Making it to the UFC is an achievement reserved for a privileged few. Placing yourself within the American company means having reached the elite of mixed martial arts (MMA). However, first impressions They are always very importantand in some cases, they define the future of a fighter. This is not always true, but stepping hard when entering Dana White’s company already creates a great halo around the athlete.
This year there have been many premieres, some being better than others. With just a few days to go before the end of 2024, the UFC has nominated four of these debuts as the best of the year for the ‘UFC Honors’ awards. The nominees have been Kayla Harrisonthe members of the season’s revolution team, the ‘Fighting Nerds’ Jean Silva and Carlos Prates and the china Wang Cong.
Of the four, Kayla Harrison’s debut was the most anticipated, due to her physical power and successful career in the PFL. In some parts, she was considered Amanda Nunes’s heir before she entered. This expectation was known to the company, so they made her debut against former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300, the most anticipated event of the year. The debutante went over literally on Holm, who could do nothing more than hold out until the second round, where she was submitted. With one more win in October against Ketlen Vieira, he is already expected to receive a shot at the championship.
The other two nominees, belonging to the same team, have caused a sensation in the MMA community. The first, Jean Silva, debuted in January against Westin Wilson, whom he dominated splendidly in the vertical fight to knock him out at the end of the first round. After that he would have two more fights, one on June 29 in which he knocked out Charles Jourdain, and another, July 13 in which he beat Drew Dober. For his part, Carlos Prates has improved even more than his partner’s year, with four fights, four endings and four bonuses of the night. But speaking specifically of his debut, he disconnected his rival, Trevin Giles, with a surgical left in the second round.
Finally, Wang Cong left the audience speechless when in just over a minute of the first round he disconnected his opponent, the American Victoria Leonardo. A right cross was the blow that ended the fight. However, contrary to the rest of the fighters on this list, the Chinese fell in his next match against Gabriella Fernandes, at the event that the UFC held in Macau. However, this does not mark out his impeccable first performance.
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