LAS VEGAS -- There wasn't much in Yuneisy Duben's back story to suggest she would steal the show on Tuesday in her flyweight bout at Apex on Dana White's Contender Series. She was 4-0 in MMA entering the bout, but not one of those four opponents had ever had a pro fight.
Duben entered the bout ranked 123rd pound for-pound out of 1,160 active women competing in Central & South American by Tapology. She nearly didn't make it to Las Vegas because she was so broke, she didn't have the money to travel. When she arrived, a mistake was made with her per diem and so a UFC staff member went grocery shopping for her.
Through all those turbulent and trying times, though, Duben never lost site of one thing: Knocking Clark out.
And on Tuesday, she scored one of the most spectacular knockouts in the seven-plus-year history of DWCS, throwing a blazing right that put Clark out cold at 1:13 of the first round.
Clark went down like she'd been shot and barely moved for a few anxious moments. So spectacular was the knockout that White didn't make Duben wait until after the show to find out that she'd earned her UFC contract. He told her when she came over to his side of the Octagon in celebration.
"What a night, huh?" a chipper White said as he arrived for his post-fight news conference. "That was some fun shit. I love this."
Matchmaker Mick Maynard had a lengthy chain of messages with Duben and her team talking about whether she'd even be able to make it to Las Vegas. That was in doubt almost until the final moment.
"I want to thank God because whatever needed to happen for me to be here, happened," she said.
All five winners -- Duben, Quillan Salkilld, Austin Bashi, Djorden Santos and SeokHyeon Ko -- were awarded contracts. Duben, Santos and Ko were all major underdogs.
This night, though, belonged to Duben, who is from Venezuela and trains in Peru. She started working at 12 years old and had her own business as a teen-ager to help finance her MMA dreams.
Yuneisy Duben was a +1000 Underdog tonight and came in like a BEAST with one of the nastiest KO’s in #DWCS History and the biggest upset in the show’s history in 1:13 of the first round. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! pic.twitter.com/3ikOMkCjzp
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 4, 2024
Before the fight, she didn't get up with her coaches and spend time hitting the mitts.Instead, she visualized knocking Clark out. In a sport where even the most casual athlete is very single-minded, she brought an intensity to the pursuit of the knockout that is rare.
She went off as a +1000 underdog at DraftKings sportsbook, which White called the biggest upset in series history.
"That's exactly what was happening," Duben said of her visualization. "It was not just here; all throughout [training camp] I was dreaming; I was visualizing, I was envisioning this happening. I was going to do it and I was going to do it that way. In the back when we were warming up, I'd raise my hand, envisioning. I'd say, 'The red corner is going to win,' and it happened."
Only time will tell if any of them will make an impact, but Duben will forever be remembered for the vicious KO that set the tone for one of the most fun episodes in the series' history.
When White was talking to Laura Sanko about who he chose to give contracts to, he joked that he didn't know if she had any of the other required skills to be successful in the UFC's women's flyweight division. He knew, though, that for sure she could punch.
"I don't know if she can grapple," White said. "I don't know if she can kick. I don't know if she can defend a takedown. But that was one of the most impressive knockouts I've ever seen."
Full Season 8, Episode results
Quillan Salkilld W3 Gauge Young, 29-28 twice, 30-27.
Yuneisy Duben KO1 Shannon Clark, strikes, 1:13.
Austin Bashi Sub2 Dorian Ramo, rear naked choke, 3:15.
Djorden Santos W3 Will Currie, 30-27 three times.
SeokHyeon KO W3 Igor Cavalcanti, 29-28 twice, 30-27.
• Bold indicates UFC contract winner.