Modestino Rodrigues Signs With The UFC

Modestino Rodrigues impressed the UFC brass on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series this week, earning himself a promotional contract with a lightning-fast first-round knockout.

Rodrigues entered the fight with a 7-1 professional record, having mostly competed in Brazilian MMA leagues alongside a stint in kickboxing at Brazil's 2025 K-1 World Grand Prix. His opponent, American Brandon Holmes (6-1), was making his second attempt at securing a UFC deal through the Contender Series.

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Rodrigues wasted no time, pressing forward from the opening bell and putting his striking on full display. A quick three-punch combination capped by a sharp left hook visibly staggered Holmes, and Rodrigues immediately followed up, continuing to push forward and unload shot after shot until a final right hand sent Holmes crashing to the canvas. The referee stepped in to stop the fight at the 15-second mark of round one.

The finish ties Rodrigues for the second-fastest knockout in Contender Series history, trailing only Alonzo Menifield's eight-second knockout on season two of the show back in 2018 — a performance that also earned Menifield his own UFC contract and has since developed into a career at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight.