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Dana White’s Contender Series 13 results: Maycee Barber scores finish, among 3 contract winners

LAS VEGAS – Dana White’s Contender Series 13 took place tonight at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas. The event streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, and MMAjunkie was on the scene.

Three fighters received UFC contracts after their victories: Women’s strawweight Maycee Barber, bantamweight Domingo Pilarte and middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan.

Pilarte was transported to a local hospital following his victory.

Recaps of each DWCS 13 matchup are below.

* * * * *

Women’s strawweight prospect Maycee Barber (4-0) took another step forward in her career, earning a convincing third-round stoppage of a game Jamie Colleen (4-2).

The bout served as the featured contest of Dana White’s Contender Series 13 event.

Barber took the center to start the fight, moving forward with punches before driving into the clinch. Colleen defended well against the cage, though Barber kept the pressure high from the outside, landing a few solid elbows to the face. Unable to capitalize, Barber eventually moved back to the center, where she looked to strike to all levels, including a few flashy kicks that found the mark. A missed Barber takedown saw the action move back to the clinch, where they finished the round.

Barber turned up the volume with her kicking attack in the second. A retreating Colleen did her past to time right-hand counters, and she did occasionally find the mark. However, once Colleen was close enough to attack, Barber nailed an outside trip and took the fight to the floor, briefly advancing to side control while raining down punches and elbows from the top.

Colleen was able to catch a kick early in the third, moving into the clinch and trying to bring the fight to the floor. But Barber was too much in the position, switching to the outside and then using elbows and knees in tight. Colleen showed heart in surviving the attacks and began to wing massive counters when she finally found space. But Barber simply moved in tight and took her to the floor, landing more vicious elbows on the floor, slicing open her opponent and eventually earning a finish with 45 seconds left in the fight.

* * * * *

In the night’s co-feature bantamweights Domingo Pilarte (8-1) and Vince Morales (7-2) combined for a rousing battle that counts among the best of the season so far, though it was Pilarte who ultimately found a way to pull out an impressive finish.

Pilarte looked to use kicks to start the fight, while the shorter Morales moved in and out of range, punching and changing levels, teasing a potential takedown. With both men throwing hard to open, they started talking a bit, challenging each other to meet in the middle. Both fighters found success on the feet, tagging each other with heavy hands and insisting the other’s strikes weren’t landing clean. Pilarte started to turn the heat up in the final two minutes, using a big left hand to drive his opponent across the cage. Morales responded well, landing a clean counter that scored a flash knockdown, though he couldn’t keep the fight on the floor.

Back on the feet, another Morales punch saw Pilarte grab his face and retreat to the cage, covering against the fence as Morales rushed forward to attack. Pilarte hung on through a barrage of punches at the end, surviving to the bell and the rising to reveal blood trickling down his face.

The two engaged quickly again in the second, continuing to throw everything with power. With Pilarte’s face a mess on the left side, Morales tried to land a high kick, but his foe slipped the low and swept the other leg, bringing the action to the floor. From there, Pilarte went straight to side control and then the back, locking in a nasty rear-naked choke. Morales showed incredible heart as he bucked and rolled and tried to survive, but Pilarte kept the choke tight and put his opponent to sleep at the 1:52 mark of the frame.

* * * * *

In middleweight action, Chibwikem Onyenegecha (5-0) kept his record unblemished, edging out gritty late replacement Anthony Adams (2-1).

Onyenegecha took the center early, setting up calmly at range and firing a few massive low kicks before unleashing a quick flurry with his hands. Adams covered well and moved laterally on the outside, eventually looking for a takedown that didn’t materialize. Onyenegecha continued to chop the leg from range, often bringing a big right hand behind it, as well. Trevino occasionally unleashed his own right-hand haymaker, but it was Onyenegecha who certainly got the best of each exchange.

Adams was quicker to start in the second, and he landed a crisp counter right over one of his opponent’s low kicks early on. Adams started to find a home for the left, as well, and scored a few leg kicks of his own. Onyenegecha continued his patient attack from the outside, but it was almost too patient, at times, preferring to cruise on the outside rather than truly push for the finish.

Onyenegecha seemed to pick up the pace in the third, hunting for the stoppage. Letting his hands fly a little more freely, Onyenegecha did find the mark on occasion. Adams tried to circle outside and fore his foe to follow, but Onyenegecha declined, instead asking for action to return to the center.

Both fighters received a brief reprieve late in the contest, as the lights went off inside The Ultimate Fighter gym. On the restart, Onyenegecha came out energized, though Adams was able to nullify some of the attacks by moving into the clinch. Both men teed off until the final bell, and in the end, Onyenegecha was handed a split-decision win, 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

* * * * *

In welterweight action, Austin Vanderford (4-0) – until now, best known as the fiance of Paige VanZant – scored an impressive comeback win over a very tough Angelo Trevino (7-3).

Trevino worked a quick jab from southpaw to open, though Vanderford answered back with a powerful check hook. Trevino remained the aggressor early, but the counter left from Vanderford continued to find a home, slowing down the assault. The two scrambled to the floor abut 90 seconds in, and Trevino was able to move cleanly to the back, though Vanderford wisely found a way to escape out the back door, staying in the clinch and controlling his opponent against the cage before eventually returning to the center.

Once there, Trevino capitalized with a big right hand that sent Vanderford to the floor. Trevino did his best to finish with punches, though Vanderford bravely battled his way back to his feet and survived until the end of the round.

Trevino pressed forward again in the second, and while Vanderford appeared to be tiring, he certainly threw every punch with power, including a heavy kick to the body. A stiff right hand shortly after stunned Trevino, and a big left hand behind it sent him to the canvas. Trevino tried to rise, but Vanderford took the back and began looking for the rear-naked choke. Trevino tried to use the cage to help peel his opponent away, but Vanderford stayed tight, adjusting and moving the body until he locked in the hold and earned the hard-fought submission win at the 2:42 mark of the frame.

* * * * *

In the night’s first contest, middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan (7-0) made quick work of a previously undefeated Antonio Jones (6-1).

The two engaged quickly at the start, trading left hands in the pocket from the opening bell. Neither seemed willing to back down, but it quickly became apparent Shahbazyan was landing the heavier blows. The unrelenting strikes sent Jones tumbling to the canvas, where Shahbazyan continued the assault. Jones tried to move and recover from a kneeling position, but Shahbazyan continued teeing off, earning a stoppage from referee Herb Dean just 40 seconds after the bout began.

Complete DWCS 13 results include:

  • Maycee Barber def. Jamie Colleen via TKO (elbows) – Round 3, 4:15
  • Domingo Pilarte def. Vince Morales via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:52
  • Chibwikem Onyenegecha def. Anthony Adams via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Austin Vanderford def. Angelo Trevino via TKO submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:42
  • Edmen Shahbazyan def. Antonio Jones via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:40

For complete coverage of Dana White’s Contender Series 13, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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