Chris Duncan, Four Others Nail Down UFC Roster Spots on Week 2 of DWCS

Chris Duncan’s commitment to a never-say-died creed paid massive dividends when it mattered most.

The Scotsman was one of five competitors to book their spots in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series, as he battled back from the brink of defeat to knock out Charlie Campbell on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Duncan (9-1) brought their marquee matchup to a shocking conclusion 1:43 into Round 1.

Campbell (6-2) had “The Problem” on rubbery legs with a series of ringing right uppercuts and seemed to be ticketed for a finish of his own. However, Duncan rose from his knees and connected with a devastating counter right hand. Campbell’s legs folded beneath him as he collapsed backward onto the canvas, his revitalized adversary in hot pursuit. Duncan then separated the Ray Longo disciple from his senses with two brutal follow-up shots on the ground.

Four other winners will join Duncan on the updated UFC roster: Vinicius de Almeida Salvador, Billy Goff, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Francis Marshall.

Salvador buried former Eternal MMA champion Shannon Ross with punches in the second round of their flyweight firefight. Ross (12-6) put up considerable resistance before bowing out 4:22 into Round 2, suffering his first knockout loss in more than a decade.

The 26-year-old Salvador (14-4) decked the Aussie twice in the first round, a sweeping left hook and a counter right hand his weapons of choice. Ross withstood his follow-up attacks and managed to force the Brazilian onto his back foot on more than one occasion. He stepped up his efforts and seized the reins for much of the middle stanza, where he cut loose with body-head combinations and even staggered the Marcelo Ribas protégé with a right hand. However, Salvador walked him into a counter right that had the Platinum Boxing Club export out on his feet. He followed up with punches, drove the dazed Ross to the canvas and prompted the stoppage.

Salvador has finished all 14 of his professional victories, 13 of them by knockout or technical knockout.

Meanwhile, Goff put away Shimon Smotritsky with punches in the first round of their welterweight pairing. Goff (8-2) brought it to a close 3:37 into Round 1, as the 27-year-old two-division CES MMA champion extended his winning streak to six bouts.

Smotritsky (8-2) floored the Mississippi native with a head kick inside the first 20 seconds and swarmed with ground-and-pound for a potential finish. It never materialized. Goff stayed composed, worked back to his feet and set out to turn the tide in his favor. He uncorked a beautiful three-punch combination to the head, pushed his counterpart to the fence and teed off with both hands until Smotritsky collapsed at his feet.

It was Goff’s third first-round finish as a professional.

Elsewhere, Cortes-Acosta kept his perfect professional record intact, as the Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder disposed of Danilo Suzart with punches in the first round of their heavyweight affair. Suzart (9-2) met his end 3:40 into Round 1, closing the book on his run of three consecutive victories.

The 30-year-old Cortes-Acosta (7-0) buckled the Brazilian with a straight right hand, gave chase with follow-up punches and enjoyed a brief rest in the clinch. The heavy-handed Dominican moved back into open space, sat down Suzart with a right hook the temple and pursued him to the canvas, where he sealed the deal with a burst of unanswered punches.

Cortes-Acosta has stopped his last three opponents.

Finally, Marshall remained undefeated with a clear-cut unanimous decision over Connor Matthews in a three-round featherweight tilt. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it for the 23-year-old Marshall (6-0): 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

Matthews (5-1) struggled with the speed and skill deficit with which he was presented, and successes were sparse for the United States Air Force veteran. Marshall dazed him on multiple occasions, connected with blistering multi-punch combinations, mixed in takedowns when the situation called for it and applied his ground-and-pound. By the time it was over, Matthews was bleeding from multiple cuts.