UFC CEO Dana White was stunned after witnessing the final bout of Dana White’s Contender Series 88, which took place on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the META Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight between Kaik Brito and Namo Fazil ended with Brito winning 12 seconds into the third round with a brutal knockout finish.
Here is how their fight played out, and why it resulted in Dana White signing Brito to the UFC.
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The Fight
The matchup between Fazil and Brito was bound to be fireworks, as Fazil was a highly-touted prospect who recently won his fight earlier this year at Jake Paul’s MVP MMA, and is a prolific finisher. Brito, who won the OKTAGON welterweight belt in his last outing, walked into the bout having scored a finish in 18 out of his 19 wins.
The first two rounds were back and forth, with Fazil pressuring Brito as the latter answered with a variety of strike combinations and successful takedowns:
The two even showed some gamesmanship, gesturing and trash-talking during the fight:
In the third round, Brito was finally able to take advantage of Fazil’s cage cutting and forward aggression, landing a telegraphed right overhand that flattened Fazil:
No follow-up was necessary, and Brito won the fight with a walk-off KO. Here are some more angles courtesy of UFC social media:
Here’s some slow motion of the knockout:
Shifting overhands are not necessarily the most responsible strikes, especially since they leave a fighter temporarily out of a defensive position, and they can be easily read if the defender is defensively responsible. They are, however, absolutely one of the most powerful punches any fighter can throw.
To compare it to football, seeing a shifting overhand or hook land is like watching a successful Hail Mary pass for a touchdown.
Dana White Beyond Impressed With Brito
The UFC CEO’s immediate reaction to Brito’s knockout was that of complete shock. Awestruck by the Brazilian’s winning strike, White simply said, “Holy s—.”
(H/t Championship Rounds on X):
It was obvious to White that he had to sign Brito to the UFC. The Brazilian knockout artist had previously fought on DWCS back in 2023, but lost by majority decision to Oban Elliott.
White was brimming with admiration for Brito’s resilience during the barn burner of a fight.
“Brito, I love your style, I love the way you fight, and you had a guy in your face all night, taking your best shots and coming at you,” White stated. “You came out with a flying knee in the third round, tried to finish the fight, and finished it in spectacular fashion.”
Brito, the 29-year-old who is now 20-6 in his professional career, will now attempt to build his name in the UFC’s highly competitive welterweight division.
“I cannot wait to see you fight in the UFC, my friend,” White concluded.
During the post-fight presser, White continued to sing Brito’s praises:
“He had a guy who’s taking all of his shots, coming forward the whole time. That’s very disheartening when you have a guy that’s like a f— zombie coming at you… and then comes out and wins in spectacular fashion,” he said of Brito.
White, however, was quick to pump the brakes on his hype, saying that he still needs to prove himself against UFC competition before he can be considered a problem for the UFC’s welterweight division.
“He passed the test tonight. Now you get into the big leagues and see what he can do from there,” he stated. “But guys that have come from this show have done pretty well.”
