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The UFC is the world's biggest MMA promotion, and so it stands to reason that even highly-rated champions from other promotions often struggle in their octagon debut.
Some big signings, though, were able to break through the noise to deliver the goods in their UFC debut, turning them into superstars in the process.
So, where greats like Shogun Rua, Hector Lombard, and Luke Rockhold all struggled in their octagon debuts, these other fighters thrived.
Here are five big UFC signings who delivered the goods in their debut fight.
#5. Kayla Harrison - UFC bantamweight contender
The latest big signing to make a splash in their UFC debut was Kayla Harrison.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo was signed away from the PFL earlier this year in what was a major coup for Dana White and company.
However, despite her huge credentials, there were major questions around Harrison coming into her first fight.
Not only did many fans doubt that she'd be able to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit after competing most of her career at 155 pounds, but she was also seen as a can crusher of sorts.
Against former titleholder Holly Holm, though, Harrison had absolutely no issues whatsoever.
Not only did she bully 'The Preacher's Daughter' on the feet, whether that was via striking or from the clinch, but she also completely overpowered her en route to a second-round rear naked choke submission.
Based on this debut, it seems likely that a bantamweight title shot - and probably a title win - should follow for the Olympian. Showing no kind of octagon shock whatsoever, Harrison's debut was one of the best in years.
#4. Alistair Overeem - former UFC heavyweight contender
Back in 2011, with Fedor Emelianenko on a downward spiral, the heavyweight star that everyone wanted to see in the UFC was Alistair Overeem.
'The Reem' had blown himself up to insane proportions after fighting his early career at 205 pounds in PRIDE and had claimed heavyweight titles in DREAM and StrikeForce, as well as winning the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix in kickboxing.
Finally, it was announced that the Dutchman had signed with Dana White and company in the latter half of the year. More importantly, he'd been signed to fight former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.
It wasn't an easy assignment for Overeem's octagon debut, particularly as Lesnar was the one fighter who was more physically imposing than him.
However, 'The Reem' came into the fight with unbelievable confidence, shrugged off an early shot from Lesnar, and then kicked the hell out of his surgically repaired midsection until he folded in the first round.
It was a remarkable showing from the Dutchman, and while he never added the UFC heavyweight title to his collection, his debut remains one of the all-time best from a big signing.
#3. Michael Chandler - UFC lightweight contender
Many of the big-name signings who ended up flopping in the UFC simply came there slightly too late. The likes of Takanori Gomi and Ben Askren were, realistically, past their prime when they disappointed in their debuts.
When former Bellator lightweight titleholder Michael Chandler inked a deal with the promotion in 2020, it felt like he was destined to join those disappointments.
'Iron Mike' was once considered one of the world's most feared 155-pound fighters, but a handful of losses in Bellator suggested that he might've taken too much damage for his own good.
Therefore, while plenty of fans thought he could beat the dangerous Dan Hooker in his octagon debut, a number of others believed he'd lose.
In the end, though, not only did Chandler win, he did so in absolutely incredible style. 'Iron Mike' cracked 'The Hangman' with a leaping left hook that knocked him across the octagon and finished him off seconds later.
A charismatic post-fight promo followed, and unsurprisingly, a new star was born.
Chandler has since gone on to fight most of the top lightweights in the promotion and will now face the biggest star of them all - Conor McGregor - later this year. None of this would've been possible had he not delivered the goods in his debut.
#2. Ronda Rousey - former UFC bantamweight champion
It's probably fair to say that former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was already a star when she made her UFC debut at the start of 2013.
'Rowdy' had won the StrikeForce bantamweight title at the start of 2012 and had quickly become one of the most popular fighters in MMA.
When Dana White and company decided to amalgamate StrikeForce's roster into their own the year after, then, Rousey was crowned the first UFC bantamweight champion before even fighting in the octagon.
That meant that when she was matched with Liz Carmouche in her first defense, the pressure was on her shoulders like no other.
If she were to lose to 'Girl-Rilla', then all her hype and popularity would probably have evaporated.
Thankfully, 'Rowdy' delivered the goods. She fought out of a bad position when Carmouche attempted to secure a rear naked choke and eventually locked up her trademark armbar to force a tapout in the first round.
The fight was hugely entertaining, and unsurprisingly, Rousey went on to become one of the biggest stars in the promotion's history, just as White and company had hoped.
#1. Anderson Silva - former UFC middleweight champion
It's definitely arguable that the greatest octagon debut from a big signing came from future middleweight kingpin and UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva.
Although he'd lost a handful of fights in PRIDE, 'The Spider' brought a huge reputation with him to the octagon thanks to a series of wildly flashy wins in the UK's Cage Rage promotion.
Those losses in PRIDE, though, gave Silva the air of a mercurial talent who perhaps couldn't cope with the pressure on the big stage.
In his debut against Chris Leben, that couldn't have been further from the truth.
In an absolutely flawless performance, 'The Spider' dismantled Leben in just 49 seconds.
Somehow, the Brazilian landed basically every one of the 17 strikes he threw, barely ate anything in return, dropped 'The Crippler' twice, and finished him off with a painful knee to the head.
It was the first time that the iron-jawed Leben had ever been stopped, and it stunned those fans across the world who hadn't seen Silva in action before.
He won the middleweight title in his very next fight, and the rest is history.
