Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Saturday’s UFC 251 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
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Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Division: Flyweight (competed at 129-pound catchweight)
Result: Raulian Paiva def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Record: (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D
Like many UFC debutants, Zhalgas Zhumagulov headed into his maiden octagon appearance with the deck stacked against him. But “Zhako” found himself dealing with more disadvantages than most.
The Kazakh fighter already knew he’d be conceding significant reach advantage to No. 14-ranked Raulian Paiva. But when the Brazilian missed weight by four pounds for their flyweight matchup, it meant the newcomer took on a man who didn’t have to go through the punishing final pounds of his cut.
Despite this, the 31-year-old produced a solid display on his debut as he battled the bigger, rangier man throughout the full 15 minutes.
Zhumagulov started pretty well as he looked to close the distance and connect with his honey punch, the right hook, early. But it quickly became apparent that the Kazakh was fighting an uphill battle against a much bigger man.
Then, with the seconds ticking down in the final round, a thumping Paiva kick planted all five of the Brazilian’s toes deep into the Zhumagulov’s groin. It left him in absolute agony as he tried to fight off the pain during his injury timeout.
Despite still being in clear discomfort, Zhumagulov returned to action and received a knee to the same region in the final seconds of the matchup.
The judges’ verdict added insult to Zhumagulov’s injury as he ended up on the losing end of a unanimous decision, with all three scorecards reading 29-28 in Paiva’s favor.
Ultimately, size proved a huge factor in the contest as the gritty Zhumagulov just couldn’t land enough offense to push Paiva. But his willingness to scrap will certainly see him in an entertaining flyweight fight or two as he looks to bounce back from his debut defeat.
Next up: Light heavyweight gets tough welcome in short-notice heavyweight bout
Maxim Grishin
Division: Heavyweight
Result: Marcin Tybura def. Maxim Grishin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Record: (30-78-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: E
Russian veteran Maxim Grishin marked the occasion of his 40th professional fight by making his UFC debut as he stepped in on short notice – and stepped up from his usual weight class of light heavyweight – to take on Poland’s Marcin Tybura at heavyweight. But his first taste of the octagon proved to be a bitter one as he ended up on the wrong end of a lopsided defeat.
The size differential between the pair was evident on weigh-in day, when the Russian tipped the scale 29 pounds lighter than his opponent, and Grishin found himself having to deal with the Pole’s size and weight advantage during a matchup that saw him struggle to establish a foothold.
Grishin was on the back foot throughout the three-round preliminary card bout as he was consistently backed up by Tybura, who threw only a few setup strikes as he looked to establish the clinch against the fence. That lack of striking offense from the Pole gave counter-striker Grishin little to work against as he struggled to let his own strikes go.
When the fight went to the mat, Tybura dominated top position with his heavier frame and grappling skills as he eventually took the Russian’s back and locked up a body triangle midway through the final round. Grishin looked out of ideas, but he managed to hold off Tybura’s late push for a finish to reach the judges’ scorecards.
They didn’t make for pretty reading for the debutant, however, as Tybura claimed a shutout decision victory, with scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 reflecting his dominance. Grishin was out of his weight class and out of his depth against Tybura, but his grit saw him through to the scorecards. He’ll be hoping his willingness to step up on short notice in a heavier weight class will have earned him a second chance. He’ll almost certainly want it at 205 pounds.
Next up: Russian lightweight endures a rollercoaster debut
Roman Bogatov
Division: Lightweight
Result: Leonardo Santos def. Roman Bogatov via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)
Record: (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D
To say that Roman Bogatov’s octagon debut was a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement.
The Russian started keenly, then showed a ton of heart as he somehow survived a second-round onslaught from Leonardo Santos. But then he lost his discipline in the final round as a trio of fouls led to a two-point deduction. Ultimately, the sanction didn’t affect the result, with all three judges scoring the fight two rounds to one in the Brazilian’s favor, regardless of the deductions.
Former M-1 Global lightweight champion Bogatov grinned and shook his head at Leonardo Santos’ attempt to hurt him to the body with kicks early on, and the Russian debutant seemed determined to disrupt the Brazilian’s rhythm throughout, via a combination of wild striking and constant forward pressure.
That pressure looked to be in vain midway through the second round when a flurry of right hands from Santos put Bogatov on the brink of defeat. But, with referee Marc Goddard watching very closely, Bogatov somehow survived the onslaught before eventually turning the tables on the exhausted Brazilian and finishing the round on top.
It gave Bogatov a glimmer of victory, but a thumping knee to the groin from the Russian in the opening seconds of Round 3 put the action on hold as Santos used almost all of his five-minute timeout to recover before the action resumed. When the fight restarted, Bogatov looked the fresher man and the debutant pushed the pace on Santos as he looked to score a come-from-behind victory, but a second low knee forced another injury timeout as the Russian was fortunate not to receive a point deduction.
Bogatov then went all out for the takedown on the restart, but he struggled to keep jiu-jitsu ace Santos on the deck as the Brazilian defended smartly, but then, inexplicably, the debutant threw a huge knee to the kneeling Brazilian’s head. It was a third clear foul, and forced a visibly frustrated Goddard to deduct two points from Bogatov for what he interpreted as an egregious foul.
It was a real mixed bag of a performance from the Russian, who suffered his first career defeat after losing his discipline in his desperation to grab a late finish. He’ll need to show better composure on his next appearance.
Next up: A big hitter makes a big first impression
Jiri Prochazka
Division: Light heavyweight
Result: Jiri Prochazka def. Volkan Oezdemir via knockout (punch) – 0:49, Round 2
Record: (27-3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: B+
Jiri Prochazka seemed to really soak in his first Bruce Buffer introduction ahead of his UFC debut, then turned in a performance against Volkan Oezdemir that showed off his unorthodox, yet effective, striking skills as he kicked off his UFC career with a spectacular knockout.
In an evenly-contested opening round, Prochazka displayed an array of bizarre mannerisms as he held his hands low and continually grabbed his right hand with his left before letting fly with off rapid-fire punches from a host of unusual angles.
Prochazka’s strange style wasn’t entirely without risk, however, and he was clipped on multiple occasions by the patient, more compact Oezdemir. But, despite being knocked off balance a couple of times by well-timed counters from the Swiss contender, the Czech debutant would not be denied.
The knockout came early in the second round, and it was a cracker. A superb right hand found its mark and instantly knocked out Oezdemir as Prochazka claimed a debut win to remember.
It wasn’t a flawless victory – he revealed in his post-fight interview his own annoyance at being clipped so often during the fight. But if he can show up and hand the No. 7-ranked contender his first knockout loss on a bad night, one can only imagine what Prochazka might achieve on a good one.
