Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For five athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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Christian Aguilera
Division: Welterweight
Result: Christian Aguilera def. Anthony Ivy via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:59
Record: 14-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC
Grade: A
You can’t really ask for a better, cleaner debut performance than the one we saw from welterweight newcomer Christian Aguilera, who exploded into the UFC’s 170-pound division with a hugely impressive display.
Matched against fellow debutant Anthony Ivy, Aguilera started the fight looking calm and composed as he threw out some range-finding punches to set his distance, while Ivy looked to establish his kicks from distance.
Aguilera took a couple of leg kicks but wasn’t unduly troubled, as he maintained his footing and worked out his timing for his counters. When they came, they were swift, powerful, and decisive as he scored a quickfire finish.
Aguilera answered a leg kick with a right-left combination as he rocked Ivy back against the fence. That was the opening Aguilera was waiting for, and he pounced on his opportunity. A solid right uppercut, then a trio of powerful right hands, finished the job as he clinically claimed an impressive debut win.
The temperament looked rock-solid, his composure was on point, and his killer instinct as soon as he saw his opening was deadly. All in all, it was a near-flawless performance from Aguilera, who claimed the 11th knockout win of his career, with 10 of them coming inside the first round, and six inside one minute.
Next up: A night to forget for “Aquaman”
Anthony Ivy
Division: Welterweight
Result: Christian Aguilera def. Anthony Ivy via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:59
Record: 8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: D
Anthony Ivy arrived in Vegas with high hopes of a big win to kick off his UFC career but in a nightmare debut, he ended up being put away early by Christian Aguilera in a fight where he barely got started.
Ivy looked to establish his range with leg kicks early on but got hurt by Aguilera’s powerful punches as he was finished in just 59 seconds.
In such a short debut appearance, it’s hard to offer a fair assessment of Ivy’s talents when he was clipped so early in the fight. Without doubt there’s much more for Ivy to show us inside the octagon, and “Aquaman” and his team may well treat his defeat at UFC on ESPN 10 simply as a false start, with his “real” debut coming in his next fight.
It wasn’t the way he would have wanted to start his octagon career but, given his body of work prior to signing for the UFC, it’s definitely way too early to rule out Ivy’s abilities in the octagon.
Next up: Kickboxer gets chin-checked on his octagon debut
Zarrukh Adashev
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Tyson Nam def. Zarrukh Adashev via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:32
Record: 3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: D
Former GLORY kickboxer Zarrukh Adashev arrived in the octagon with a solid striking reputation but ended up being finished in short order by heavy-handed Hawaiian Tyson Nam in a disastrous octagon debut.
Adashev’s striking background meant a standup clash was imminent, but the Uzbekistani fighter wasn’t able to leverage his kickboxing experience as he was finished in spectacular fashion
Adashev blitzed in with a three-punch combination as he looked to put Nam on the back foot early, but he was countered in spectacular fashion in the very next exchange. After having early success with his hands, Adashev looked to repeat the trick with his kicks, as he threw a powerful low inside leg kick. However, Nam answered immediately with a colossal right-hand counter that knocked out Adashev instantly.
It was the perfect illustration of how even seasoned strikers aren’t safe when competing in the smaller four-ounce gloves, as Nam’s counter right connected perfectly to score a huge knockout.
It was Adashev’s first knockout loss in either kickboxing or MMA competition and gave the debutant a nasty introduction to life in the UFC.
Next up: Short-notice debutant shows grit in abundance
Gustavo Lopez
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Merab Dvalishvili def. Gustavo Lopez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Record: 11-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: C-
The lyrics of Chumbawamba’s 2002 hit “Tubthumping” came to mind during Gustavo Lopez’s debut defeat to Merab Dvalishvili, as he was taken down time and time again, but kept getting up again as he refused to be finished in a gritty losing effort at the UFC Apex.
Ultimately, Lopez was outclassed by Dvalishvili, who is going to present real problems to the division’s top talent at 135 pounds. But although the scorecards may show a one-sided defeat, Lopez showed durability, grit and the right sort of attitude to have earned him more opportunities in a division packed with exciting possibilities.
Lopez was taken down 13 times during the fight and found himself in a nasty neck crank in the second round as Dvalishvili used his wrestling and grappling skills to dominate the American. But Lopez had some successes of his own, too. He stung Dvalishvili at the start of Round 2 with a big punch and threatened the Georgian with a guillotine choke almost immediately after escaping his neck crank predicament in the same round.
It showed that, while he was outmatched by Dvalishvili, Lopez may well have the ability to find success next time around. After stepping up on just a couple of days’ notice to put on a gritty display against one of the toughest prospects in the division, it’s a chance he certainly deserves.
Next up: Dominating debutant Mariya Agapova
Mariya Agapova
Division: Women’s flyweight
Result: Mariya Agapova def. Hannah Cifers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:42
Record: 9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC
Grade: A
After missing out on a contract following her defeat to Tracy Cortez on Dana White’s Contender Series, Kazakhstan’s Mariya Agapova claimed a pair of first-round finishes in all-female promotion Invicta FC to earn her spot on the big stage. And at UFC on ESPN 10, the 23-year-old took her chance with both hands as she claimed another first-round finish to defeat Hannah Cifers via submission on her UFC debut.
Despite the nature of the finish, it was Agapova’s striking that stood out as she showed off her slick boxing skills early, connecting almost at will on Cifers as she let fly with her fast, accurate hands in the early exchanges. She then started to mix knees into her attack as the pair closed the distance and fought from the clinch.
Agapova’s dominance of the standup eventually paid off when she connected with a huge head kick that dropped Cifers and sparked the sequence that eventually ended the fight. Cifers gamely bounced back to her feet and looked to clinch, but was clearly rocked, and Agapova took advantage. The Kazakh fighter moved to Cifers’ back, locked up a body triangle and sunk in a rear-naked choke as she dragged Cifers to the mat and forced the tap.
It was a dominant performance that showcased Agapova’s superb striking skills and gave a glimpse of her submission abilities as she created an opening for the finish, then took it clinically to claim a hugely-impressive debut victory.
After a performance like that, it’s hard not to be excited for what might be in Agapova’s future at 125 pounds.
