[autotag]Bruno Lopes[/autotag] was unwilling to let his second Dana White's Contender Series chance slip through his fingers.

At DWCS 67, Lopes (13-1) finished opponent [autotag]Mikheil Sazhiniani[/autotag] (13-3) with a series of body blows for a stoppage at 4:14 of Round 3. The light heavyweight bout was the third of the series' eighth season, which launched with its first card Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Sazhiniani had a strong opening round. As the fight progressed, however, the tables turned. Sazhiniani wore down and Lopes' body shots expedited the process of cardio failure. A big step-knee to the body by Lopes just prior to the finish hurt Sazhiniani. Seconds later, a body punch put Sazhiniani in visible agony. Lopes pounced and landed a series of punches to the midsection as Sazhiniani covered up.

Lopes, 31, makes good one year after he lost in a massive upset to Brendson Ribeiro on DWCS in 2023. After the loss, he returned to LFA where he defended his title in January with a second-round submission win.

Sazhiniani, 27, has a six-fight winning streak snapped. The Georgian light heavyweight had competed in BRAVE CF and Octagon among other promotions prior to Tuesday's bout.

The up-to-the-minute DWCS 67 results include:

• Bruno Lopes def. Mikheil Sazhiniani via TKO (body punches) – Round 3, 4:14

• Jose Delgado def. Ernie Juarez via knockout (knee and punches) – Round 2, 1:25

• Lone’er Kavanagh def. An Tuan Ho via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:35

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 67.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Bruno Lopes drills Mikheil Sazhiniani with body shot barrage at Dana White's Contender Series