Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 continued its relentless run of quality on Tuesday night. Week 4 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas produced four finishes from five fights and a perfect night of contract decisions. Adam Darby dominated the main event to headline a card that added five more fighters to the UFC roster, bringing the Season 10 total to 20 new signings through four weeks.
DWCS Season 10 Week 4 Full Results
| Fight | Result | Round/Time |
| Adam Darby def. Patrick Rivera | TKO (doctor stoppage) | R3, 2:42 |
| Modestino Rodrigues def. Brandon Holmes | TKO (punches) | R1, 0:15 |
| Silvestre Sanchez def. Liam McCracken | KO (left hook) | R3, 2:44 |
| Gabriel Lorenco def. Charlie Cleveland | KO (punches) | R1, 2:02 |
| Adam Livingston def. Hunter Smith | Split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) | R3, 5:00 |
UFC contracts awarded: Adam Darby, Modestino Rodrigues, Silvestre Sanchez, Gabriel Lorenco, Adam Livingston. All five winners received contracts.
Main Event Breakdown: Adam Darby Dominates RiveraÂ
Adam Darby 8-1-0 arrived at Meta APEX as Ireland’s most anticipated Contender Series entry in years. He delivered exactly what the hype demanded. Darby controlled Patrick Rivera 13-5-0 from the opening bell with a technical kickboxing approach establishing his jab at range, mixing oblique kicks to the lead leg, and landing consistently with right hands whenever Rivera tried to close the distance.
Rivera entered on a six-fight winning streak and showed the grit to keep competing through significant damage. He landed the occasional clean right hand that reminded the crowd he remained dangerous. But the fight was almost entirely one-sided. By the middle of Round 2, Rivera’s face showed the accumulated damage of Darby’s work.
Round 3 continued in the same direction. Darby pressed with combinations and knees to the body. Rivera kept going but refused to go down. With the damage mounting to levels referee Kerry Hatley deemed unacceptable, the doctor was called into the Octagon to inspect Rivera mid-round. The decision was made to stop the fight at 2:42 of Round 3.
Darby extended his winning streak to seven fights and his career finish rate to seven from eight wins. He earned his UFC contract from a performance that was as controlled as it was complete. For context on another Contender Series graduate who debuted at UFC Shanghai last week, see our UFC Shanghai main card results article — Bilal Hasan, who earned his Week 1 contract just 18 days before his UFC debut, won his Octagon debut by knockout and celebrated with a moonwalk.
Modestino Rodrigues Produces Fastest Finish of the Night
Brazilian middleweight Modestino Rodrigues 8-1-0 wasted no time at Meta APEX. He rushed his opponent Brandon Holmes 6-2-0 from the opening seconds and landed a combination of punches that sent Holmes to the canvas at just 15 seconds of Round 1. Referee Chris Tognoni stepped in immediately.
It was the fastest finish of the entire card and one of the most explosive openings in DWCS Season 10. Rodrigues improved to 8-1 and earned his UFC contract with a performance that took barely the length of a television commercial break. Fifteen seconds inside the Octagon is long enough for Dana White to hand you a life-changing contract.
Gabriel Lorenco Earns Controversial Knockout
Brazilian heavyweight Gabriel Lorenco 8-1-0 produced the night’s most talked-about finish. He and Charlie Cleveland 6-2-0 came out aggressively from the opening bell, both swinging for the fences in a heavyweight bout that was never going to go the distance.
Lorenco connected with a looping right hand that rocked Cleveland. Cleveland scrambled to his feet and attempted to grab a leg. Lorenco responded with an elbow that initially drew concern about whether it landed on the back of the head. Replays confirmed the shot was legal. Lorenco continued with hammerfists until referee Chris Tognoni waved it off at 2:02 of Round 1.
The finish came with controversy in the moment but the correct call was made. Lorenco moved to 8-1 with an 88 percent career finish rate. He earned his UFC contract in heavyweight fashion.
Silvestre Sanchez Closes Out Liam McCracken
Mexican lightweight Silvestre Sanchez 10-1-0 ground out a third-round finish of England’s Liam McCracken 8-2-0. After two competitive rounds, Sanchez landed a clean left hook that dropped McCracken and ended the fight at 2:44 of Round 3. The win earned Sanchez his UFC contract and gave Mexican talent another foothold inside the UFC Lightweight (155 lbs / 70.3 kg) division.
McCracken had entered on an eight-fight winning streak including five consecutive stoppages. Sanchez was the better man on the night and showed finishing ability that will translate to the UFC roster.
Adam Livingston Earns Contract on Second Attempt
Lightweight Adam Livingston 8-1-0 opened the card against Hunter Smith 8-2-0 in the only fight of the night that went the full distance. Livingston had appeared on Contender Series previously and been submitted. He returned with more experience and a more complete game, landing spinning attacks and stunning Smith multiple times throughout the fight.
Smith showed heart and composure to keep competing through difficult moments. The split decision went to Livingston by two scores of 29-28 with one judge scoring it 28-29 for Smith. Livingston earned his UFC contract on his second attempt. Post-fight, he told the crowd he wanted to open the UFC 334 card at Madison Square Garden on November 14.
What This Means Season 10 Impact
Dana White has now signed 20 new UFC fighters through four weeks of Season 10. Every winner from Week 4 received a contract. The standard for earning a deal this season has been consistent finishing and clear dominance.
Darby’s addition at Welterweight (170 lbs / 77.1 kg) is the most significant from a ranked-division standpoint. He showed the technical boxing skill, range management, and finishing instinct to compete immediately against UFC-level opposition. His Cage Warriors background one of Europe’s most respected developmental promotions gave him a stronger foundation than most Contender Series entrants.
Rodrigues at Middleweight (185 lbs / 83.9 kg) joins a division in significant transition. The UFC Middleweight title recently changed hands when Sean Strickland 30-8-0 defeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. Fresh middleweight talent is exactly what the division needs heading into 2027.
Lorenco at Heavyweight (265 lbs / 120.2 kg) brings explosive power to a division where Tom Aspinall 14-1-0 is recovering from injury. Heavyweight depth in the UFC is always welcome. A Brazilian heavyweight with an 88 percent finish rate and a verified knockout of a legitimate prospect carries immediate roster value.
The full context of how DWCS Season 10 graduates are already impacting the UFC can be found in our UFC Shanghai full results article Bilal Hasan headlined a UFC main card in China just 18 days after earning his Season 10 Week 1 contract. The pipeline from Contender Series to UFC roster has never moved faster.
Background Context
Dana White’s Contender Series launched in 2017 as a Tuesday night development show designed to discover and sign the next generation of UFC talent. Season 10 in 2026 is the most productive in the show’s history by contract volume. With 20 signings in four weeks and four full weeks remaining, the season is on track to surpass every previous record for total contracts awarded.
The show airs live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Paramount+ in the United States. Week 5 continues the run next Tuesday, September 8. With UFC Paris on September 5 at Accor Arena in Paris, France headlining the weekend, the Contender Series sits as the midweek bridge between major events on the 2026 UFC calendar. Full details on UFC Paris Hooker vs Parnasse are available for the next major event on the schedule.
Conclusion
DWCS Season 10 Week 4 results delivered another complete night at Meta APEX. Four finishes from five fights. Five contracts from five winners. Adam Darby earned the headline moment with a controlled and dominant main event performance that confirmed his UFC readiness across three rounds. Modestino Rodrigues produced the fastest finish of the night in 15 seconds. Gabriel Lorenco added heavyweight power to the new UFC roster. Silvestre Sanchez and Adam Livingston completed a night that Dana White called impressive enough to sign every fighter who raised their hand. Season 10 is building momentum. Week 5 arrives on September 8.
