Rookie Report Card: Grading all Octagon newcomers UFC Abu Dhabi post-mortem

You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!

Six rookies stepped into the Octagon yesterday (Sat., July 25, 2026) at UFC Abu Dhabi inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Collectively, the newcomers went 5-1, with a couple of them leaving “Fight Island” with memorable performances and a few others raising more questions than answers.

Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective performances below:

Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki

There was a ton of hype surrounding Magomed Zaynukov’s UFC debut — a.k.a. “John Pork” — and while it was not a picture-perfect performance, it was still a very solid first impression.

Zaynukov collided with fellow rookie, Damian Rzepecki, in a battle of undefeated prospects, and it was ultimately Zaynukov who handed “The Butcher” the first professional loss of his career with a dominant unanimous decision.

Rzepecki relentlessly marched forward throughout the fight, but Zaynukov consistently beat him to the punch with sharp counters, front kicks and a vicious assortment of elbows.

Those elbows became the story of the fight in round two as Zaynukov rocked the former FEN champion, opening a nasty cut above his right eye. Rzepecki continued advancing despite his increasingly bloodied face, but Zaynukov repeatedly punished him with elbows and front kicks, while shutting down most of his takedown attempts.

Rzepecki’s toughness carried him to the final bell, but Zaynukov’s accuracy, poise and damaging offense earned him a lopsided debut victory.

Look, Zaynukov probably is not going to become a UFC champion, but that does not mean he cannot be useful. He might crack the Top 15 at some point, and even if he does not, he should be fun to watch because of his offensive style.

For his second UFC outing, I would like to see “John Pork” take on Jai Herbert — hopefully when UFC returns to Abu Dhabi in October.

Final grade: B

As for Damian Rzepecki, it was a rough debut, but not a hopeless one.

Yes, he got shut down. Yes, he was bloodied up. And yes, he clearly struggled to deal with Zaynukov’s sharp counters and elbows.

But, Rzepecki also showed the reason(s) he had hype coming into UFC. He is tough, aggressive and willing to walk through fire to make a fight ugly. That style can win fans, even if it did not win him this fight.

The big concern is that his pressure did not come with enough defensive responsibility. Zaynukov was able to time him over and over, and against better UFC competition, that could get ugly fast.

Still, Rzepecki is exciting, durable and should have a fun UFC career if matched properly.

For his second outing, give me Rzepecki versus Dom Mar Fan.

Final grade: C

Abubakar Vagaev

Abubakar Vagaev got the call to UFC largely because he is teammates with Khamzat Chimaev.

And honestly, I still do not really understand why.

Vagaev grinded out a competitive unanimous decision over Saygid Izagakhmaev in his UFC debut, earning three identical 29-28 scorecards. The former ACA champion immediately imposed his wrestling, repeatedly driving Izagakhmaev into the fence and controlling him on the canvas throughout the opening round.

Izagakhmaev found more success as the fight progressed, landing the cleaner strikes in round two and threatening multiple submissions after taking Vagaev’s back and mounting him late in the third. However, Vagaev’s persistent takedowns, clinch control and physical pressure were enough to sway all three judges.

So, yeah, he won.

But, if UFC is all about exciting fights nowadays, why in the hell would it sign someone with 20 decision wins in 25 career fights?

Beats me.

Vagaev feels like he is going to be another boring Russian wrestler who floats around UFC’s roster, beats a few prospects, frustrates everyone and eventually gets released because nobody wants to watch him fight.

That might sound harsh, but this debut did very little to change that perception.

I guess he could fight Seok Hyeon Ko, who just lost at UFC Oklahoma City.

Final grade: C-

Muhammad Saidov

One of the biggest bright spots among UFC Abu Dhabi’s rookies was Muhammad Saidov, who delivered a sensational debut by overwhelming long-time veteran, Dustin Jacoby, en route to a second round technical knockout (watch highlights).

And he did not fight scared at all.

The undefeated Russian showed zero fear of Jacoby’s decorated kickboxing background, staggering him with a right hand in the opening round while mixing in creative spinning attacks and powerful kicks.

Saidov turned up the pressure in the second stanza, opening a cut near Jacoby’s left eye before hurting him with a body kick and dropping him with a perfectly-placed head kick. Jacoby managed to return to his feet, but Saidov swarmed him with a relentless combination of punches and another head kick until the referee stepped in.

That was a statement.

Saidov improved to 10-0 with nine finishes, including seven knockouts, and in an absolutely dire Light Heavyweight division, he is a refreshing addition.

He is powerful. He is crisp. He is dangerous. And, most important, he is actually fun.

There is obviously still plenty to learn about him, especially defensively and in extended grappling exchanges, but as far as UFC debuts go, this was excellent.

For his second UFC outing, give me Saidov versus Rodolfo Bellato.

Final grade: A+

Magomed Tuchalov

Magomed Tuchalov was the second-biggest favorite on the card, and he sure did not look like it.

In fact, he lost the first round to Brendson Ribeiro, an opponent he was supposed to squash.

Tuchalov’s UFC debut got off to a painfully slow start, offering little beyond low kicks before Ribeiro dropped him with a right hand late in the opening round. That is not exactly what you want from a highly touted undefeated prospect against someone who has basically become a UFC jobber at this point.

To his credit, Tuchalov did wake up.

The undefeated Russian found his rhythm in round two, badly hurting Ribeiro with a right hand before mixing in multiple takedowns. Tuchalov then leaned heavily on his wrestling in the final frame, repeatedly planting Ribeiro on the canvas, controlling him from dominant positions, and briefly threatening an arm-triangle choke in the closing seconds.

So, he won, but I am not sold.

Maybe UFC jitters got to him. Maybe the debut moment was bigger than expected. Maybe he needed a round to settle in. Fine.

I am still not buying it yet.

Tuchalov was supposed to torch Ribeiro, and he did not. He showed toughness by recovering from the knockdown and found a path to victory, but nothing about this debut screamed future contender.

Time will tell how he pans out, but I do not have a lot of faith after this one.

For his second outing, give me Tuchalov versus Julius Walker.

Final grade: D-

Abdul Hussein

Abdul Hussein was the second fighter from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 34 to compete inside the Octagon despite being cut during the team selection process.

Poor Rodrigo Vera also got cut, then got signed and won his UFC debut.

Hussein, meanwhile, entered UFC Abu Dhabi as one of the top prospects on the regional scene, so his debut had some real hype attached to it.

And for the most part, he delivered.

Hussein came out aggressive, walking down veteran, Cody Gibson, early. But, Gibson gave him an immediate “Welcome to UFC” moment, taking him down and locking up a tight guillotine before transitioning into a D’Arce choke.

Hussein eventually escaped, but it was a dangerous start.

Hussein had a much better second round, hurting Gibson several times and nearly submitting the UFC veteran with a front choke and an anaconda choke. Gibson was so drained from the exchanges that he told his coaches going into the third round that he had “nothing left.”

Hussein eventually submitted Gibson with an arm-triangle choke to win his UFC debut (watch highlights).

Of all the rookies who competed at UFC Abu Dhabi, Hussein is the one I am highest on. He is the most well-rounded, has a ton of experience, and showed he can deal with adversity against a veteran who knows exactly how to survive and make fights tricky.

I will say Hussein looked tiny compared to Gibson, but that may just be because Gibson is 5-foot-10 for a Bantamweight. It is also worth noting that Hussein has competed at Flyweight before.

Still, Hussein is very good.

He survived danger, adjusted, hurt a veteran and found a finish.

That is a strong debut, and I think he has the best UFC future of this rookie class.

Give me Hussein versus Juan Diaz next.

Final grade: A-

For complete UFC Abu Dhabi results, coverage and highlights click HERE.

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