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Top 5 UFC Debuts of the Year 2021
It has been another action-packed year for the UFC. Many fighters were released, and many were added. Numerous rising prospects from around the globe made their UFC debut in 2021, but only a few managed to make an impressive first impression.
Here are the top 5 Debut that stood out the most among the competition.
5. Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov is the first entry on the list. He made a notable debut at the beginning of the year back in January. The Dagestani fighter is the cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He currently trains with his fellow Dagestani comrades, which include Khabib, Usman Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov.
In his debut UFC matchup, he faced Sergey Morozov and claimed a second-round win with a clean rear-naked choke.
Cousins Khabib and Umar Nurmagomedov made their UFC debuts exactly nine years apart.
Both submitted their respective opponent with a rear naked choke pic.twitter.com/3w9on2g1Cb
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021
With this fight, his kicking and grappling power were clearly visible. The 25-year-old now has a clean record of 13 wins in his pro-MMA career.
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4. Ian Garry
Ian Garry instantly made headlines with his first bout in the UFC cage. Given his performance and his nationality, as well as his post-fight speech, people are calling him the new McGregor. Besides being Irish, Garry, just like Conor McGregor, is a former Cage Warriors champion.
He debuted at Madison Square Garden during the UFC 268 show against Jordan Williams. While Williams was dominant in the beginning, Garry secured an impressive finish in the dying seconds of the opening round.
NOT HERE TO TAKE PART.
@IanGarryMMA just had his MSG moment on DAY ONE. #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/Gv4IvkxPa9
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 6, 2021
What made the knockout more impressive was that he already predicted a late stoppage in the first round. Following his win, ‘The Future’ moved to 8-0 in his pro MMA career.
Predicting ‘The Future’?
Ian Garry (@iangarryMMA) told me this week he’d get a late stoppage in the first round of his #UFC268 clash with Jordan Williams.
Boy did he make good on that prediction.
Watch this space, folks. pic.twitter.com/HW15DQmiWj
— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) November 7, 2021
3. Paddy Pimblett
Another fighter enjoying the hype train is Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett. With his attractive personality and fighting prowess, he made an unforgettable debut in the UFC at UFC Vegas36.
Although the match started with Pimblett being on the back foot, he soon turned the tables by crashing Luigi Vendramini with a barge of punches leading to a KO. The English fighter put on a performance with his head kicks and spinning attacks.
The cage-side view of Paddy Pimblett winning his UFC debut pic.twitter.com/2cgW29zTQE
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) September 5, 2021
Besides his spectacular performance, he made a very interesting post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. He now has 17 wins and 3 losses in his entire pro-MMA career.
2. Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira made his UFC debut with one of the nastiest strikes of the year. The 34-year-old Brazilian is a former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He starched his opponent, Andreas Michailidis, with a crazy jumping knee at UFC 268. The finish came at 18 seconds of the second round.
FLYING KNEE KNOCKOUT FOR ALEX PEREIRA
Stream #UFC268 next on @ESPNPlus https://t.co/BEEAJLbQ87 pic.twitter.com/A4GSCHeEZ2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 7, 2021
‘Poatan’ made his UFC debut amidst much fanfare as he had secured two kickboxing wins over current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Given the manner of his win, it is safe to say that he did not disappoint.
1. Michael Chandler
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Dan Hooker of New Zealand punches Michael Chandler in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Michael Chandler easily tops the list for the best debut of 2021. His dominance as a 155 lbs fighter outside UFC was already established as he won the Bellator Lightweight Championship thrice.
Chandler’s UFC debut was against Dan Hooker at UFC 257. With a brutal left hook, Hooker was dropped halfway through the very first round.
Do you agree with this list? Has any other fighter had a more impressive debut? Let us know in the comments below.
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