Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For seven athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 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 Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va.
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Spike Carlyle
Division: Featherweight
Result: Spike Carlyle def. Aalon Cruz via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1.25
Record: (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A
Spike Carlyle certainly isn’t an average MMA featherweight, and he gave us a glimpse of his potential with an impressive quickfire finish of fellow debuting prospect Aalon Cruz.
“The Alpha Ginger” danced his way to the octagon and giggled his way through Bruce Buffer’s introduction before blasting Aalon Cruz to a first-round TKO defeat in a performance that was as impressive as it was clinical.
After Cruz had started with a succession of range-finding kicks, Carlyle stunned Cruz with a superb leaping left high kick of his own as he closed the distance and looked to rough up the taller, leaner man at close quarters.
Cruz looked to grab a double-leg, but the California native stuffed the takedown and connected with a huge elbow behind the ear that clearly rocked his opponent. A host of elbows later, Cruz was on the mat with Carlyle unloading a barrage of punches until the referee dived in to call it after just 85 seconds.
All in all, it was hugely impressive against a man who had produced a highlight-reel performance in Dana White’s Contender Series to earn his UFC deal. Carlyle proved he certainly deserved his, then showed his unique personality with a short, to-the-point post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
Carlyle looks like a man who’s going places, and we may find out more about how fast and how far when he gets his next assignment, which might come pretty quickly.
Aalon Cruz
Division: Featherweight
Result: Spike Carlyle def. Aalon Cruz via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1.25
Record: (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D
Every fighter dreams of making a big impression on their UFC debut. Unfortunately for Aalon Cruz, that dream turned into a nightmare in Norfolk when he ran into a strawberry blond buzzsaw called Spike Carlyle.
Blessed with four-inch height and seven-inch reach advantages, Cruz looked to make his superior range pay as he opened up with a few kicks from the outside to test the distance. But he was rocked with a big head-kick, stunned by a big elbow, then finished with a barrage of ground strikes as Carlyle’s power overcame Cruz’s range in emphatic fashion.
We know from Cruz’s eye-catching performance in the Contender Series last summer that he has slick striking and excellent kicking techniques. But he was roughed up at close range, and the fact that all three of his career losses all came with Cruz on the mat perhaps highlights the area in need of most improvement if he’s to move forward and make full use of his striking skills.
TJ Brown
Division: Featherweight
Result: Jordan Griffin def. TJ Brown via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:38
Record: (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
The octagon is a tough place to learn your trade and, despite an otherwise impressive debut performance, TJ Brown discovered that one technical mistake can leave you unconscious on the mat.
“He kept exposing his neck on the double-leg,” said the man who defeated him, Jordan Griffin, and that, in a nutshell, was the story of the fight.
Brown had looked impressive throughout, as he dropped Griffin in the opening seconds with a superb right hand, then bossed the action on the ground as he maintained top position and kept Griffin on the seat of his pants and pressed up against the fence.
But, while he was dominating with his wrestling, he also gave a glimpse of his Achilles heel. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping identified it immediately in commentary, as he pointed out that Brown left his neck exposed when shooting for takedowns, and that technical misstep didn’t go unnoticed by Griffin, who twice grabbed the debutant’s neck and nearly snatched a first-round submission with a pair of tight looking guillotine attempts.
To his credit, Brown escaped both of those predicaments but, when he was trapped in a third guillotine midway through the second round, there was no escape as Griffin choked him unconscious.
Overall, Brown showed that he has the sort of athleticism that could give him a chance to progress in the UFC, but he’ll need to address those technical holes to give him the best chance to use his wrestling and physicality to its fullest.
Steve Garcia
Division: Lightweight
Result: Luis Pena def. Steve Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
Stepping in on short notice is always a big ask, especially in the UFC. But to move up a weight class and accept a fight on six days’ notice against a fired-up Luis Pena? That’s a different level altogether.
That was the task facing debutant Steve Garcia in Norfolk, but the Rio Rancho native, who usually competes at bantamweight or featherweight, showcased his grit and an impressive gas tank as he took “Violent Bob Ross” all the way to the scorecards.
Sure, he ended up on the wrong end of a lop-sided unanimous decision, but Garcia showed plenty to suggest that, with the over-exuberance of a UFC debut out of his system, he could deliver an exciting performance or two inside the octagon in future outings.
Garcia impressed with his striking early in the first round as he repeatedly connected with his punches, but when Pena changed levels and took the debutant to the mat, it was one-way traffic.
Pena dominated on the mat and spent long spells of the three-round bout on Garcia’s back, with the body triangle locked up. It meant Garcia could do little more than fend off Pena’s submission attacks, while looking to score with unorthodox over-the-shoulder punches.
Garcia showed his grit as he toughed his way through a couple of face cranks, but did well not to allow himself to get too frustrated and expose his neck. He also showed he has a submission or two in his arsenal, too, as he caught Pena in a triangle choke at the start of the final round.
Ultimately, Garcia couldn’t secure the finish and he ended up losing 30-27 on all three cards on what would have been a frustrating night for him. But with his grit, composure and some lively hands, Garcia could well prove to be a problem against different opposition next time out.
Kyler Phillips
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Kyler Phillips def. Gabriel Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A-
Keep your eyes on Kyler Phillips.
The bantamweight debutant put on a superb performance to win all three rounds on all three scorecards against Gabriel Silva as he showcased his easy-on-the-eye striking arsenal and big-game temperament in a display that bodes well for his future at the top level.
Phillips looked completely devoid of nerves on his octagon debut as he let loose with an array of strikes in the early part of the fight, including a spinning back kick inside the opening 20 seconds that drew gasps from the Norfolk crowd.
With Silva looking to push the pace, Phillips seemed happy to fight off the back foot, connecting with strikes, while effectively stuffing the Brazilian’s takedown attempts.
As the bout progressed, it became clear that Silva was going nowhere, and the two engaged an exciting back-and-forth battle, with Phillips fighting excellently off the back foot while the gritty, durable Silva continued to march forward throwing strikes. The debutant showed plenty of smarts on the mat, too, as he threatened with a kneebar in Round 2, then a D’Arce choke in Round 3 as he showcased his full array of skills in a complete performance. The only thing missing was a finish.
It all added up to a “Fight of the Night” matchup that earned both men well-deserved $50,000 bonuses. But it was Phillips who was the star attraction in the matchup as he claimed the victory to open up a plethora of exciting possibilities in the talent-rich bantamweight division.
Darrick Minner
Division: Featherweight
Result: Grant Dawson def. Darrick Minner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:38
Record: (24-11 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-
He may not have picked up the win, but Darrick Minner’s UFC debut on just 11 days’ notice showed that his grappling chops warrant respect.
Despite being told by opponent Grant Dawson that he didn’t belong in the UFC, Minner came out looking to prove a point, and put his trash-talking opponent under pressure for long spells in the first round as he relentlessly pursued an early submission.
Minner started fast and immediately chopped Dawson’s legs hard with a leg kick, before going for a quickfire guillotine choke, then an armbar, as he looked to surprise Dawson early. Minner then looked for another guillotine as he locked up a tight choke, but Dawson positioned himself in side control to alleviate the pressure and end up on top, before finishing the round strongly
Minner locked up a standing guillotine early in Round 2 and went to his back once again in search of the finish, but when Dawson popped his head out, Minner was left trapped on the mat. And when Dawson transitioned to Minner’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke, the tap came quickly as Minner fell to an early-round submission in the second stanza.
If there was one criticism of Minner, it was his over-eagerness to go for the guillotine, a move that, unless you finish the fight, can often leave you in a disadvantageous position. But his positive approach, coming in at such short notice against a man who missed weight, deserves credit.
Hopefully he’ll get a full camp for his next fight and he’ll get another chance to showcase the skills that have taken him to 21 submissions from his 24 career wins.
Norma Dumont
Division: Women’s featherweight
Result: Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:31
Record: (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D
Norma Dumont arrived in the octagon for her UFC debut with no shortage of self-belief, but she left it with her confidence dented and a first loss added to her record.
Despite having no knockout wins to her name, Dumont came out aggressively at the start of the first round against towering featherweight contender Megan Anderson, as she let fly with a salvo of heavy-looking punches. But her open boxing guard was exposed when a slick Anderson jab snapped back the Brazilian’s head and led to the pair clinching against the fence.
Dumont worked hard in the clinch to force her weight against Anderson, who answered with a knee to the Brazilian’s chin. And when the pair eventually returned to the center of the cage, it was Dumont who looked noticeably the more fatigued.
That tiredness was illustrated when the Brazilian threw a slow, lazy-looking kick. Anderson saw it, and reacted accordingly as she stepped in and beat Dumont to the punch with a rapid right hand that knocked out the Brazilian.
Dumont looked strong and powerful early, but appeared to lose her explosiveness in the clinch. Then, with her speed clearly curtailed after the early exchanges, she was caught clean by a perfectly-timed punch.
Was it too much, too early for a fighter who had only four fights to their name, or was it a case of a fighter going too hard, too fast and leaving themselves open? Either way, it was Dumont’s first career defeat and one that may prompt a rethink. Bantamweight may potentially be an option for the Brazilian, but regardless of her weight class, a calmer, more considered approach in her next fight should allow us to see the best of “The Immortal” next time around.
