Apollo Gomes had to dig out of a rough opening round at Dana White's Contender Series Week 5, but he rallied to beat Kwon Won Il by unanimous decision. The bantamweight result landed before Isaac Moreno's contract-winning decision over Reginaldo Junior later on the card.
Gomes Takes Three Matching 29-28 Scorecards
UFC.com listed the official result as Gomes defeating Kwon by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring it 29-28. Gomes improved to 13-2, while Kwon dropped to 14-7 in his return to the Contender Series stage.
UFC on Paramount+ posted Gomes hurting Kwon in the third round below.
Kwon made Gomes pay early. UFC.com's recap said Gomes was dropped twice in the first round, once by an uppercut and once to the body, before he survived and pushed the pace over the final 10 minutes.
UFC on Paramount+ posted Kwon landing early in the fight.
Gomes Wins, But Leaves Without A Contract
The decision was not enough to earn Gomes a UFC deal on a night where Quentin Pasley finished Arlind Berisha in the main event, Martin Kozak stopped Christian Echols, Isaac Moreno won a decision, and Christian Natividad opened the card with a body-shot finish. UFC.com confirmed those four athletes received contracts, while Gomes was told to get more experience.
The body-shot sequence that put Gomes in trouble is below.
Gomes still left with a win after turning the fight around when Kwon could not keep him hurt. It was a strong rebound from the Brazilian bantamweight, even if the contract spotlight went elsewhere on the same night as Christian Natividad's first-round finish over Colton Loud.
