Yusaku Kinoshita did his part to connect the talent pipeline from his native Japan to Dana White’s Contender Series.
The onetime Pancrase headliner was one of five competitors to nail down an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract on Week 6 of DWCS, as he buried Jose Henrique Sosa with punches in the third round of their welterweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sosa (5-1) checked out 43 seconds into Round 3.
Kinoshita (6-1)—the first Japanese fighter to ink a UFC deal on the series—successfully navigated three-inch height and 7.