DWCS Season 5, Week 8 results: Caio Barralho makes second chance count, three other contracts awarded

Four more tickets were punched to the UFC.

At Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series event, the UFC president had some tough decisions to make after a five-fight card that saw a trio of finishes, and two really high-level bouts that went to the judges’ scorecards at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

In the welterweight main event, Jonny Parsons took on Solomon Renfro. Parsons came out very kick heavy, landing hard shots to the body and leg, while Renfro targeted the midsection of his opponent with punches. Renfro landed a huge left hand that stunned Parsons and looked to finish, but Parsons was able to battle through a slew of heavy strikes to stay in it. Parsons tried to battle back but Renfro continued to land big punches to his incredibly durable opponent before landing a takedown with under a minute to go in the opening round, which ended with a fun exchange on the feet.

The action slowed down a bit to start the second, but that didn’t last long as both men continued to throw leather. Parsons threw a lot of different kicks — from the legs to even a pair of question mark kick attempts. Renfro went back to the body effectively before ducking under for a takedown.

The pace picked right back up in the final round with Parsons landing a big shot immediately and Renfro happy to play that game. With under two minutes to go, Parsons landed a brutal body kick that got Renfro’s attention, but the Tiger Schulmann standout continued to land with volume, although Parsons was able to defend his takedown attempts. The final 10 seconds saw both guys go for it to the delight of the fans in attendance. In the end, two judges saw it for Parsons, who picked up his eighth pro win and is now a UFC fighter.

Undercard delivers with three finishes, exciting 115-pound battle

Strawweights battled it out in the co-main event for their chance to land in one of the most fun divisions in the UFC as Piera Rodriguez took on Valesca Machado. Both ladies landed big punches in the first round, with Machado actually cutting open Rodriguez in the final minute of the round. Rodriguez was able to use great distance on the feet, along with perfectly timed takedowns when she needed it as she picked up a unanimous decision victory over a game Machado in a very entertaining matchup. After praising both women, White awarded Rodriguez a contract.

Caio Barralho got his second Contender Series opportunity in three weeks and made this one count. After picking up a unanimous decision win over Aaron Jeffery at DWCS Season 5, Week 5, Barralho returned to pick up an opening round TKO victory over Jesse Murray in under two minutes and earned himself a roster spot for his efforts.

Muai thai world champion Armen Petrosyan kept his 100-percent finish rate alive with after overcoming some grueling wrestling from his opponent Kaloyan Kolev, landing a ferocious head kick that put his opponent to sleep late in the first round to earn a UFC contract.

In the bantamweight opener, Pedro Felcao continuously wore down 39-year-old James Barnes over two-plus rounds before finally finishing the fight with vicious ground and pound with just over a minute left in the bout but was not awarded a contract.

Check out full DWCS Season 5, Week 8 results below:

Jonny Parsons def. Solomon Renfro via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Piera Rodriguez def. Valesca Machado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Caio Borralho def. Jesse Murray via TKO - Round 1, 1:41

Armen Petrosyan def. Kaloyan Kolev via KO - Round 1, 4:27 | Watch finish

Pedro Falcao def. James Barnes via TKO - Round 3, 3:55