Dana White believes Akbar Abdullaev may be the best talent Dana White’s Contender Series has seen in its 10 seasons, and it took the unbeaten Kyrgyz lightweight just 19 seconds to convince him.
Abdullaev knocked out Brazil’s Ednilson Santos with a single overhand right Tuesday night during Week 6 of Season 10 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The finish improved him to 14-0 and earned him one of four UFC contracts handed out on the night.
White didn’t hold back when he delivered the news. “I don’t even know what to say to you,” he told Abdullaev. “That punch sounded like a baseball bat.”
He then went out on a limb, calling Abdullaev “possibly the greatest talent” to appear on the show in its 10 years and predicting he’ll become “a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport.”
“I can’t wait to see you fight again,” White added. “Welcome to the UFC.”
A High Bar For The UFC’s Top Pipeline
The praise lands differently given what the Contender Series has already produced. Four alumni of the show have gone on to win UFC gold: Sean O’Malley, Jamahal Hill, Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Ulberg.
White just put a fighter with zero official UFC bouts in that conversation.
The Uncrowned ONE Champion Arrives
Abdullaev entered Tuesday as one of the most hyped names of the season. He went 5-0 in ONE Championship, highlighted by a fifth-round TKO of reigning featherweight champion Tang Kai at ONE Fight Night 27 in January 2025.
He couldn’t leave Bangkok with the belt. Abdullaev failed to make the featherweight limit while properly hydrated, turning the title fight into a non-title catchweight bout. ONE now lists him as a former athlete, and his last fight before Tuesday was a September 2025 stoppage of Ibragim Dauev.
His Contender Series matchup changed late, too. Anthony Figueroa withdrew from the original booking, and Santos (14-8-1) stepped in on roughly a week’s notice. Abdullaev entered as the biggest betting favorite on the card and needed one punch to justify it. All 14 of his pro wins have now come by stoppage, 13 of them by knockout.
Mayton Perea, Igor Cavalcanti and Luis Hernandez joined him as Week 6 contract winners, pushing the Season 10 total to 28 contracts through six weeks.
