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 on ESPN+ 22 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 Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo.
* * * * *
Tracy Cortez
Division: Women’s bantamweight
Result: Tracy Cortez def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Record: (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: B+
When it comes to heartbreaking backstories and a fighting spirit forged through struggle, Tracy Cortez can’t be ignored. As she proved on her entry into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, she’s willing to scrap under any circumstances, traveling to Brazil to compete on foreign soil in her UFC debut and even moving up 10 pounds so she could get on the card.
On the feet, Cortez shows real promise with her striking, flashing impressive power and accuracy with her boxing against Vanessa Melo. The downside in that range was that she was available to be countered in those exchanges, in the old “take one to give one” approach doesn’t generally lead to long UFC tenures, so she’ll want to dial the in a bit. Still, her willingness to engage was certainly entertaining.
Cortez also shows a willingness to turn to the grappling when needed, spending nearly the entirety of a round of this fight in a controlling position in the clinch. While that doesn’t entertain as much as the striking, I see promise in a fighter willing to be disciplined to a gameplan when it’s effective.
Overall, I think a move back down to 125 pounds may be the right move for Cortez, and there are some defensive tactics that need to be tweaked, but it seems some promising days are ahead for this newcomer.
Isabella de Padua
Division: Women’s flyweight
Result: Ariane Lipski def. Isabella de Padua via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
Record: (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: B
Is it even fair to issue a grade for a woman who stepped in on less than 48 hours’ notice? Had Isabella de Padua gotten absolutely smoked in her debut, it would be easy to give her a pass, considering she was in that exact situation. With Ariane Lipski’s aggressive start, it seemed de Padua might meet that exact fate, but she proved she wasn’t willing to go away that easy, even on a night with a built-in excuse.
But it wasn’t just heart that de Padua displayed. She showed that she’s a danger on the floor, as well. Well-timed takedowns proved the perfect foil to Lipski’s aggressive striking, and once on the ground, de Padua was constantly looking for options from all angles. Even when she did find herself on the bottom, de Padua proved incredibly sticky and made it difficult to just tee off with strikes without worrying about what was coming back in reply.
Even further to her credit, de Padua fought until the end, earning the third round on the MMA Junkie card, as well as one of the three judges’ scoring cageside, as well.
Lipski has struggles in the grappling game, so perhaps I’m getting a little too excited about what de Padua was able to accomplish in the clash, but with the deck stacked completely against her, I was impressed with the resiliency shown. I don’t necessarily envision championship potential here, but I see a fighter who could be very tough for anyone moving forward.
Andre Muniz and Antonio Arroyo
Division: Middleweight
Result: Andre Muniz def. Antonio Arroyo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: Andre Muniz (19-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: B-
Record: Antonio Arroyo (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D+
A pair of Brazilian fighters who made their way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, there was some excitement about this fight, especially with the two competing in their native country. Unfortunately for all involved, the contest just didn’t really pan out as hoped.
Andre Muniz is a gifted grappler, and that was on full display throughout the affair. Unfortunately, long gone are the days when laying on your back and beckoning an opponent to jump in your guard is considered an acceptable approach. Meanwhile, Antonio Arroyo is an incredibly powerful striker, but he didn’t get much of a chance to show it – and even more concerning, he played an active role in that shortcoming by refusing to back away when Muniz was prone.
Perhaps it was the clash of styles that caused such a weird flow between the two, but neither fighter truly shined. Muniz did show decent striking in the moments he was willing to engage on the feet, but he can hardly be blamed for not wanting to stand in the face of his opponent’s thunderous kicks. For that reason, he gets credit for fighting a smart fight.
Arroyo doesn’t get that same pass. He executed poorly in his debut, but his decision making was perhaps more questionable than his physical approach. Raw power isn’t enough at the highest level, and he’ll need to show more next time out.
