One PFL New York winner did not do enough to impress UFC boss Dana White two years ago.
The first event since news of the merger between the PFL and Jake Paul’s MVP took place on Friday night at the UBS Arena.
Usman Nurmagomedov viciously knocked out Archie Colgan and Dakota Ditcheva outpointed Denise Kielholtz in the two headliners, while some notable names had their hands raised on the undercard.
That included one fighter who emerged from the cage victorious on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, but ultimately left without a contract.
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Former Dana White’s Contender Series winner Sean Gauci extends streak with PFL New York victory
The flyweight division has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, with a number of talented prospects making waves on the regional scene.
Among them is Sean Gauci, who collected two MMA titles by becoming the bantamweight and flyweight champion in Australia’s Hex Fight Series organization.
A six-fight winning run that included a victory over former UFC title challenger Steve Erceg netted Gauci a shot on DWCS. Despite winning, White did not see enough to award the Aussie a contract.
The 29-year-old has kept up his winning ways since then, most recently by getting the better of Allan Begosso in a bantamweight bout at Friday’s PFL event in ‘The Big Apple’.
After outpointing Liam Gittens in their Fight of the Year contender this past April, Gauci made it back-to-back unanimous decision victories since his DWCS appearance.
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Unlike his win earlier in 2026, Gauci’s triumph on August 1 drew some criticism, with fans describing it as lackluster.
“Gauci is good, but (it is) apparent why he is not in UFC.”
“Boring yet effective decision.”
“Crowd is booing Sean Gauci who is going to win 30-27.”
“Gauci not passing guard for three rounds…cut both. Boring.”
“What a boring fight.”
With the reactions in mind, the jury still appears to be out on whether or not White made the correct decision by denying Gauci a spot on the UFC roster for the time being.
2026-08-02 04:00:00
