You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
Four rookies stepped into the Octagon this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 22, 2026) at UFC Sacramento inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Collectively, the newcomers went 2-2, with one of them delivering a suffocating submission victory.
Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective performances below:
Anthony Wint & Terrance Chatman
Just 11 days after earning his UFC contract on Contender Series, Anthony Wint made his Octagon debut … and it came in a hilarious
squash match against fellow newcomer Terrance Chatman.
Wint started the fight with plenty of feints, seemingly searching for the one-hitter quitter. Instead, after one failed attempt, he eventually dragged Chatman to the canvas.
Wint briefly found himself caught in a kimura, which he later admitted he had no idea how to defend. After playing it cool for a few seconds, Wint powered his way out of danger, locked up an arm-triangle choke and put Chatman to sleep at 4:29 of the first round (watch highlights).
Wint was expected to win this fight, and he did. It’s as simple as that.
The positive takeaway was that he showed off his grappling rather than relying exclusively on his freakish power and striking. Wint remains extremely raw, but it should be fun to watch him develop.
Hopefully, UFC slow-rolls him and gives him another lower-level Heavyweight like Alvin Hines next.
Final grade: A
As for Chatman, let’s be honest: it appeared UFC signed him because it needed a warm body for Wint. Even by the low standards of the 2026 Heavyweight division, this was an awful signing.
I guess UFC could book him against Elisha Ellison in a “loser leaves town” fight next.
Final grade: F
Ryan Kuse
Ryan Kuse stepped in on a little more than one week’s notice to face Brazilian heavy hitter Marcio Barbosa, and boy, oh boy, it was a dreadful performance.
Kuse, who is typically a solid wrestler, attempted two takedowns early. Once neither attempt worked, it was basically game over.
Barbosa landed a left hook that appeared to glance off Kuse’s forehead, but it still dropped him. Barbosa initially backed away and allowed Kuse an opportunity to stand, but Kuse never regained his footing, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 2:47 of the first round (watch highlights).
I’m not going to lie: I was pretty high on Kuse back in 2022 when he was running through opponents on the regional scene. After suffering his first professional loss, however, he bounced between MMA and Karate Combat, and it appears he regressed considerably.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if UFC releases him following that performance. If Kuse receives another opportunity, I’d like to see him return to Bantamweight—his natural weight class—and fight someone like Miles Johns.
Final grade: F
Stan Dorsainvil
LFA veteran Stan Dorsainvil stepped up on short notice for his UFC debut against the always-game Gauge Young, and the two Lightweights put on a show for the Sactown crowd.
Dorsainvil started slowly in the opening round and paid dearly for it, getting rocked several times by Young. Nevertheless, he continued walking forward. Dorsainvil was taken down but didn’t remain on his back for long, and he eventually answered with a trip takedown of his own.
After the first round, it looked like the dreaded UFC jitters had gotten to Dorsainvil and Young was going to run away with the fight.
Nope.
Dorsainvil battled back in the second round, connecting with hard punches that repeatedly stung Young and landing the cleaner combinations. He also connected with two heavy right hooks in the final 30 seconds that would have dropped 90 percent of the Lightweight division, but Young continued showing off his toughness.
It was a close round, but Dorsainvil inflicted slightly more damage.
The final round brought more of the same, with both fighters landing hard, damaging shots. Young rocked Dorsainvil with a nasty combination, while Dorsainvil answered with a takedown and immediately took Young’s back before eventually sliding off.
The judges awarded Dorsainvil a unanimous decision, with all three scoring the fight 29-28. Despite the unanimous label, it was an extremely close fight that could have gone either way.
It was an excellent debut from Dorsainvil, who battled back from a rough opening round to secure the victory. He displayed heart, toughness and a well-rounded skill set that included crisp boxing, effective takedowns and a willingness to enter the fire when necessary.
I typically don’t love seeing fighters in the lighter weight classes enter UFC with young records like 6-0 because they are forced to learn on the job against elite competition. That said, Dorsainvil was incredibly fun to watch and delivered a terrific comeback performance.
For his next outing, I’d like to see him face Kody Steele, who was originally scheduled to fight Young before Dorsainvil stepped in.
Final grade: B+
For more UFC Sacramento results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
