Outside Source
Joseph Kropschot, Tom Pagliarulo, Bilal Hasan and Anthony Wint earn UFC contracts at DWCS 2026 Week 1
Joseph Kropschot (9-3) opened the action in a middleweight outing against Jonathan Kunneman (10-1). Kropschot dislocated Kunneman’s elbow with an armbar in the final seconds of the fight. He earned a unanimous decision win after his opponent refused to tap. Kropschot’s intent to finish was enough for White to give him a UFC contract.
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“When he got that armbar, I said, ‘I’m gonna give him a shot.’ 31 years old, he went for the finish. I’m always looking for guys to finish,” White said. “That fight should have been finished… Joseph, you went for it and you swayed me and changed my mind. Congratulations.”
Tom Pagliarulo (11-2) was the second fighter to earn a contract on Week 1. The featherweight prospect finished Ananias Mulumba (10-4) with vicious ground-and-pound in the final seconds of the fight.
“Thomas, you were in a dog fight; turned it on in the third round, and finished a really tough kid,” White said. “Congratulations, you’re in.”
Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships flyweight champion Bilal Hasan (9-0) was a -5000 favorite going into his matchup against Mridul Saikia (9-2). Hassan absolutely justified the odds by dispatching Saikia in 45 seconds to earn his UFC contract. White can’t wait for Hasan’s first UFC bout.
“This is an absolute no-brainer. Even with the ton of hype, absolutely lived up to it,” the UFC CEO said. “When you’re the biggest favorite in the history of the Contender Series, 10 years. That’s how you treat somebody, and you absolutely did. I’m excited to see your future. I’m really pumped for your first fight in the UFC.”
Abe Alsaghir (9-0) earned a split decision win in a lightweight tilt against Fabrizio Escarrega (9-2). While both fighters went toe-to-toe, White believes neither fighter stood out to earn a contract. The UFC head honcho also disagreed with the judges’ scorecards on this one.
“I actually thought this was a dog fight between two tough guys with great records,” White recalled. “And the third round was where I was looking to see who was going to be my guy, and it never happened. And I don’t agree with the judges. I don’t think you won that fight. I think the judges absolutely blew that decision. And I just didn’t see anything that I was looking for.”
Anthony Wint (7-0) earned the final contract of the night with a first-round stoppage win over Matthew Adams (6-3). The heavyweight powerhouse took hardly over 30 seconds to reverse a takedown and rain brutal ground-and-pound to secure the stoppage.
“Anthony, you’re a f*cking tank, my friend… Holy sh*t!” White said. “I didn’t get to see much, but what I got to see was pretty nasty. And I have a long history with your coach, who has nothing but good things to say about you. Welcome to the UFC.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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