You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
Two rookies made their first walk to the Octagon last night (Sat., March 28, 2026) at UFC Seattle inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington — and they delivered, going a perfect 2-0, with one of them scoring a brutal knockout.
Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their performances.
Lerryan Douglas
Coming off a vicious knockout on Season 9 of Contender Series, expectations were sky-high for Lerryan Douglas — and he delivered in a big
way.
From the opening bell, Douglas went to work on Julian Erosa with crushing calf kicks that immediately compromised the veteran’s movement. Erosa had brief success early, landing a quick combination, but Douglas quickly took over with sharp, heavy-handed striking.
A left hook followed by a right hand had Erosa in trouble, but what stood out most was Douglas’ composure. Rather than rushing the finish, he stayed patient, picked his shots, and continued breaking Erosa down.
Eventually, the pressure paid off.
Douglas began snapping Erosa’s head back with stiff jabs before finally dropping him. Once Erosa hit the canvas, Douglas swarmed and secured the stoppage in emphatic fashion (watch highlights).
This is exactly why Douglas was the our “must-watch fighter” heading into the event.
He’s violent, composed, and clearly comfortable in chaos — and pairing him with a willing brawler like Erosa only amplified that. More importantly, he didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment whatsoever.
Douglas is a legitimate addition to the Featherweight division, and given his experience on the regional scene, there’s no need to slow-roll him.
A rematch with Chepe Mariscal — who defeated him back in 2018 — would be a fun next fight.
Final grade: A+
Tyrell Fortune
After a long and successful run in Bellator, Tyrell Fortune finally made his UFC debut — and it came against a tough test in veteran Marcin Tybura on short notice.
That’s not an easy assignment.
Fortune started strong, timing a clean double-leg takedown early and immediately going to work with ground-and-pound. While Tybura managed to get back to his feet, Fortune’s physicality and speed were evident right away.
Throughout the fight, Fortune showed flashes of his athleticism — landing heavy right hands, mixing in takedowns, and consistently beating Tybura to the punch in exchanges. While the fight slowed at times, Fortune remained the more dangerous and effective fighter.
In the third round, he pushed the pace again, securing multiple takedowns late to seal the victory.
In the end, Fortune earned a unanimous decision win — though the moment was briefly overshadowed by a scoring mix-up from Bruce Buffer.
While a win over a ranked opponent is always significant, this felt like a matchup Fortune could have finished, especially considering Tybura was stopped quickly by a debuting fighter (Ante Delija) just last year.
Still, a win is a win — especially in your debut.
Fortune’s wrestling and power will give a lot of lower-tier heavyweights problems, but questions remain about his ceiling against elite competition.
He should fight Valter Walker, who was supposed to fight Tybura at UFC Seattle.
Final grade: B-
For complete UFC Seattle results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
