Luke Fernandez kicked off Week 9 of Dana White\u2019s Contender Series with one of the fastest knockouts in the history of the show. <\/p>\n
The 2025 edition of DWCS is rapidly drawing to a close, and more than 30 contracts<\/a> were already handed out by UFC CEO Dana White before a Week 9 card<\/a> showcasing fighters in the light heavyweight, middleweight, flyweight, bantamweight, and lightweight divisions. <\/p>\n The night opened with a light heavyweight contested featuring two undefeated prospects in Fernandez and Rafael Pergentino, and it only took 15 seconds before the fight ended in what will almost certainly be a contract-winning knockout. <\/p>\n Both light heavyweights entered their DWCS matchup with 5-0 professional records, but Fernandez also went 6-0 during his amateur MMA career and picked up grappling wins over UFC veterans Eryk Anders and Phil Hawes in between his last few pro MMA outings. <\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC star breaks silence after suffering heartbreaking loss in epic UFC 320 fight<\/a><\/p>\n The 30-year-old was lined as a massive favorite coming into the fight with Pergentino. In the very first exchange, Fernandez jabbed in on the Brazilian and dropped him with a huge right hand before he jumped in to finish things with ground and pound after only 15 seconds of action.<\/p>\n QUICK FINISH ALERT \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Luke Fernandez only needed :15 to get the job done! <\/p>\n [ #DWCS<\/a> is LIVE NOW on the @ESPN<\/a> app ] pic.twitter.com\/ZcuXStcIJc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UFC (@ufc) October 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The highlight-reel finish was the second-fastest knockout in the history of DWCS, which began back in 2017 and has produced former UFC champions Sean O\u2019Malley, Jamahal Hill, and current UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena.<\/p>\n Fernandez immediately went over to chat with White following his quick win, and the UFC CEO\u2019s body language certainly seemed to indicate that the American will be joining the UFC roster when White hands out contracts later tonight. <\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC champion praises “living legend” Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 320 title defense<\/a><\/p>\n No stranger to first-round knockouts, Fernandez finished four out of his six amateur fights in the opening round before he made his pro debut with Cage Fury FC<\/a> in 2023 and stopped Derik Overstreet in just under four minutes. <\/p>\n The 30-year-old got things done even faster in his sophomore outing at CFFC 120, where he knocked out Jesse Romans in just over two minutes. Fernandez closed out 2023 by claiming the CFFC light heavyweight title with a second-round finish of Peter New, and he defended it with a finish of Gregg Ellis late last year before he also took a unanimous decision over Christian Edwards in May to earn an invitation to DWCS. <\/p>\n \u2022 Alex Pereira called out by undefeated UFC champion for surprise superfight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Magomed Ankalaev releases first statement after losing UFC title to Alex Pereira<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Alex Pereira reveals he suffered brutal injury during UFC 320 fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 UFC’s Dana White makes bold claim about Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight GOAT status<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n