DWCS Season 10 begins with a clear Week 1 story from Season 10: four fighters left Meta APEX in Las Vegas with UFC contracts after a card that delivered rapid finishes, a third-round stoppage and a decision that changed Dana White’s mind. Anthony Wint, Bilal Hasan, Thomas Pagliarulo and Joe Kropschot were the quartet welcomed onto the UFC roster following their bouts. The opening episode’s results offered sharply different routes to the same destination, from Wint’s 34-second main-event demolition of Matt Adams to Kropschot’s sustained submission pursuit against Jon Kunneman.
The four contracts were not presented as identical performances. Wint overwhelmed Adams with leg kicks, strength and ground strikes; Hasan produced a 45-second TKO of Mridul Saikia after arriving with considerable attention; Pagliarulo battled through a demanding contest with Ananias Mulumba before stopping him late in the third round; and Kropschot went the distance with Kunneman after repeatedly hunting a finish. DWCS Season 10 therefore has a full range of Week 1 outcomes to follow, while the confirmed result remains the same for each contract winner: a place in the UFC.
Four routes to a UFC contract
DWCS Season 10’s Week 1 main event belonged to Wint, a former New York Jets linebacker whose football hopes ended after he was cut in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic then ended his hope of earning a place elsewhere in football, and he transitioned to MMA. After turning professional in 2023, Wint compiled six straight victories to earn his Contender Series opportunity. His seventh consecutive win came against Adams, who was stopped by TKO from ground strikes at 34 seconds of the first round. White said Wint looked powerful in the brief contest and referenced positive comments from Wint’s coach, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, before confirming the contract.
Hasan’s route was even quicker. The former CFFC flyweight champion stopped India’s Saikia by TKO from punches at 45 seconds of the opening round. White called the signing an “absolute no-brainer,” saying Hasan had lived up to the hype around his appearance. Hasan said afterward that he wanted to enjoy the journey and continue creating moments, while also making clear that he did not want to rush his progress up the flyweight division. Pagliarulo’s contract, meanwhile, followed a different kind of performance. The featherweight was drawn into a hard back-and-forth fight with Mulumba, but turned it on in the third round and secured a TKO from ground strikes at 4:24. White highlighted both the dogfight and the finish when confirming Pagliarulo’s place on the roster.
Kropschot set the Week 1 contract tone
DWCS Season 10 also records Kropschot as the first recipient of a UFC contract in Season 10. He defeated Kunneman by unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, after pursuing a finish throughout the fight. A tightly applied armbar dislocated Kunneman’s arm at the elbow, yet Kunneman continued and reached the scorecards. White said he had been on the fence during the bout, but Kropschot’s commitment to the armbar and his continued effort to finish changed that assessment. Kropschot said the contract meant everything to him and noted that his father had died in April. His result established the evening’s first contract before the later victories by Hasan, Pagliarulo and Wint completed the four-man group.
- Anthony Wint stopped Matt Adams by first-round TKO from ground strikes in 34 seconds and earned a UFC contract after the Week 1 main event.
- Bilal Hasan, Thomas Pagliarulo and Joe Kropschot each also earned UFC contracts through a first-round TKO, third-round TKO and unanimous decision, respectively.
| Contract winner | Confirmed Week 1 result |
|---|---|
| Joe Kropschot | Defeated Jon Kunneman by unanimous decision: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. |
| Bilal Hasan | Defeated Mridul Saikia by TKO from punches in Round 1 at 0:45. |
| Thomas Pagliarulo | Defeated Ananias Mulumba by TKO from ground strikes in Round 3 at 4:24. |
| Anthony Wint | Defeated Matt Adams by TKO from ground strikes in Round 1 at 0:34. |
For DWCS Season 10, Week 1 of Season 10 is defined by four confirmed UFC additions rather than one single template for success. Kropschot’s late push for a finish proved decisive after a decision win, Pagliarulo earned his deal through a grueling third-round stoppage, Hasan delivered on the attention surrounding him with a fast finish, and Wint capped the night with the quickest of the four contract-winning performances. Each heard the same welcome, but the bouts that brought them there were distinctly different.
Sources: UFC.com
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