5 highly touted prospects who lost their UFC debuts
This weekend at UFC 285, one of the most highly touted prospects in a long time, standout wrestler Bo Nickal, will make his octagon debut.
Whether Nickal is successful against Jamie Pickett remains to be seen, but over the years, a number of highly touted prospects have entered the UFC for the first time and fallen to defeat.
Some of these prospects went on to have successful careers with the promotion, even holding titles. Others, meanwhile, outright crashed and burned.
Here are five highly touted prospects who lost their UFC debuts.
#5. Uriah Hall – former UFC middleweight
During the filming of the 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which was aired in early 2013, UFC president Dana White could hardly keep quiet about the prospects of one of the fighters on the cast.
Labeled the ‘TUF Beast’, this fighter, according to White, had terrified his castmates and cut a path through them to the finals, which seemed set up for him to win.
When the series began, it was easy to see which fighter White was talking about.
Uriah Hall, who came into the series boasting a 7-2 record, destroyed Adam Cella with one of the most explosive knockouts ever seen in the octagon, a turning hook kick that left him on a stretcher.
If you listen closely you can hear Uriah Hall's heel hitting Adam Cella's jaw in this GIF.
#TUFFinale https://t.co/HAZW45VkQI
‘Prime Time’ then went on to dispatch Bubba McDaniel and Dylan Andrews, and it seemed academic that he’d shellack the smaller Kelvin Gastelum in the finals and quickly become a contender for the UFC middleweight title.
However, it didn’t happen like that at all. Hall fought a strangely flat bout against Gastelum and, despite a couple of strong moments, lost a split decision. It was a debut loss that nobody could’ve seen coming.
Hall did end up having a relatively successful career in the octagon. He won 10 bouts there and resided in the top 10 at 185 pounds for lengthy stretches. However, he never quite reached the heights that had been suggested when he starred as a prospect on TUF.
#4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou – former UFC light heavyweight
Back in 2007 when he signed with the UFC, it might’ve been a stretch to label light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou as a highly touted prospect.
After all, ‘The African Assassin’ exploded onto the scene in PRIDE earlier that year, knocking out two of the best 205lbers in the world in the form of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona.
However, the fact that he only had five professional fights to his name with a record of 4-1 and was just 23 years old definitely meant that he felt like a future superstar.
When he was finally inked by Dana White and company after turning down a move to K-1, it felt like a huge coup. His octagon debut against Lyoto Machida that December even threatened to steal a show that featured a fight between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.
Unfortunately for Sokoudjou, it didn’t work out that way. His explosive striking was exposed as badly lacking in technique by Machida, who schooled him en route to a second-round submission.
It was a hugely deflating way for ‘The African Assassin’ to debut, and his career never really recovered. He did win his second bout in the octagon, knocking out Kazuhiro Nakamura, but a loss to Luiz Cane saw his tenure with the promotion come to an abrupt end.
These days, Sokoudjou is renowned as one of the promotion’s all-time biggest busts, something that seemed inconceivable prior to his debut.
#3. Greg Hardy – former UFC heavyweight
Former NFL linebacker Greg Hardy was definitely a controversial pick-up for the UFC thanks to a checkered past that involved domestic violence accusations. However, it’s fair to say that he was seen as a highly touted prospect, too.
‘The Prince of War’ was huge, fast, athletic and clearly hit like a truck. When he quickly destroyed his first three foes, two on Dana White’s Contender Series, even fans who found his history unpalatable couldn’t help but admit his potential in the cage.
White himself was clearly sold on the former NFL man. Less than a year after his first professional fight, Hardy found himself positioned in the co-headliner of the UFC’s first event on ESPN in his octagon debut.
To say it didn’t go to plan would be an understatement. Faced with a beatable opponent in journeyman Allen Crowder, Hardy gassed out early on when he couldn’t score a quick knockout.
Crowder talking to Hardy in the Octagon, then lands a flurry of punches on him! Wow! #UFCBrooklyn https://t.co/Iaoq01D96X
Crowder quickly began to gain confidence, and even took Hardy down late in the first round. By the second, it became clear which way the fight was going – but Hardy took matters into his own hands by knocking his foe out with an illegal knee.
‘The Prince of War’ was immediately disqualified, turning his highly touted debut into a disaster. Hardy did go on to win some fights in the octagon, but never truly developed his skills. 2022 saw him cut from his contract after losing three in a row.
#2. Josh Grispi – former UFC featherweight
When the UFC announced that the roster of its sister promotion WEC would be joining the big show at the start of 2011, fans across the world were excited.
Not only did it mean that the world’s best featherweights and bantamweights would be competing in the octagon, but it meant that stars like Urijah Faber and Jose Aldo would be arriving.
One of the hottest prospects at the time, though, was featherweight Josh Grispi.
‘The Fluke’ had exploded onto the WEC scene in 2008 with a record of 11-1 and quickly marked himself out as a potential star with big win over the likes of Mark Hominick, Jens Pulver and LC Davis.
Despite only turning 22 at the end of 2010, it seemed like his future was bright. So, Dana White and company decided to put him in a featherweight title bout with Aldo in his octagon debut.
Unfortunately for Grispi, it wasn’t to be. Aldo suffered an injury, forcing the cancellation of the fight. With that, the largely unheralded Dustin Poirier stepped in to replace the Brazilian.
Many fans expected ‘The Fluke’ to walk through Poirier and go on to his title shot, but ‘The Diamond’ had other ideas. He beat Grispi from pillar to post over 15 minutes, ruining his debut in the promotion and knocking him out of contention.
Jan1.2011
11 years ago today,
Dustin Poirier made his UFC debut & defeated Josh Grispi. https://t.co/psNLEoFu0R
From there, it was all downhill, as he lost his next three bouts in the octagon before being released from his contract. After being convicted of serious domestic violence in 2014, ‘The Fluke’ has not fought again.
#1. Brock Lesnar – former UFC heavyweight champion
As is the case with Bo Nickal’s upcoming octagon debut this weekend, it’s always a big deal when a highly touted prospect from the world of amateur wrestling hits the UFC for the first time.
In the case of Brock Lesnar, though, the spotlight was even brighter.
Not only was Lesnar one of the most outstanding collegiate wrestlers of his era, winning an NCAA Division I title as a heavyweight in 2000, but he’d made his name in WWE, becoming the organization's youngest-ever champion in 2002.
By 2004, though, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ had become tired of pro wrestling, and departed WWE for pastures new. After a failed attempt to break into the NFL, he turned his hand to MMA. After a single fight in Japan, was inked to a big contract with the UFC.
Dana White and company clearly had high hopes for Lesnar, who offered the heavyweight division a level of explosive athleticism never really seen before. With that in mind, they matched him with former champion Frank Mir in his octagon debut.
It seemed like a task too far for such an inexperienced fighter, but remarkably, Lesnar proved that he was almost up for the job. He took Mir down and smashed him with heavy punches and elbows in the early going, and even knocked him down with a punch at one point.
However, after an ill-advised referee stoppage for punches to the back of the head, Lesnar’s momentum was disrupted as the fight restarted. He left himself open and Mir snatched up a kneebar, forcing Lesnar to submit moments later.
Tamed the beast! #OnThisDay - Frank Mir was the ultimate spoiler in Brock Lesnar's UFC debut 😳
[ Watch more classic fights on @UFCFightPass ] https://t.co/YibWQJpjG3
It was a devastating loss for him to suffer, particularly after he’d fought so well. In the end, it didn’t matter. He won his next two fights, claiming the heavyweight title in the process, and went on to avenge his loss to Mir in his first defense.