Douglas da Lapa Scores UFC Deal on Record-Tying Night

Douglas da Lapa (7-0 MMA, 1-0 DWCS) came into the final event of the Contender Series season against Davi Cabral (7-1 MMA, 0-1 DWCS) with something to prove to Dana White. Going into the middleweight fight with Cabral, he'd won all but one of his fights in professional MMA by way of knockout.

To find the last time he needed to have a victory confirmed by way of decision on the scorecards after the final bell, you'd need to travel back to da Lapa's fight against Todd Ilgas (4-1 MMA) in 2024. That night, he secured a unanimous decision in Shooto Brazil.

Douglas da Lapa had the added pressure of being one of the 10 fighters to make the walk on the season finale of the 10th anniversary year of Contender Series. Through the first nine weeks of the season, 42 contestants had secured a UFC contract as a direct result of appearing on the show.

Douglas da Lapa Pushes Action Forward in Early Going, Survives Onslaught from Cabral

Right from the beginning, Davi Cabral connected on a low kick before Douglas da Lapa countered with a kick to the leg. Douglas da Lapa stalked his opponent and landed a combination of punches about a minute and 20 seconds in. Early on in the fight, da Lapa's strategy was predicated on the kicking game until he landed a body shot followed by a barrage of punches.

He continued to mix in punches and leg kicks as the first round of action progressed, but Davi Cabral managed to knock da Lapa down and attempt a guillotine choke on Douglas da Lapa before he jettisoned the effort to land some ground and pound shots. All of this was to no avail, with da Lapa's defense remaining stout.

da Lapa was tested by Cabral once more as the first round of the fight ended, as he turned the tables with a barrage of strikes of his own, but Douglas da Lapa withstood the attack to see a second round. 

Douglas da Lapa Showcases Striking Prowess in Second Round

While da Lapa and Cabral traded strikes early on in the middle round of action on Tuesday night, the former landed a three-punch combination midway through the second period of action after feinting against the latter. Just like in the first round, Douglas da Lapa mixed in punches with kicks to try and wear down Cabral. 

Late in round two, Cabral again efforted a takedown and it was thwarted by da Lapa, who unleashed another barrage of strikes. By the last few seconds of the middle round of the contest, Douglas da Lapa outpaced Davi Cabral in significant strikes landed by a 50-19 margin.

Just before the second round neared its end, Douglas da Lapa landed another barrage of punches on Davi Cabral with referee Frank Trigg closely monitoring the action, but the bout made it to a final round. UFC CEO Dana White gave Douglas da Lapa a standing ovation after the horn to end round two sounded.

Douglas da Lapa Stops Davi Cabral, Wins UFC Deal

Not long after the command to fight was given by Frank Trigg to start the last round, Douglas da Lapa landed a crisp two-punch combination to sit Davi Cabral down before following it up with ground and pound strikes to end the contest. Time of the knockout, 19 seconds into the third and final round of action.

With da Lapa's fight being the second of the five-bout card on Tuesday evening, he had a long wait backstage before he could find out whether or not he'd become one of the final fighters in 2026 to secure a UFC deal as a direct result of competing on DWCS. Following the conclusion of the main event, Dana White made it official. 

"da Lapa, what an incredible fight," White began. "Amazing, Cabral was a tank. I didn't even think that guy was human until you dropped him in the third round. I always say this: It takes two to make a great fight, and he was definitely a great partner for you this evening."

Despite Dana White botching Douglas da Lapa's age as 34, the 27-year-old da Lapa was awarded a contract. All told, season 10 finishes with 46 contracts awarded, tying last year for most deals won in a season.