Eliezer Kubanza, a former Dana White's Contender Series fighter, stopped former UFC fighter Trey Waters with a first-round knockout at PFL Chicago. The win is Kubanza's third straight by finish since his Contender Series loss in 2025.
Eliezer Kubanza kept his finishing streak alive at PFL Chicago, knocking out Trey Waters in the first round on Saturday.
The result is Kubanza's third consecutive win by stoppage since he lost on Dana White's Contender Series in 2025. A former Contender Series fighter, he now has a victory over a former UFC competitor on his résumé, and he got it inside one round.
Waters falls short
Waters, a 31-year-old from the United States who trains out of Ludus MMA, entered the bout with a 9-2 record. Nicknamed "The Truth," he fights from an orthodox stance and brings notable size to the cage, standing six-foot-five with a 77-inch reach.
His numbers show an active striker. Waters lands 6.39 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy, a high-volume output that makes the early stoppage notable. He is less of a grappling threat, averaging 0.4 takedowns per 15 minutes, though he does attempt 0.8 submissions in that span.
Why it matters
- Kubanza has now finished three straight opponents since his 2025 Contender Series defeat, showing a clear rebound.
- A first-round knockout of a former UFC fighter gives him a marquee name on his record at a PFL event.
- For Waters, the loss is his third setback and halts any momentum he hoped to build after his UFC run.
The finish adds to a recovery arc for Kubanza, who has turned the disappointment of missing out on a Contender Series contract into a run of decisive wins on a different stage.
