Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series results: Kurt Holobaugh, Boston Salmon earn UFC contracts

The first event of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series is in the books.

On Tuesday, 10 professional MMA fighters competed in the inaugural card of DWTNCS, which took place at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas, Nev. and aired live on UFC Fight Pass. But only two of the fighters that competed that night left the cage with UFC contracts – Kurt Holobaugh and Boston Salmon.

Holobaugh, a former Titan FC featherweight champion, picked up an impressive first-round knockout victory over fellow veteran Matt Bessette in the main event of the card. The 30-year-old Holobaugh traded heavy leather with Bessette until he connected with a series of hard right hooks that dropped Bessette at the 2:59 mark. Holobaugh last competed in the UFC in 2013 and managed to compile a record of 9-2 before earning a second shot in the promotion. The American is currently 18-4 in his fighting career.

The man who earned the second UFC contract, Salmon, won a hard fought unanimous decision against Team Alpha Male prospect Ricky Turcios. With this win, the bantamweight fighter is now 6-1 in his MMA career, with six of those fights being under the RFA umbrella. The Hawaiian trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

Additionally, three other fighters picked up victories on the card but were not awarded UFC contracts. Former UFC fighter Joby Sanchez earned his third straight win since departing the from the UFC in 2016. The 26-year-old flyweight outpointed Manny Vasquez in a unanimous decision. Also, heavyweight Azunna Anyanwu knocked out Greg Rebello, and middleweight Charles Byrd submitted Jamie Pickett.