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 14 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.
* * * * *
John Castaneda
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
John Castaneda may not have picked up the victory he would have hoped for in his short-notice UFC debut, the 28-year-old did an admirable job as he held his own against highly-rated British prospect Nathaniel Wood in their preliminary card opener.
Castaneda made good use of his leg kicks early and had particular success on his exits from the clinch. But “Sexi Mexi” also found himself caught by Wood’s strikes throughout a competitive opening round.
Castaneda’s aggression continued in the second round as the Minnesota native pushed forward, but that willingness to step forward saw him present a relatively easy target for Wood to hit and a slick three punch combination from the Brit left him with a cut above the right eye.
He was forced to switch to orthodox from his usual southpaw stance as a result of Wood’s thumping leg kicks, but the debutant kept pushing forward and applying pressure, despite coming off second best in the exchanges.
Encouraged to “fight like a lion” by his corner, Castaneda did just that in the final round as he returned to southpaw and loaded up on his strikes. But Wood’s slicker, more relaxed striking continually punished Castaneda when he stepped into striking range.
All in all, it was a solid debut against a fighter who has been tipped to go a long way in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Next up: Low strike output costs German debutant dear.
Niklas Stolze
Division: Welterweight
Result: Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 39-28)
Record: (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
Despite coming in on short notice to take on Ramazan Emeev, Germany’s Niklas Stolze showed plenty of composure to avoid a sustained choke attack in the first round, then threatened with a guillotine of his own before dropping the Russian with a huge knee right at the end of the round.
It gave Stolze a real shot of confidence heading into the second round, but the German’s pace noticeably dropped, giving Emeev the chance to take control of the action. It looked almost as if Stolze was waiting for an opening to explode, but he seemed a little wary of opening up with his strikes. His only real success in the round was his calf kick, which left Emeev with a noticeable knot on the outside of his lower leg.
Stolze worked his way out of trouble against the cage early in the final round, then started to let his shots go. A crisp right hand found its mark, as did a well-timed knee, but Emeev’s relentless pursuit of clinch effectively nullified the German’s chances of registering a late stoppage. Even a hail mary guillotine attempt couldn’t halt Emeev’s path to victory.
In the final reckoning, Stolze’s relatively gun-shy display left him on the wrong end of a unanimous decision, but he showed plenty to suggest that better performances are within reach, if he can up his output in his next octagon appearances.
Next up: British heavyweight scores quickfire finish.
Tom Aspinall
Division: Heavyweight
Result: Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45
Record: (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A
Heavyweight debuts don’t really get much quicker, slicker, and more impressive than the performance served up by Tom Aspinall, whose first win in the UFC was just about as clean as you could wish for.
Lined up against Jake Collier, Aspinall took a few seconds to assess his opponent, then landed a big knee to the body before unleashing a beautiful rapid-fire two-punch combination.
Both shots landed cleanly, with the second – a thumping straight right – sending Collier to the deck. One more strike on the ground was all it took to put the seal on an outstanding debut from the Team Kaobon heavyweight, who has bags of potential after just 10 professional fights.
After his win, Aspinall said he had no intention to rush his career, but if he follows up on his debut win with a similarly-impressive display next time around, it might not be long before the UFC’s matchmakers are tempted to throw him in with some of the division’s more well-known names.
Next up: Comeback KO halts encouraging debut.
Jai Herbert
Division: Lightweight
Result: Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30
Record: (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C+
Former Cage Warriors lightweight champion Jai Herbert faced a serious test of his mettle in the first round against evergreen veteran Francisco Trinaldo, but showed impressive composure to ride out the Brazilian’s early pressure, before showing his striking acumen in fine style. But, ultimately, the British newcomer fell victim to “Massaranduba’s” power as he was caught by a colossal third-round shot that deprived him of a memorable debut victory.
After a tricky opening round that saw him on the defensive as Trinaldo threatened with submissions, Herbert came out in Round 2 and instantly dropped his man with a fastball right hand. The Brit then showed his confidence in his own grappling as he followed the Brazilian to the mat and took his back in search of a rear-naked choke submission. Once the action returned to the feet, Herbert stung Trinaldo with multiple straight shots and connected with some solid knees up the middle as he lit up “Massaranduba” with strikes.
It set things up perfectly for a crucial final round, and it looked like Herbert was sticking and moving his way to a decision victory when Trinaldo connected with a huge right hook that knocked him out from the moment it landed. Despite his stiff backward fall to the canvas, referee Herb Dean inexplicably didn’t call the fight and, even though Trinaldo clearly stopped to allow the official to step in, the fight continued as the barely-conscious Brit received four unnecessary strikes before the fight was finally called.
It meant Herbert’s UFC career started with a TKO defeat, but his performance against one of the toughest operators in the lightweight division offers a ton of promise for what’s to come as “The Black Country Banger” looks to bounce back in his next appearance.
Next up: A talented newcomer endures a nightmare debut.
Rhys McKee
Division: Welterweight
Result: Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:09
Record: (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: E
Northern Ireland’s Rhys McKee couldn’t have been handed a trickier assignment for his octagon debut, as he was given the task of facing a man who had already fought, and won decisively on “UFC Fight Island” just 10 days earlier.
Short-notice debutant McKee didn’t even get a chance to connect with a single strike as he was instantly taken to the mat by Khamzat Chimaev, who then proceeded to dominate the former Cage Warriors athlete on the canvas before battering his way to a ground-and-pound TKO victory.
McKee remains a solid addition to the UFC, and may well consider his options at both 170 and 155 pounds moving forward, but against a man who looks ready to cause major problems to ranked opposition at welterweight, it’s hard to be overly critical of “Skeletor’s” debut.
From watching McKee on the UK/European scene I personally know he’s a much better fighter than we saw in Abu Dhabi, and I expect that will become more apparent the next time he steps into the octagon.
