5 incredible short-notice UFC debuts

#4. Kevin Burns – UFC 85

Kevin Burns (right) pulled off a dramatic upset in his short-notice octagon debut

Some 14 years on from his debut, most UFC fans have probably forgotten Kevin Burns, or only remember him for his cheesy nickname of ‘The Fire’. However, it’s safe to say that the welterweight’s debut still stands as one of the all-time best short-notice ones.

Sporting a middling record of 5-1, Burns was signed by the UFC on just 10 days notice to replace Ryo Chonan in a fight with veteran contender Roan Carneiro. To say that this was a remarkably brave decision would be an understatement.

Not only did ‘The Fire’ need to cut a substantial amount of weight to make the 170-pound limit for the fight, but the event in question was also taking place in London, England. That meant Burns needed to cross the Atlantic on late notice, too.

Incredibly, though, when it came to fight time, Burns looked more prepared than his notice and experience levels could ever have suggested.

He struggled through the first round, as Carneiro took him down and dominated him on the ground - just as fans expected, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt did. However, in the second round, when ‘Jucao’ took him down again, Burns stunned everyone by locking up a triangle choke.

Carneiro himself seemed stunned by the move and was unable to escape. In a monstrous upset, the Brazilian was forced to tap out.

Burns didn’t go onto much more success in the octagon, ending his tenure there with a record of 2-3, but this short-notice debut remains one of the best of all time.

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#3. Dustin Poirier – UFC 125

A young Dustin Poirier made good on his octagon debut by destroying Josh Grispi

Widely recognized today as one of the UFC’s biggest stars, Dustin Poirier has defeated some of the greatest fighters of his generation in the octagon. He even held the interim lightweight title for a time.

2022 marks the 11th year in the promotion for ‘The Diamond’. It’s easy to forget that he actually made his debut there on late notice as part of the undercard of the first event of 2011.

Initially, UFC 125 would’ve seen the promotion’s first-ever featherweight title bout, with champion Jose Aldo defending against top contender Josh Grispi. However, Aldo picked up an injury that forced him out of the fight. On a month’s notice, Poirier was pegged as Grispi’s new opponent.

Given that he’d gone just 1-1 in his WEC run and had done nothing to stand out, very few fans were expecting a lot from ‘The Diamond’, particularly as Grispi held a record of 14-1 and had won 10 straight bouts.

However, the fight showed otherwise, as Poirier basically battered ‘The Fluke’ for three straight rounds, dominating him in every possible area of the bout and eventually winning a clear-cut unanimous decision.

While the later wins in his career would more than eclipse this one, it’s hard to play down what a huge victory it was at the time, particularly as it came on short notice.