Undefeated Ronald Humphrey Earns UFC Contract With First-Round Submission
Undefeated Ronald Humphrey earned a UFC contract Tuesday by submitting Alexis Miranda in the first round of Dana White’s Contender Series. The 25-year-old welterweight finished the fight with a rear-naked choke at 4:03 of Round 1 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, staying 5-0 and giving White a finish worth standing for.
The bout opened the second slot of Season 10, Week 3, also listed as DWCS 89. Humphrey, fighting out of American Top Team Sandy Springs near Atlanta, walked in as a prospect with four knockouts already on his record. Miranda (9-3), representing Mexico, had more fights and still could not get out of the first round.
Humphrey mixed takedowns with heavy shots from the start. Miranda kept scrambling back to his feet, and Humphrey kept putting him on the mat.
A jab put Miranda down. An elbow opened a cut that left blood on the canvas, and Humphrey took the back for the choke that ended it.
Referee Gary Copeland called the tap at 4:03. MMA Junkie’s live coverage had White out of his chair for the finish, then giving Humphrey a standing ovation.
The broadcast booth was already sold. Michael Bisping, calling the fight cageside, made his read as soon as the choke was in.
“He’s the real deal,” Bisping said. “He’s nasty.”
Laura Sanko had used a sharper word even earlier, calling Humphrey’s style “downright sadistic” in the opening minutes. The blood and the finish did not walk that back.
Humphrey used the post-fight interview to skip the usual Contender Series thank-you and talk about the UFC welterweight title. He treated the Miranda win as a warning, not a debut.
“I’m fcking next,” Humphrey said. “You all better fcking watch out. … Whoever has the 170 belt – you’re done.”
He then explained the elbow that turned the cage into a mess. The rest of the message was aimed at every 170-pounder between him and a championship fight.
“My fcking existence is a declaration to warn any and everybody who’s gonna try to stop my title run,” Humphrey said. “Get in my way. It’s up… I threw an elbow; I didn’t know that sht was going to land like that, but it did. That’s a lot of blood. Weirdly enough, this sh*t is like chicken blood; whatever, I’m eating it… Each and every one of you all are finished; you’re burned. Whoever is at 170 pounds, you’re burned. Remember my name.”
That is Humphrey talking, not a matchmaker. He is still a 5-0 Contender Series signing with no UFC debut booked.
What is confirmed is the finishing rate. All five of his professional wins have ended inside the distance, and he has gone past Round 1 only once.
His last two regional fights were first-round stoppages. He TKO’d Liam Hamill at CFFC 151 in March, and he knocked out Dupree Stewart at LFA 219 in October 2025.
White signed him as part of a five-contract night. Nick Galanti, Sean Clancy Jr., Guilherme Uriel, and Alex Apodaca also got deals after a card that produced four finishes.
The UFC welterweight division is already crowded. Humphrey’s tape, and the way he talks about it, will put pressure on the matchmakers to find out whether that violence holds against ranked opposition.
No debut date has been announced. Season 10 continues weekly in Las Vegas through mid-October, with Humphrey now on the roster, still unbeaten, and already calling his shot at 170 pounds.