Yusaku Kinoshita ended Dana White’s Contender Series 52 with a bang.
In the DWCS 52 main event Tuesday at the UFC Apex, Kinoshita (6-1) put down and finished 6’5″ welterweight opponent Jose Henrique (5-1) with punches to end the fight at 0:43 of Round 3.
After a competitive, strike-heavy first two rounds, Kinoshita continued to throw haymakers early in Round 3. Following an eye poke and timeout seconds into the round, a hellacious left hand from the Japanese fighter clattered upside the head of his lanky opponent. The blow dropped Henrique to the canvas and Kinoshita elected to pound away.
While Henrique survived total unconsciousness, improper defense caused referee Jason Herzog to dive in. Henrique was unhappy with the stoppage, as commission officials and cage-side physicians attended to him.
The DWCS 52 headliner finish sent UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Sean Shelby to their feet.
Now THAT'S how you bounce back from an eye poke! 🤯
[ @120821Saku2 | #DWCS ] pic.twitter.com/2TKHRFGn1s
— UFC (@ufc) August 31, 2022
After the fight, Kinoshita revealed he injured his leg on a kick in the second round but fought through it for the victory.
With the win, Kinoshita became the first fighter in DWCS history to earn a UFC contract. He extended his winning streak to two and kept his perfect finishing rate in victories intact. His only professional loss came in 2021 when he grabbed the cage and was disqualified.
As for Henrique, he loses for the first time as a professional.
The 100% finish rate remains! Safe to say 22-year-old @120821Saku2 is about to be the first Japanese born fighter to win a #DWCS contract 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/hw4jMaAwZJ
— UFC (@ufc) August 31, 2022
The full DWCS 52 results include:
- Yusaku Kinoshita def. Jose Henrique via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:43
- Sedriques Dumas def. Matej Penaz via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:47
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Rodrigo Lidio via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:05
- Viktoriya Dudakova def. Maria Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Blake Bilder def. Alexander Morgan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15
