Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For two athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 20 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 Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
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Loma Lookboonmee
Division: Strawweight
Result: Loma Lookboonmee def. Alexandra Albu via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Record: (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A-
Loma Lookboonmee was emotional following her split-decision win over Alexandru Albu (a result which had absolutely no business as anything but a unanimous nod, by the way), and rightfully so as the first Thai fighter signed to the promotion.
Lookboonmee’s pedigree as a muay Thai stylist was clear from the start, punishing her opponent with lashing kicks and showing dangerous elbows and knees in the clinch. While she’s relatively early in her MMA career, Lookboonmee boasts some 16 years of experience in combat sports, and comfort level in competition is clear.
Albu is a fighter who has traditionally been able to overpower her opponents, and while she appeared to be the stronger fighter, Lookboonmee had the technique in the clinch to stay upright despite multiple attempts. What we didn’t see from Albu were traditional wrestling takedowns, and I’ll be anxious to see how Lookboonmee deals with those moving forward.
On the feet, Lookboonmee is comfortable retreating and firing, and understandably so with her slick technique on the feet. There’s no question that her standup game will match well with anyone in the division, but if a striker is comfortable at a high volume and with constant forward pace, they may find some openings, as Albu did score with power on occasion.
Still, Lookboonmee is a welcome addition to the UFC and appears to have plenty of upside. Hopefully she will also help bring other seasoned Thai fighters – in both the men’s and women’s divisions – to the octagon.
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Don’Tale Mayes
Division: Heavyweight
Result: Ciryl Gane def. Don’Tale Mayes via submission (heel hook) – Round 3, 4:46
Record: (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C+
Don'Tale Mayes didn’t exactly get the easiest opponent to face off with in his UFC debut. Ciryl Gane shows some real promise and is probably going to be a problem in the heavyweight division for quite some time to come. With that in mind, I wouldn’t necessarily look at Mayes early evaluation as a true concern.
There were some positives to take, despite the rather one-sided loss. For a big man, Mayes was moving well on the feet, showing a commitment to switching stances and offering different looks. His physique appears to be improving from his three appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series, showing an ability to focus and grow as his career develops. He also showed quite a chin – and liver – after repeatedly fending off big shots from a powerful foe. Of course, durability is not quite something you want to hang your hat on when competing at heavyweight.
Mayes did slow a little bit in the third, but it seemed inevitable given the pace of the contest and the damage he took along the way, rather than standing out as giant red flag.
In short, Mayes appears to have something going, and there are plenty of other heavyweights in the division that would allow him to show those wares. Gane is not that guy.
