George Staines earns UFC contract with 61-second finish of Loai Abushaar

George Staines secured a UFC contract after stopping Loai Abushaar just 61 seconds into their lightweight bout on Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas. BBC Sport reported that the 26-year-old Briton was among four fighters awarded deals after the event, which he closed with a first-round finish.

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The decisive sequence began with Staines applying pressure and securing a body lock. According to MMA Fighting’s account, he lifted Abushaar with an arm trapped and drove him onto the canvas, then landed follow-up punches before the referee intervened. The outlet listed the official result as a technical knockout at 1:01 of round one.

Staines comes from Hull and trains in Liverpool alongside Paddy Pimblett. BBC Sport reported that Pimblett and fellow UFC fighter Luke Riley supported him at the event. His move into the promotion follows appearances for Oktagon and Cage Warriors, and the victory kept his professional record unbeaten as he earned his place on the UFC roster.

White singled out the manner of the finish when confirming the contract. In remarks reported by the BBC, he praised Staines for overcoming a large opponent in the 155lb division and welcomed him to the UFC. The performance gave Staines both a victory in the evening’s final bout and the contract he had competed for.

The card had been reduced to four contests after Ilias Bulaid became ill, prompting the postponement of his featherweight matchup with Erick Visconde. MMA Fighting reported that their bout was moved to week 10. Despite the late change, all four remaining fights ended inside the distance, and each winner received a UFC deal during week eight of the show’s tenth season.

The other successful fighters were Adama Diop, Ian Escuza and Aieza Bertolso. Diop stopped Zaurbek Sabanov with punches at 2:13 of round two, while Escuza’s victory over Luca Borando came after 32 seconds of the opening round. Bertolso submitted Camila Reynoso at 3:02 of round one, completing a night on which none of the contests reached the judges’ scorecards.