Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For three athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 13 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression those fighters made on the sport’s biggest stage from Golden1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
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Brianna Van Buren
Division: Strawweight
Result: Brianna Van Buren def. Livinha Souza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A
Standing at just 5-feet tall, the diminutive Brianna Van Buren doesn’t strike the most intimidating presence physically, but her game certainly sends a strong message. Earlier this year, Van Buren won three fights in a single night while competing under the Invicta FC banner, earning the respect of MMA hardcores. Those who weren’t on the bandwagon already probably will be after Saturday night.
Van Buren was phenomenal from the outset, showing no intimidation as Livinha Souza tried to get in her face at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins or when “The Brazilian Gangster” tried to turn their preliminary bout into a brawl.
Van Buren was effective on the feet, accurate and powerful with her aggressive boxing. But she certainly wasn’t out of her element on the floor, either, showing expertise both offensively and defensively in a few grappling exchanges. Strawweight is an incredibly deep division, so it will take a few wins before her name is considered among the true contenders of the weight class, but Van Buren’s is certainly a name to remember.
John Allan
Division: Light heavyweight
Result: John Allan def. Mike Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Record: (14-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: C+
John Allan has power in his punches, there’s no doubt. He’s also not afraid to take a few shots to give his own, which could prove to be problematic against the light heavyweight division’s top fighters.
Against the towering Mike Rodriguez, Allan had little choice but to wade through the shots in order to get close enough to land his own. The Brazilian showed some of his ground skills, as well, but he didn’t always seem to make the best decisions, going to guard when selling out on a guillotine, for instance, which can prove very unwise if given the proper opponent.
While both men seemed to tire a bit over the course of 15 minutes, Allan was definitely the fresher man toward the end. His grit can’t be questioned, and he seems willing to stand and bang with anyone, which should mean he’ll be involved in some fun fights during his UFC tenure. However, nothing stood out as a potentially elite part of his game, meaning he’ll have to refine his techniques moving forward if he hopes to compete with the absolute best.
Wellington Turman
Division: Middleweight
Result: Karl Roberson def. Wellington Turman via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Record: (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
Let’s get one thing clear: I do not believe Wellington Turman did not lose this fight. Nine out 12 media scores tracked at MMADecisions.com had this fight for Turman, with him seemingly surviving some opening round issues to battle back to take the final two frames and what should have been a 29-28 result in his favor.
That said, it’s not so much the result that concerns me in regards to Turman’s potential but rather his execution during the 15-minute affair. The Brazilian was outclassed on the feet, but against a speedy and powerful Roberson, that’s understandable. But on the floor, he seemed to lack that true killer instinct, getting Roberson into bad positions but unable to close the deal. Perhaps I should be giving more credit to Roberson for his escapes, but with submission artists, I prefer to see athletes who strike fear in their opponents when exposing their neck or limbs.
Too many Roberson escapes from bad spots for my liking, and Turman should thank his lucky stars that his opponent inexplicably stood over him for some 20 seconds at the end of the fight rather than trying to finish him with strikes. I don’t think Turman was outclassed on the night, but I have some question marks moving forward.
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