You only get to make your Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut once!
Three rookies made their Octagon debuts last weekend (Saturday, March 7, 2026) at UFC 326 ‘Sin City’ at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The newcomers are 1-2 overall, with one of them earning a smooth submission win over his predecessor. Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner.
Now that we have everything in order, let’s evaluate the performance of each as shown below.
Alberto Montes He made his UFC debut by recording three consecutive submissions, including season nine. Contender Series That led to a contract. He continued his winning streak against difficult Octagon veterans. Ricky Tersios.
Montes defended an early takedown from Turcios, but then there was a three-minute straight scrap. And Montes got the better of the exchange, tagging Turcios with a crisp blow.
Montes was aggressive again in the second round and threw harsh kicks. Turcios went for a lazy takedown, Montes defended it, blocked the D’Arce choke, and put Turcios to sleep (see highlights).
That’s about as good a debut fight a fighter can ask for. You know, except for the highlight first round knockout. Montes showed a perfect game in just two rounds and immediately became someone to watch in 2026, as he will be very entertaining.
Montes has an elite ground game, very good striking, and a solid fighting IQ.
I want to see him fight. jack jenkins After two months at UFC Perth.
Expectations were high. Raphael TobiasWe signed a contract for season 9. Contender Series; Unfortunately, those expectations were not met.
The first round mainly consisted of Tobias missing several harsh looping left hooks and eating low kicks and straight left hands. Diyar Nurgozai. At one point a low uppercut landed, halting the fight for several minutes.
Tobias became more aggressive in the second stanza and attempted to take Nurgozhay down. However, Nurgozhay defended well (although he was fenced illegally). Midway through the round, Tobias landed a nasty combination that rocked Nurgozhay and led to a takedown. Nurgozhay eventually got back to his feet, and Tobias looked completely deflated heading into the corner.
Tobias didn’t do much other than absorb more tipping and calf kicks as his fatigue became evident in the final round. Although Suloev attempted to stretch late, time ran out and Nurgozhay earned a unanimous decision victory.
There were certainly glimpses that Tobias could still be a promising prospect, but the reality is that he faced someone fighting for his job. And ultimately, he wasn’t aggressive enough.
he could face Kevin Christian On his next outing.
Luke Fernandez He was tasked with opening the “Prelims” undercard of UFC 326. But unfortunately he ended up on the wrong side of a stoppage loss that ruined his undefeated record.
It was one of those games where Fernandes looked great…until he didn’t.
He could barely miss. Rodolfo BellatoAlthough he attacked the face with a heavy jab early on, he started to get a little too aggressive against the UFC veteran known for absorbing damage. That aggression cost him when Bellato landed a counter left hook that dropped Fernandez before lunging in to end the fight (see highlights).
I’ve previously highlighted Fernandez as a fighter to watch at UFC 326, but I also noted that he’s never faced a fighter as experienced as Bellato… The gap was clearly visible.
If Fernandez can’t beat Bellato in a favorable matchup, it raises some questions about his ceiling in the division.
he has to fight Tuco Tocos At his sophomore outing.