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Most of the headlines in the aftermath of UFC 257 dealt with Dustin Poirier’s KO win over Conor McGregor. However, just as thrilling as that main event was former Bellator champion Michael Chandler’s UFC debut – a huge knockout of Dan Hooker that UFC President Dana White has declared was maybe the best debut in UFC history.
Every year sees a massive number of fighters debut in the UFC, but only a handful truly shine - so was Michael Chandler’s debut the best in UFC history?
It should definitely be considered up there with the greatest, but the following five UFC debuts might still put it into the shade.
Here are the 5 most impressive debuts in UFC history.
#1 Anderson Silva vs. Chris Leben – UFC Fight Night 5
When the UFC signed Middleweight Anderson Silva in the early part of 2006, the news almost flew under the radar.
At the time, The Spider wasn’t well-known by the new, casual fanbase that had flocked to the UFC following the TUF boom. And many hardcore fans only remembered his up-and-down tenure with PRIDE.
However, everyone’s eyes were opened when he made his UFC debut against breakout TUF star Chris Leben in the main event of UFC Fight Night 5.
Leben had put together a 4-0 record in the UFC and had built a reputation as an iron-chinned brawler who was almost impossible to stop. And The Crippler was confident too, warning Silva pre-fight that he ought to head back to Japan, “where the competition (was) easier.”
Yeah, right.
After just 49 seconds, Leben was unconscious, the first victim of Silva in the UFC. The Spider cut through the upstart with striking precision never seen before in the UFC, with a ridiculous 85% of his shots landing cleanly.
This was a debut that opened everyone’s eyes. Silva defeated Rich Franklin for the UFC Middleweight title just six months later, and the rest is history.
#2 Conor McGregor vs. Marcus Brimage – UFC on Fuel: Mousasi vs. Latifi
Plenty of future UFC champions made their UFC debuts in preliminary bouts. The likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Israel Adesanya impressed hugely on prelim cards before rising to fame. Still, nobody on a UFC undercard made quite the same impact as Conor McGregor.
The Notorious One was signed by the UFC for their March 2013 show in Sweden, becoming only the UFC’s second Irish fighter.
McGregor was largely unknown at that point, but coming into the show, he garnered some hype for his abrasive, brash attitude. And when he went nose-to-nose with opponent Marcus Brimage during the weigh-ins, some fans even gave him the comical nickname of Mick Diaz.
It didn’t take long at all for McGregor to make his impact inside the Octagon. He was far too sharp for the smaller Brimage, and after opening up on him with pinpoint punches, he knocked him out in just over a minute.
Post-fight, McGregor called for “50 G’s” in reference to the UFC’s bonus awards, and sure enough, Dana White obliged by awarding him the Knockout of the Night.
He probably didn’t realize at the time that The Notorious One would go onto become the UFC’s biggest-ever star. But it was definitely clear that McGregor had the potential to go all the way to the top.
#3 Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar – UFC 141
The UFC saw plenty of debuts in 2011, as it was the year that saw the WEC’s roster absorbed into the promotion. However, none of the WEC’s stars had the same impact that Heavyweight Alistair Overeem did upon arrival.
Overeem began 2011 as StrikeForce’s Heavyweight champion. But when the UFC bought that promotion out early in the year, the world began to clamor to see the Dutchman inside the Octagon.
Initially, the UFC resisted, suggesting that StrikeForce would run as a separate entity. Within months though, those plans changed. And while others like Gilbert Melendez and Gegard Mousasi remained with StirkeForce, The Reem was on his way to the UFC.
And the hulking Dutchman was given one of the biggest debut fights in UFC history, matched with former UFC Heavyweight champion – and the UFC’s biggest drawing card – Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 141.
Fans debated who would come out on top in the fight for months, but in the end, it was a one-sided massacre. Lesnar never got a chance to unleash his vaunted wrestling, as Overeem simply picked him apart from range, eventually finishing him off with a brutal kick to the liver midway through the first round.
Nobody – not even Cain Velasquez – had destroyed Lesnar in the same way as Overeem had done. It was a beating that destroyed Lesnar’s aura for years and sent him back to WWE.
And while it didn’t quite launch The Reem into superstardom, it definitely remains one of the UFC’s greatest-ever debuts.
#4 Joe Lauzon vs. Jens Pulver – UFC 63
When the UFC resurrected their Lightweight division in early 2006, names like Spencer Fisher, Yves Edwards, and Kenny Florian immediately began to grow in prominence. But the biggest news for the division came when it was announced that Jens Pulver had signed a deal to return to the UFC.
Pulver hadn’t fought in the UFC for over four years at that point. But prior to leaving, Lil Evil had held the UFC Lightweight title, making two successful defenses. In fact, he’d never lost the title inside the Octagon.
And so, despite the fact that he’d lost a handful of fights outside the UFC, he was expected to find himself back in title contention quickly. The UFC evidently thought so too, and at UFC 63, they matched him with unknown debutant Joe Lauzon.
Unfortunately for Pulver, nobody had told J-Lau that he was expected to lose the fight.
And so when fight time came, Lauzon came in with almost reckless aggression. He took the fight to Pulver, surprising him with his wild striking – and knocked the former champion out with a left hand after just 48 seconds.
It was a stunning upset, and one that marked the start of Pulver’s downward spiral and the start of a tremendous UFC career for Lauzon.
J-Lau never did win the UFC Lightweight title, but he still holds the record for the most finishes in UFC Lightweight history with 13 – a run that began with this tremendous debut.
#5 Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum – UFC 90
Back in 2008, the UFC’s Heavyweight division was still largely a work in progress. Finally emerging from the wilderness of the Tim Sylvia years, the likes of Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, and Shane Carwin had begun to break through, showing that the division had a bright future.
Not only that, but former PRIDE Heavyweight stars had begun to migrate to the UFC, too. One such star was Fabricio Werdum.
Although he’d disappointed in his UFC debut against Andrei Arlovski, by October 2008, big wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera had moved him back into title contention.
It seemed like one more win would probably give him a title shot, and when he was matched with unknown debutant Junior Dos Santos, a victory seemed like a formality.
However, Cigano clearly had other ideas. The two men exchanged strikes early on, and Dos Santos immediately looked like the more comfortable fighter. However, nobody expected what happened next.
As Werdum backed up, Cigano cracked him with a huge right uppercut that crumpled the renowned grappler. Werdum went down, ears wiggling, and Dos Santos quickly sealed the deal with some follow-up punches.
Werdum was knocked firmly out of title contention – and in fact, it was his last fight in the UFC for four years.
Dos Santos meanwhile followed up what was a huge upset – and one of the best debuts in UFC history – with a seven-fight win streak that took him all the way to the UFC Heavyweight title.
