Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey feature in top 5 UFC debuts of all time as Kai Asakura looks to make history at UFC 310
12/04/2024 09:04 AM
This coming weekend at UFC 310, Kai Asakura looks to insert himself in the UFC history books by winning the UFC flyweight title in his debut fight with the promotion.
Earlier this year, the UFC announced the signing of RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura and confirmed that he would compete at flyweight.
Fans began to salivate at the thought of Asakura fighting Alexandre Pantoja in his debut, and not long after, the promotion confirmed their plan to have the Japanese striker fight ‘The Cannibal’ at UFC 310.
With that, the 31-year-old has the chance to make two bits of UFC history. With a win over the Brazilian on Saturday night, Asakura would become the first fighter to win a UFC title in his debut with the promotion.
Not only that but during the UFC’s incredible 31 years of existence, there has never been a Japanese champion, with Asakura hoping to become the first in history.
Let’s take a look at the top five UFC debuts of all time including huge names like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor.
5. Alex Pereira brutally knocks out Andreas Michailidis with a flying knee
The number five spot on this list is extremely hard to call. The reason Alex Pereira makes the list for me is because of the enormous success he has seen since joining the promotion, all beginning with a tremendous flying knee against Andreas Michailidis.
‘Poatan’ joined the UFC as an already established name because of his long history with Israel Adesanya and so there was a lot of anticipation for his debut, to see if he could back up his history.
The Brazilian subsequently went on to score one of the best KOs of 2021 after starching Michailidis with a brutal flying knee. Of course, the 37-year-old has since gone on to become one of the biggest names in the sport, all starting with his highlight reel KO in his debut.
4. Alistair Overeem pulls off the upset and beats Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut
After losing his heavyweight title against Cain Velasquez in 2010, Brock Lesnar was matched up with Alistair Overeem in the UFC 141 main event.
‘The Demolition Man’ had been making a name for himself in K1 Kickboxing and was on a tear in Strikeforce before being brought over to the UFC following the merger.
In his UFC debut, he was thrust straight into a five-round main event fight against Lesnar off the back of his title loss.
Overeem pulled off a big upset when he finished Lesnar in round one after a huge kick to the body and subsequent punches.
3. Anderson Silva begins his UFC career with a picture-perfect KO
In 2006, Anderson Silva marked the start of his incredible UFC career with a picture-perfect debut KO over Chris Leben.
Leben was 5-0 going into his fight against Silva, who had been making a name for himself on the regional scene wherever he could find a fight.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Silva heading into his UFC debut because he was well-known for his unique striking style and with that, there was huge anticipation building.
The Brazilian went in and put a stop to Leben’s 5 fight win streak, absolutely crippling him with ease in the first round, scoring a vicious knee to mark his debut with a win, going on to become the greatest middleweight of all time.
2. Ronda Rousey becomes UFC bantamweight champion
In 2012 Ronda Rousey became the first female champion in UFC history, in what was her debut fight in the promotion.
‘Rowdy’ Ronda was building herself into a huge star during her time in Strikeforce, and after winning the Strikeforce bantamweight title against Miesha Tate, Rousey became a household name in MMA.
With that, when Strikeforce merged with the UFC, Dana White recognized her as someone who could pioneer women’s MMA in the UFC.
Shortly after, Rousey was booked to fight Liz Carmouche in the UFC 157 main event and subsequently went on to submit her in round one, becoming the first-ever female champion in the UFC.
1. Conor McGregor begins his UFC career with star-making KO
UFC debuts don’t get much more special than Conor McGregor’s debut against Marcus Brimage back in 2013. After becoming double champion in Cage Warriors, White realised he needed to sign outspoken Irishman, McGregor.
He was given a fight against Marcus Brimage at UFC on FUEL TV 9 where he was given the chance to introduce himself to the masses.
Heading into his UFC debut, ‘The Notorious’ was a known trash talker which made the anticipation palpable as fans wanted to see if he could back up his words.
Of course, he did just that and went on to become the biggest name in the sport and one of the most famous combat sports athletes of all time.