Luke Fernandez (6-0 MMA) touched down in Enterprise, NV earlier this week hoping to have his career trajectory changed forever with his performance in Tuesday night’s DWCS 85. Inside the pared-down Octagon at the UFC Apex, he was tasked with Rafael Pergentino (5-1 MMA) in a light heavyweight bout.
Comes in the Contender series fight on Tuesday night, Fernandez had an 80 percent finishing rate. All but one professional fight in MMA resulted in a knockout.
As we’ve seen during the nine-year run of Duck, it’s not enough to just win the battle on a Tuesday night in late summer or early fall in Nevada. Luke Fernandez clearly understood the assignment.
Luke Fernandez makes quick work of Rafael Pergentino on Tuesday evening
Although Luke Fernandez’s Tuesday night fight against Rafael Pergentino was scheduled for three rounds of five minutes each at the Apex, this young man only needed a small portion of the allotted time to get the job done effectively. He landed a jab from the very first moment, following his opponent’s jaw with his right hand to put him down.
Fernandez smelled blood in the water and scored with a series of ground shots to force referee Jason Herzog to intervene. From a possible 15 minute move, Luke Fernandez ended the match in a blistering 15 seconds of vicious punching.
After the fight, it was announced on the broadcast that Fernandez’s knockout win over Pergentino is now the second-fastest knockout win in history. Contender series promotional history. This was just the beginning of an entertaining, action-packed Tuesday night in the Octagon at Enterprise.
All told, three of the night’s five fights ended via stoppage, with both participants in the match co-main event receiving UFC promotional contracts right after their fight ended.
Dana White awards Luke Fernandez UFC deal at Night’s End
It was just a formality towards the end of the show, but in his weekly magazine segment Along with analyst Laura Sanko, UFC CEO Dana White made it official.
“Let’s start with the first fight,” White began. “Obviously I didn’t get to see anything in this fight, but what I did You see, you treated a guy who was actually +800 (on the moneyline) as if he should have been +3000. You absolutely destroyed him, so I think I need to see more of what you can do in the UFC. Come here!”
Everyone who tuned in is watching Pleat about ESPN+ saw a promising prospect in action on Tuesday evening. If the Fernandez vs. Pergentino fight had been contested in the UFC, Luke Fernandez would have received a $50,000 (USD) advance after the show.
Luke Fernandez takes the stage for Presser
After his performance Tuesday night, Luke Fernandez met with the media to talk about Dana White’s comments to Laura Sanko.
“Part of me thought, ‘It was too short’ and he’ll say, ‘I have to see more,’” Luke Fernandez told the press. “I mean, it’s not on me in that sense. I can’t let the fight go on any longer. I got the first punch and that put him down and I finished [the fight]but I mean, it was a little nerve-wracking.
Fernandez considers his success Tuesday night the pinnacle of a career goal.
“It’s one of those things that every fighter dreams of when he starts out,” he said, “to make that journey and make those walks to the cage. To get that opportunity, to get a contract is everything. Me, my dad and my coach have talked about this in the past. We’re working towards one thing, and to now make it happen in the sense of ‘I’m here, I’m finally at the point where I can start climbing a ladder,’ that’s great. astonishing.”
Final thoughts
Considering Luke Fernandez suffered no damage in his win at DWCS 85 this past week, he could very well be on his way to a quick turnaround for his UFC debut. We could be talking about Fernandez getting ready to fight again at one of the last shows of this year or one of the early cards next year.
He has already won and defended the Cage Fury Light Heavyweight Championship in both the Professional and NextGen divisions, in addition to the Cage Fury BJJ No-Gi Cruiserweight Championship last summer.
With Fernandez’s impressive victory on Tuesday night at DWCS 85 at the UFC Apex facility, he has now reached the base of the stairs for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. How will he do on his climb to the top steps? Only time will tell.
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