Seven UFC Edmonton Rookies Graded After Debuts

Seven rookies made their Octagon debuts at UFC Edmonton on Saturday night, and the results were wildly uneven. The newcomers finished 3-4 collectively, producing two spectacular finishes and several forgettable showings at Rogers Place.

Mexico's Cristian Perez needed just 27 seconds to knock Kyle Nelson unconscious, per MMA Mania's Alexander Behunin. After opening with an odd Imanari roll attempt, Perez blitzed the Canadian and ran through him. The finish came one month after Perez secured his UFC contract on Contender Series with another brutal knockout. Perez owns an 82 percent finish rate across 15 professional wins — eight knockouts and seven submissions. He spent nearly a year sidelined by a Combate Global contract before finally reaching the UFC.

Louis Jourdain Struggles In Octagon Debut

The younger brother of UFC veteran Charles Jourdain had a rough introduction against Timmy Cuamba. Louis Jourdain briefly showed his striking before Cuamba exposed his grappling and forced a second-round submission. Behunin gave the performance a D-minus grade. Whether the issue was nerves, rust from his layoff, or the size difference remains unclear. Charles also lost his UFC debut before building a solid run.

Nick Galanti stepped in on short notice and made Julien Leblanc look overmatched. Galanti secured a takedown in 15 seconds, eventually taking the back and finishing with a face crank. The 28-year-old had displayed knockout power on Contender Series roughly two months earlier, then showcased his grappling in Edmonton.

Joel Faglier survived a brutal first round against Javad Mahjoub, who landed 46 significant strikes and scored two knockdowns. Mahjoub gassed completely in round two. Faglier rallied with leg kicks and body shots before landing a standing elbow and left hook that crumpled Mahjoub. Hammerfists finished the job. Mahjoub suffered one of the worst cardio collapses in recent memory — four of his five career wins came in the first round.

Katlyn Cerminara knocked out Mackenzie Stiller despite a two-year layoff. Cerminara had never recorded a finish across 17 UFC appearances before Saturday. Stiller, another unsuccessful cast member from The Ultimate Fighter 33, took the fight on short notice and was pieced up before the stoppage. The next UFC card airs Oct. 24 from Madison Square Garden.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Rookie Report Card: Grading all Octagon newcomers UFC Edmonton post-mortem