After not signing Jonas Bilharinho, Dana White admits he will 'keep an eye' on the Brazilian fighter

J. Bilharinho (left) during a fight for the Contender Series Photo: Instagram

Even though he won with a brutal knockout in the fourth round, Jonas Bilharinho was unable to convince Dana White to give him a contract with the UFC. In an interview after the 'Contender Series' last Tuesday (02), the president praised the Brazilian fighter and revealed that he will observe the next steps of the featherweight division (up to 65,7kg) with a view to signing him in the future.

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“Jonas’ morale rose. He's 9-1 and maybe one of those organizations picks him that we talked about earlier, they don't have that much shine and probably won't. He'll have some fights at LFA or one of those shows and we'll take a look at him again. Him hitting that shot put him in a good place. He’s a free agent now, he can do whatever he wants and we’ll look at him again,” Dana said.

In the main fight of the 'Contender Series' last Tuesday (02), Jonas knocked out Canaan Kawaihae, in the fourth round, with a beautiful round kick. At 31 years old, Bilharinho is considered one of the biggest promises in national MMA in recent years, but he never managed to reach major international events. The featherweight has a record of nine wins, one setback and one draw.