You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
Two athletes made their UFC debuts last night (Sat., Nov. 1, 2025) at UFC Vegas 110 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pair split results,
going 1–1, with the lone winner scoring a slick submission over a UFC veteran.
Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective performances:
Donte Johnson
Fresh off a contract-winning performance on Contender Series Season 9 — where he scored a brutal first-round knockout at Heavyweight — Donte Johnson made his official Octagon debut by dropping all the way down to Middleweight to take on Sedriques Dumas.
While the fight was one of the sloppiest in recent memory, Johnson ultimately came away with a second-round guillotine choke submission victory (watch highlights).
Lockjaw” came out ultra-aggressive, forcing Dumas to shoot for an early takedown. Johnson defended initially but was dragged to the mat, where Dumas attempted a guillotine of his own. After a brief scramble, Johnson broke free, reversed position, and unloaded hammerfists before landing a massive slam late in the round. Dumas tried to land three spinning elbows in a row in the last 30 seconds (none of them landed).
Johnson came out aggressive again in Round 2, with Dumas throwing several front kicks and flying knees. Johnson ultimately secured a key takedown. When Dumas tried to scramble, Johnson caught his neck in transition and locked up a tight guillotine choke, forcing an immediate tap.
He was our “Fighter To Watch” heading into the event, and while it wasn’t a clean performance, Johnson flashed the raw athleticism and explosive power that make him such an intriguing prospect. Dumas was clearly wary of that strength throughout the bout.
The former Heavyweight has even hinted at a possible move down to Welterweight — which would be extreme — but if he can safely make that cut, he could be a serious threat.
For his sophomore outing, a matchup against the winner of Ismail Naurdiev vs. Ryan Loder makes sense.
Final grade: B
Kevin Christian
Brazil’s Kevin Christian was the final fighter signed from Contender Series Season 8, but after a 14-month layoff, his debut couldn’t have gone much worse. The 6’7” Light Heavyweight was stopped in the first round by Billy Elenkana, who choked him unconscious after dropping him with a check right hook (watch highlights).
Early on, Christian used his range effectively, landing a few solid leg and body kicks. But once Elenkana landed that short counter, Christian hit the canvas, and it was all downhill from there. Elenkana swarmed with heavy ground-and-pound before locking up a rear-naked choke that put Christian to sleep.
It was a rough showing across the board. Based on that performance, it’s hard to see Christian sticking around the promotion for long. A fight against Diyar Nurgozhay next year might be his best chance to rebound.
Final grade: F
For complete UFC Vegas 110 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
