WATCH: Phillip Hawes Stuns Dana White With Spectacular One-Punch KO Win At Dana White’s Contender Series

Phillip Hawes greatly impressed UFC President Dana White in his second appearance at Dana White’s Contender Series. “Megatron” faced off against Khadzhimurat Bestaev and maintained a prominent forward pressure right from the opening bell of the scheduled bout. He landed a thunderous right hand just 78 seconds into the contest that folded Bestaev to the canvas. Hawes landed follow-up strikes, forcing referee Chris Tognoni to step in and mercifully waive off the fight.

The show is in its sixth week and has consistently produced high-level exchanges between top prospects. Not to mention, a significant chunk of the competitors have earned a contract by impressing the long-time UFC boss. White was certainly impressed with Phillip Hawes’ performance, and he couldn’t help but contain his excitement over the one-punch power on display.

Prospect Phillip Hawes crushes Khadzhimurat to impress UFC’s Dana White

The 6’6” fighter in Khadzhimurat is oversized for his weight class and often uses his size to dictate the range. However, the takedown threat posed by Hawes had the American Kickboxing Academy fighter second-guessing himself. Moreover, this allowed the Contender Series returnee to step in with the highlight reel worth right hand.

Chiefly, Phillip Hawes made his first appearance back in August 2017 on week four of the very first season. He lost the fight by head kick KO in the second round of his scheduled contest. Since then, the 8-2 fighter accrued three straight wins in prominent promotions such as Bellator and Brave CF. Consequently, his impressive stints were enough to earn a call back to the Contender’s Series.

Dana White’s Contender Series has been producing sensational performances and opening the door to prospects. Several prominent fighters have emerged from the show, including Sean O’Malley and Dan Ige, to name a few. The show affords fighters a platform to go out and earn spectacular finishes and possibly wrangle their way onto the biggest stage. What’s more, Phillip Hawes will be hopeful that his recent performance can provide similar results for him.

Based on White’s reaction, a contract is a foregone conclusion.