‘I’m shocked’: MMA fighter earns UFC contract after impressing Dana White

THIS MMA fighter walked away from a humble fight night with a huge UFC deal after seriously impressing president Dana White.

This was the moment Rodriguez sealed his contract with the UFC.

IT’S probably fair to say this is the most important knee kick UFC hopeful Mike Rodriguez has ever landed.

The 28-year-old wrecking ball arrived at Dana White’s Contender Series Wednesday (AEST) with one goal: leave with a UFC contract.

Rodriguez began his light heavyweight bout against Jamelle Jones rather shakily, cautiously defending his opponent’s take-down attempts for the first half of the first round.

But he wasn’t mucking around for long.

Rodriguez pulled off a killer flying knee kick to Jones’ face, sending the 29-year-old flat on his back and wide open for the barrage of punches that followed.

The referee immediately stood in to the end the fight as the UFC president prepared the pen and paper for Rodriguez’s entry into the UFC.

Congrats to Michael Rodriguez and Alex Perez on their UFC contracts!!! #ContenderSeries pic.twitter.com/EYtHryE7Jp

— Dana White (@danawhite) August 9, 2017

“I’m shocked. I’m just shocked,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie after the win. “But I felt it. I knew I was going to get it.

“(Jones) is big as hell and he’s strong. He’s also a wrestler, so I was kind of wary about his take-downs and everything. Then something clicked in my mind and I thought ‘f**k him, you go out there and do what you gotta do’.”

Rodriguez pinpointed the moment he knew Jones was ready for a flying knee to the face.

“So I saw him move and (he started) flinching every time I did something,” he said.

“So I threw a punch — and he flinched — and I said ‘done, flying knee’. I took it home, that was it.”

Rodriguez wasn’t the only one to leave the fifth fight night in the Contender Series with a contract, either.

Flyweight machine Alex Perez brought the crowd to its knees early on in his bout, finishing opponent Kevin Gray inside the first round.

Perez submissed Gray at the 2:54 mark with a killer anaconda choke, impressing Dana White enough to offer him a place in the lightest men’s division in the UFC.

WOW!!! Alex Perez gets the impressive finish in round 1 on @DanaWhite's #ContenderSeries! #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/Fr0ASHxlUc

— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) August 9, 2017

Dana White’s Condender Series has offered big futures to a number of up-and-coming MMAstars.

Julian Maruqez stunned the crowd with a ridiculous kick to bring down Phil Hawes during last week’s instalment.

The middleweight powerhouse belted Hawes with a series of punches and forced him to retreat to the edge of the Octagon.

What followed was nothing short of gladiatorial.

Marquez shot up his leg with a lighting-fast kick, smashing Hawes in the face and immediately knocking him out cold.

The fight referee stood to protect the motionless Hawes as the crowd erupted.

The UFC boss was so impressed with the plucky 27-year-old that he offered him a contract with the promotion as soon as he completed the fight.

White was forced out of his seat, screaming in excitement, as Maruqez sealed the win.

“I didn’t fight for Dana White. I fought for myself,” Maruqez said after the fight.

The most vicious knock out you will ever see @JMarquezMMA vs @FollowHIMthenme last night on #ContenderSeries on @UFCFightPass!!! pic.twitter.com/jpJSirvi3Q

— Dana White (@danawhite) August 2, 2017