You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
Four rookies stepped into the Octagon yesterday (Sat., Aug. 8, 2026) at UFC Vegas 120 inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Collectively, the newcomers went 2-2, with all of them showing at least some sort of promise.
Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective performances below:
Jose Montanha
To be completely honest, I had no idea who Jose Montanha was or where he came from beyond the fact that he was scheduled to fight last year, but
ultimately pulled out.
Well, he sure made a statement in his UFC debut.
Montanha made quick work of Louie Sutherland, charging forward early before Sutherland tied him up in the clinch. The Brazilian eventually took Sutherland down, flattened him out, locked up a simple rear-naked choke and forced the tap almost immediately (watch highlights).
It was an extremely easy win for Montanha and a pretty pathetic performance from Sutherland.
I’m still not really sure what to make of Montanha because Sutherland basically quit as soon as Montanha started adjusting his grip. Nevertheless, Montanha is a younger Heavyweight at 29 years old and owns a 100 percent finish rate, with five submissions and two knockouts.
Basically, any addition to Heavyweight is a plus, especially if the fighter has finishing ability.
For Montanha’s second UFC outing, he should fight Denzel Freeman.
Final grade: A
Richie Miranda
At long last, LFA Lightweight champion Richie Miranda got the call to UFC … on 10 days’ notice against Brazilian knockout artist Manoel Sousa.
Not exactly an easy debut.
Sousa landed a right hand early in the first round that appeared to stagger Miranda, so Miranda wisely tied him up against the cage. Sousa overcommitted in the clinch, allowing Miranda to take him down and immediately start landing bombs from top position.
Sousa survived, but Miranda eventually took his back and continued landing ground-and-pound before the round ended.
To start Round 2, Sousa began blasting heavy leg kicks, which forced Miranda to switch stances. Miranda scored another takedown, but Sousa got back to his feet and returned to chewing up the calf. The leg kicks clearly started to immobilize Miranda, and Sousa later dropped him with a body shot. Somehow, Miranda survived and grabbed Sousa’s leg to work his way back up.
Big bounce-back round for the Brazilian.
Sousa came out in the final round throwing more leg kicks and head-hunting — his favorite thing — before Miranda clinched him up again. And that was basically the round. A lot of credit needs to go to Miranda’s chin because he ate shots that lesser fighters would have folded from.
Miranda had his seven-fight win streak snapped and suffered only the second defeat of his professional career.
Even though he lost, I still think his stock went up because of how dangerous Sousa is and how game “El Machete” is. More than anything, it is just nice to finally see Miranda in the promotion without needing to go through Contender Series.
I would like to see him fight Kyle Nelson next, maybe at UFC Edmonton?
Final grade: B-
Gigi Canuto & Carol Foro
There was short-notice Brazil-on-Brazil violence to kick off UFC Vegas 120, as Contender Series season nine contract winner Carol Foro collided with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 34 standout and top prospect Gigi Canuto — and it was a super fun fight, especially in the third round.
Foro came out throwing nasty calf kicks and made it very, very apparent that she was the much better boxer and striker. That was expected, of course, because Canuto is an elite grappler.
But even though Canuto is primarily a ground fighter, her hands have clearly improved. She was cracking Foro with overhands and slick hooks throughout the fight. Still, Foro landed more.
Canuto shot for her first takedown, but Foro stuffed it. Things got really scary for Canuto in the final 30 seconds of the opening round, as Foro unloaded with a nasty combination and a body punch that seemed to hurt her.
Round 2 was all Canuto as she landed a takedown within the opening seconds and immediately took Foro’s back, where she basically stayed for the entire round, attacking submissions and landing ground-and-pound.
With the fight likely tied 1-1, Foro came out aggressive in the final round, looking to knock Canuto’s head off her shoulders. Canuto tried to replicate her dominant second round by shooting for takedowns, and while she landed them, Foro immediately worked back to her feet.
Once Foro got upright, she started unloading on Canuto, who looked visibly gassed.
With two minutes left, Canuto went for another takedown, but Foro defended against the cage. Canuto eventually dragged her to the ground and started attacking a kimura before switching to a tight armbar.
Foro somehow escaped, and that was enough to win a unanimous decision.
For a curtain jerker, it was a fantastic fight, and both women showed real promise. Foro is fun, tough and has excellent striking that should lead to plenty of finishes and exciting fights. Her get-up game will need serious work because Canuto controlled her for an entire round, but overall, it was a strong debut.
For her second UFC outing, give me Foro vs. Alice Ardelean.
Final grade: B+
As for Canuto, she may have lost her UFC debut, but I still think it was a good showing.
Canuto is only 24 years old and is known as a sponge in the gym, soaking up any knowledge thrown her way. In just five years as a professional fighter, with no amateur experience and a strong background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, her striking has already come a long way.
That was obvious against Foro.
Sure, Canuto got touched up on the feet and faded late, but she also landed some sharp punches and had real moments before getting the fight to her world in Round 2.
Her Brazilian jiu-jitsu will always be her best weapon, but the more well-rounded she becomes, the more dangerous she will be.
Ultimately, I think Canuto will have the better UFC career compared to Foro, but that is a conversation for another time. This is a review of her debut, and she came up short.
I hope she fights Talita Alencar at some point, but for her next one, Nicolle Caliari makes sense.
Final grade: C+
For complete UFC Vegas 120 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
