Mateus Soares Knocks Out Ryuho Miyaguchi and Earns a UFC Contract
Mateus Soares knocked out Ryuho Miyaguchi with a right hand in the first round on Dana White’s Contender Series 95. The stoppage came at 1:03 on Tuesday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and Dana White awarded the 22-year-old Brazilian a UFC contract.
The official result was a KO/TKO by punch. Soares scored the only knockdown. He landed the right hand in close, Miyaguchi went down at the fence, and the referee waved it off before a follow-up was needed.
The numbers were a one-sided striking round that never left the feet. Soares connected on 20 of 31 total strikes, all of them significant, including 16 of 27 to the head and 4 of 4 leg kicks. Miyaguchi landed 5 of 17. Neither man attempted a takedown. Control time was 0:02 to 0:00.
Soares moved to 12-2. Miyaguchi fell to 7-2.
The finish was the first contract of a card that later produced three more. Roque Conceição submitted Alexander Chavez. Salahuddin Everett knocked out Ozzy Martin in the co-main. Preston LaGrange stopped Nell Ariano in the main event. Alivia Bierley won a decision and went home without a deal.
Miyaguchi is a Japanese bantamweight who had finished six of his seven wins before Tuesday. The height edge did not matter once the right hand landed. A Contender Series bid that started with a 7-1 record ended inside 63 seconds.
Soares fights at 135 pounds out of Brazil and was in tears after the hand was raised. The broadcast caught a 22-year-old who had just turned a short striking exchange into a roster spot. No first UFC opponent was named in the cage.
The right hand is the line on the tape. Soares leaves Las Vegas at 12-2 with a contract and a first-round knockout that did not need a second shot. Miyaguchi has the longer frame. Soares has the deal.
