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Callum Connor lost the decision but won the bigger prize after a three-round firefight with Piero Guaylupo at Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas. The Manchester lightweight was awarded a UFC contract alongside unbeaten Peruvian winner Guaylupo after a bout that left both men needing hospital checks and had Dana White on his feet.

Connor‘s first professional defeat did not stop his UFC dream. Guaylupo won every round on the scorecards, 30-27, after a lightweight fight packed with knockdowns, elbows, knees, spinning attacks and exchanges that rarely slowed down.

Guaylupo, 21, entered the cage unbeaten and put Connor under pressure from the opening bell, digging hooks to the head and body. Connor answered with varied striking and kept firing even after being dropped late in the opening round. He survived, reset and spent the next two rounds trading at a pace that turned the Contender Series bout into the night’s main talking point.

The numbers explain why the UFC brass reacted so quickly. The pair landed close to 400 significant strikes between them. White said their combined output would have set the record for a three-round UFC lightweight contest, had the fight taken place on a regular UFC card rather than the Contender Series. That was enough for White to hand contracts to both fighters.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 22: Callum Connor of England punches Piero Guaylupo of Peru in a lightweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 7 at Meta APEX on September 22, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Connor, 26, arrived in Las Vegas unbeaten at 8-0, with four straight wins in the UK promotion Full Contact Contender. He now moves to 8-1, while Guaylupo leaves with a 13-0 record and his own place on the UFC roster.

Callum Connor Earns UFC Deal After Record-Breaking DWCS Shootout With Piero Guaylupo

Connor learned he had signed for the UFC while receiving medical treatment after the fight. He later returned to speak with reporters, bruised and swollen but in good spirits, explaining that his team filmed the contract announcement beside his hospital bed.

The Manchester fighter said the result was not how he pictured his Contender Series moment. Connor expected to win in style, but credited Guaylupo’s durability and pressure. He said a late first-round knockdown changed the rhythm of the contest, though he never considered giving in.

“I had to claw my way back up,” Connor said. “There was no way I wasn’t dragging myself up off that canvas.”

Connor also pointed to a serious injury suffered last year, which limited his recent activity. The Guaylupo fight was only his second outing since that setback. He intends to take time for the swelling to settle, then return to Manchester Top Team and work toward an active first year in the UFC.

White called Connor vs Guaylupo a possible Fight of the Year contender and said both men had produced one of the best fights viewers could see on a Tuesday, Saturday or any other night. The UFC CEO’s verdict was simple: a fight of that level needs two people, and both had earned a deal.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 22: Piero Guaylupo of Peru reacts after a victory against Callum Connor of England in a lightweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 7 at Meta APEX on September 22, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

The result also made Contender Series history. Six fighters received UFC contracts from the five-bout card, including two competitors who officially lost. Connor and Jaden Ortega became the first losing fighters on the show to receive contracts on the same night. Ortega was beaten by Alvi Dasuyev, who also earned a deal. The card’s other contracts went to Damian Piwowarczyk, who stopped Emilio Quissua in the first round, and flyweight Marcos Degli, who submitted Paris Moran with a standing one-arm rear-naked choke.

Middleweight Norbert Novenyi Jr was the unusual omission: he beat Theo Haig by unanimous decision but did not receive a contract, with White saying he wanted to see more before bringing him into the promotion.

Connor enters the UFC with a loss on his record, but little damage to his stock. His willingness to stay in the fight after the knockdown, combined with the pace and volume of the performance, gave matchmakers a clear reason to take him. Guaylupo gets the official win, the unbeaten record and a contract.