You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
Five rookies stepped into the Octagon last night (Sat., July 18, 2026) at UFC Oklahoma City inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Collectively, the newcomers went 2-3, with one of them putting the Heavyweight division on notice and another setting a Featherweight record in his first UFC appearance.
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Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective performances below:
Levi Rodrigues Jr.
There was Brazil vs. Brazil violence in OKC.
After serving a suspension of PEDs, Levi Rodrigues Jr. made his UFC debut against Felipe Franco, who moved down from Heavyweight to his real weight class.
Both men started the fight exchanging punches, and about two minutes in, each got cracked by monster hooks. Rodrigues landed the bigger shot, visibly hurting Franco with a massive punch before following him around the cage looking for the finish.
Unfortunately for Rodrigues, he could not put him away.
Franco survived the scare, eventually landed a takedown and finished the round strong. In the final 10 seconds, Franco mounted Rodrigues and dropped nasty elbows, completely flipping the momentum.
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Round 2 was even worse.
Franco landed a punch that hurt Rodrigues early, but instead of chasing a knockout, he shot for a takedown and put the fight back where he wanted it. Franco eventually moved to mount and unleashed heavy ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to step in (watch highlights).
Before the fight, Rodrigues was talking about eventually becoming a three-division champion.
Sure, bud … win a UFC fight first.
Rodrigues clearly has power and should be involved in some fun fights, but his lack of experience is a major red flag. He is dangerous early, but once Franco weathered the storm, Rodrigues had very few answers.
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For his second UFC outing, give me Rodrigues vs. Ibo Aslan.
Final grade: D
Ezra Elliott & Damien Anderson
Elite grapplers Ezra Elliot and Damien Anderson both got signed to the promotion on Tuesday, so it was short notice for both.
FAnderson cracked Elliott on the feet early, which immediately forced Elliott into wrestling mode. From there, Elliott got Anderson to the ground, took his back and stayed relentless for the rest of the round, shooting takedown after takedown and refusing to give Anderson any real space.
Round 2 was more competitive.
Elliott shot for a takedown, Anderson stuffed it, landed a knee and then took Elliott down into a submission attempt. Anderson also landed a nasty elbow, but Elliott kept forcing grappling exchanges and eventually put him back on the defensive.
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At one point, Anderson reversed a takedown with a kimura attempt, only to find himself stuck defending multiple D’Arce chokes.
Needing a finish in Round 3, Anderson came out looking to strike. Elliott, however, went right back to the same game plan, shooting, dragging Anderson down and controlling him for most of the round.
Elliott ultimately won by unanimous decision and set the record for most takedowns landed in a UFC Featherweight fight — not bad for a debut.
Look, it was not the most exciting performance, and Elliott snapped his 100 percent finish rate. Against a fighter without Anderson’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials, he probably could have found a submission. But against another high-level grappler, Elliott proved he can impose his wrestling for 15 minutes.
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That matters.
He is going to get back to finishing opponents because he is that good. This was just a smart, safe and dominant debut against a tricky short-notice opponent.
For his next fight, give me Elliott vs. Rodrigo Vera.
Final grade: B+
As for Anderson, it was a rough debut.
The former B-Team Jiu-Jitsu standout had moments, especially in Round 2, where he showed his grappling creativity and some surprising pop on the feet. He landed a knee, cracked Elliott with an elbow and threatened with submissions during scrambles.
But overall, he got dominated.
It is really that simple.
Anderson was outsized by Elliott, who missed weight, and he spent most of the fight defending takedowns, trying to scramble back up and being forced into uncomfortable positions. That is not exactly ideal for a fighter known for his grappling.
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The good news is Anderson is naturally a Bantamweight, so moving back down to 135 pounds should help. He does have real power, and his ground game is obviously legit. The question is whether he can stop strong wrestlers from controlling where the fight takes place.
There is still upside here, but it was not a great first impression.
For his next fight, give me Anderson vs. Carlos Vera.
Final grade: D
RJ Harris
Now that is how you make a UFC debut.
RJ Harris, a two-time LFA veteran, took on Alvin Hines and put him away in under one round, giving the Heavyweight division a much-needed fresh face.
Hines started the fight by spamming low kicks, but that approach quickly backfired. He threw one naked low kick too many, and Harris made him pay for it big time.
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Harris cracked Hines with a heavy counter, then followed up with an uppercut that put him down. From there, Harris pounced with ground-and-pound until the referee had no choice but to stop it (watch highlights).
Just like that, Harris improved to 6-0 and announced himself as a very interesting addition to UFC’s dire Heavyweight division.
The only hesitation is obvious: Harris only went pro last year.
We have seen fighters go from turning professional to signing with UFC in a year and finding success, but it is rare. Harris is big, powerful and young, but he is also going to be developing inside the best organization in the world — and, thankfully for him, the worst division in the promotion.
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For now, though, it was a violent and impressive debut.
They should rebook him against Allen Frye Jr.
Final grade: A
Anna Melisano
Anna Melisano became the first fighter from Season 34 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — which is still airing — to fight inside the Octagon.
Unfortunately, her UFC debut looked a lot like her time on the show.
Melisano got the call on short notice to take on Flyweight veteran Dione Barbosa, and the matchup went south very quickly.
Melisano started the fight trying to gauge range on the feet, but before long, Barbosa rushed forward, clinched her and eventually dragged her to the ground. After some guard work, Barbosa took Melisano’s back, and while Melisano initially defended, she could not escape for long.
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Barbosa transitioned from position to position like butter.
Melisano managed to get back to her feet briefly, but Barbosa jumped on her back, locked up a rear-naked choke and forced the tap (watch highlights).
I honestly have no idea why UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard signed Melisano, as she was the first fighter eliminated from TUF 34, and she got submitted in the first round. Well, it happened again. And unless she makes major improvements to her takedown defense, it is probably going to keep happening inside the Octagon.
Now, if UFC wants to match her with a straight striker in her real weight class at Strawweight — someone like Puja Tomar — she has a chance to win.
But if the promotion keeps feeding her to grapplers?
She is going 0-4 and getting released.
Final Grade: F
For complete UFC Oklahoma City results and play-by-play click here.
