for the heavyweights. Hokit works for a takedown early near the fence and Uriel is warned for grabbing the cage. Hokit has a rear body lock and Uriel rolls forward. Hokit dumps his man down for a mat return and Uriel is up again. Uriel works to break the grip of his foe, but Hokit takes him down again. This time, Hokit lands some knees to the thighs as he continues to ride his opponent. Uriel is on all fours and Hokit lands some short punches. Uriel returns to his feet but Hokit has yet to unlock his hands. The dance continues: another mat return from Hokit and Uriel stands. Uriel finally greaks the grip and they’re back in the center of the cage. Uriel goes on the attack and Hokit quickly changes levels. Uriel shoves the head down and remains upright. Back at distance, and Uriel pumps a couple jabs into his opponent’s mug. Uriel rushes forward and Hokit changes levels for a single leg. Hokit puts Uriel on his back and gets to work from half guard. Hokit lands a few left hands and an elbow to the body. Another hard elbow lands for Hokit and he hovers over his adversary for some punches before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hokit
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Hokit
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hokit

Round 2

Hokit jabs and quickly transitions to an easy takedown. Uriel isn’t providing much resistance as Hokit lands a flurry of ground-and-pound. Hokit stands and Uriel lands an upkick. Hokit tags his foe with some heavier standing-to-ground shots. He moves back into side control and rocks Uriel with elbows. The intensity of the strikes increase, and Grice warns Uriel to get out of there. Uriel doesn’t have any answers, however, and after about six to seven unanswered elbows, the bout is waved off.

The Official Result

Josh Hokit def. Guilherme Uriel via TKO (Elbows) R2 1:06

Louis Lee Scott (137.5: missed weight) vs. Kaushik Saikumar (135.5)

Round 1

Herb Dean will officiate this bantamweight showdown. They both probe with kicks early. Scott lands a kick to the chest as he moves on the outside of the cage. Saikumar answers with a kick to the body. Saikumar rushes forward and forces the clinch against the fence. Saikumar drops and rolls for a leg lock. Scott looks to free himself as Saikumar cranks on a heel hook. Scott scrambles free, but he’s caught by Saikumar again. Scott frees himself and puts his foe on the mat. Saikumar is active on the floor, rolling and scrambling to create openings. Scott has seen enough and stands. Back at range, Scott with a spinning back kick to the body. He follows that with a series of straight punches to the head. Another spinning kick lands to the midsection for the Brit. Saikumar with an inside leg kick and then he backs away. Scott has a body kick blocked. He tries another spinning attack and Saikumar wraps him up from behind. Saikumar jumps on the back near the fence, locking in a body triangle. Saikumar is a little off to the side, but he’s holding on and landing short shots to the head. The round will end with Saikumar landing a few more shots while attached to the back.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Saikumar
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Saikumar
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Saikumar

Round 2

Saikumar lands a clean left hook early on. Saikumar closes the distance, and he looks to roll for a leg lock. He wraps up Scott’s leg, and the Brit grabs the fence as he defends. He gets a stern warning from Dean. Saikumar is relentless attacking the legs. Scott escapes, but Saikumar grabs a headlock and lands a knee. Scott reverses the position and pushes the Indian into the fence. Scott lands a couple knees in close quarters. Scott has a rear body lock. Saikumar turns and eats another knee to the body. Scott goes upstairs with an elbow. Saikumar eats another elbow and then is albe to break free. Scott looks comfortable, mixing up his kicks to various levels. Scott kicks the head, body and legs, and Saikumar answers with a right hand. Another spinning back kick lands for Scott. Scott cathces his foe with a combination, and he lands a low kick as Saikumar attempts to counter. Scott has his striking working, but he catches a kick and trips Saikumar to the canvas. That allows Saikumar to roll for a leg lock on the floor. Scott defends and finds room to land some solid ground-and-pound from above. Saikumar absorbs some elbows, before rolling for another leg lock. Scott is able to free himself, stand and punch the body of his foe as time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Scott
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Scott
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Scott

Round 3

Scott opens with a pair of leg kicks, then goes to the head. Scott with a front kick, then a straight left. Scott lands an accidental groin strike with a leaping knee during an ensuing exchange and time is called. Saikumar takes a little more than a minute to recover and we’re back at it. Saikumar lands a right as Scott keeps the pressure on. A nice body shot lands for Scott and he steps in with a knee. Scott is mixing up his strikes, but an ill-advised spinning attack allows Saikumar to take the back from a standing position. Scott is able to turn and free himself after landing a knee. Scott pressures with a kick to the body and a kick to the head, and Saikumar appears shaken. Scott is on the attack, alternating punches to the body and head as Saikumar covers up against the fence. Saikumar doesn’t have any fight left in him, and a few more shots to the head send the Indian crumbling to the canvas. That's a wrap. Perhaps that performance will be enough to offset a weight miss for Scott.

The Official Result

Louis Lee Scott def. Kaushik Saikumar via TKO (Punches) R3 2:20

Brandon Holmes (184) vs. Cameron Rowston (185)

Round 1

Blake Grice will oversee this middleweight clash. Holmes pressures with punches early, and Rowston kicks the body. Rowston kicks the lead leg and Holmes answers with a body kick. It’s a kick heavy approach for both men early. Holmes lands a leg kick and Rowston answers. Rowston changes levels and works for a single leg. He pulls Holmes off the fence and gets him down. Rowston denies a Holmes attempt to take the back, but Holmes is able to stand. Rowston lands a knee to the cup in the clinch and a brief timeout is called. Rowston lands a nice body kick when the action resumes. The Aussie tags his man with a pair of hard right hands near the fence and Holmes is down. Holmes gets to his feet in short order but Rowston continues to unload with heavy punches and elbows. One clinch elbow in particular seems to take the starch out of the American. Rowston continues to fire away until Holmes eventually tumbles to the floor. As Rowston hovers over his fallen foe, Grice elects to step in and save Holmes from further damage.. The second time is the charm for the Aussie on the Contender Series.

The Official Result

Cameron Rowston def. Brandon Holmes via TKO (Elbows and Punches) R1 2:58

Manuel Exposito (145.5) vs. Jose Mauro Delano (145)

Round 1

Herb Dean gets the final officiating assignment of the evening. Exposito enters with power shots. A right lands for Exposito. Delano ducks under and pushes Exposito into the fence, but they quickly separate. Delano lands a nice combination, working the body and head. They’re trading and Delano lands a solid left in close. Delano utilizing smart movement as he attacks. A laser straight left gets through for Delano, and he catches Exposito coming forward with knees to the gut. Exposito lands a takedown, but Delano briefly transitions to a reverse crucifix. Exposito escapes and they’re back to standing. Exposito lands a head kick, but he absorbs a short elbow in close quarters that stops him in his tracks. Exposito is bleeding from his nose. Delano works the body with kicks. Delano stalks his man, looking for openings. A right lands for Exposito when Delano jabs the body. They trade, and Delano gets the better of it. The Brazilian is picking away at the body, landing both kicks and punches. He continues to tag Exposito, who shoots for a takedown. Exposito jumps for a guillotine but can’t get it. The round ends with Exposito neutralizing his man with a front headlock.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Delano
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Delano
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Delano

Round 2

They trade early, and Delano lands a series of rights. Delano with a straight right. Delano lands a couple nice jabs. Exposito has a takedown attempt denied. Delano kicks the body, then a heavy inside leg kick. Another snap kick to the body by the Brazilian. More crisp straight punches land for Delano. Delano is finding his rhythm again, mixing up punches to the head and body. Exposito tries to go on the attack, but he eats a counter right. Delano is peppering his foe, and Exposito is leaking blood again. Delano rips the body, then has a head kick blocked. Delano lands another stiff jab. Exposito is still looking for openings, but he’s largely outclassed. Delano has an answer for every move he makes. Delano sprawls on a takedown and turns Exposito into the fence, where he lands a series of elbows before breaking free from the clinch. More straight punches for Delano, who is accurate and powerful. Delano steps in with a knee to the body and just misses on a high kick as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Delano
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Delano
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Delano

Round 3

Exposito needs to do something drastic this round. Delano pumps his jab, then whips a front kick to the body. Exposito is pressuring and landing some offense early, fighting with a sense of urgency. He still absorbed a knee for his efforts. Exposito kicks the body but misses the follow up. Delano moves well as Exposito attempts to pressure. Delano punctuates a body punching combination with a hard right to the head. Exposito takes it and is still standing. Delano just misses a knee as Exposito blitzes forward. Delano follows a jab with a lead right hook. A two-punch combination finds a home for Delano. Delano digs to the body, then lands to the head. Delano is mixing it up nicely once again, landing punching combinations as well as kicks to various levels. A body kick makes Expositio take a step back, but he tags Delano with a counter right as the Brazilian presses forward. Exposito kicks the body, then follows up with another one. Delano with a snap kick to the gut, then a low kick. Delano doubles up on his jab. Delano lands another jab then sidesteps a spinning attack. Delano ends with a flourish, attacking right up until the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Delano (30-27 Delano)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Delano (30-27 Delano)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Delano (30-27 Delano)

The Official Result

Jose Mauro Delano def. Manuel Exposito via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00