Rookie Report Card: Grading all Octagon newcomers UFC Edmonton post-mortem

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EDMONTON, ALBERTA - OCTOBER 17: Cristian Perez of Mexico celebrates after fighting against Kyle Nelson of Canada in their lightweight fight during UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Centre on October 17, 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!

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Seven rookies stepped into the Octagon this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 17, 2026) at UFC Edmonton inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Collectively, the newcomers went 3-4, producing a couple of impressive finishes and several downright awful performances.

Now that the dust has settled, let’s grade their respective debuts below:

Cristian Perez

One month after securing a UFC contract on Contender Series with a brutal knockout, Mexico’s Christian Perez followed it up with another filthy finish.

And it only took 27 seconds.

After bizarrely opening the fight with an Imanari roll, Perez blitzed Kyle Nelson and ran right through him, knocking the Canadian unconscious in less than 30 seconds (watch highlights).

Perez is legit and has been one of the better prospects outside UFC for several years. Unfortunately, he was previously locked into a Combate Global contract that kept him on the sidelines for nearly a year.

Once Perez finally got free, he received an opportunity on Season 9 of Contender Series. He appeared to be winning his fight until Manoel Sousa scored a comeback knockout.

Perez returned to the show one year later, earned his contract and has now made an immediate impact inside the Octagon.

The 27-year-old is a fantastic and exciting kickboxer with legitimate knockout power and very good grappling. He owns an 82 percent finish rate, with eight knockouts and seven submissions.

Perez has all the tools necessary to eventually crack the Top 15. The only problem is that he competes in arguably the best division in the entire sport.

I’d like to see him fight Jai Herbert in his second UFC appearance.

Final grade: A+

Louis Jourdain

The highly anticipated debut of Louis Jourdain, the younger brother of longtime UFC veteran Charles Jourdain, did not go according to plan against Timmy Cuamba.

Jourdain briefly showed off some of his crafty striking, but Cuamba exposed his grappling and eventually drowned him on the ground before securing a second-round submission.

There is no skating around it: Jourdain’s debut was extremely disappointing.

Was it UFC jitters? Ring rust following his layoff after Contender Series? The size difference?

Who knows, but whatever the problem was, he needs to be much better in his second appearance.

It is worth remembering that Charles also lost his UFC debut before going on to build a respectable promotional career. One ugly performance does not necessarily mean Louis is doomed.

Personally, I would like to see him attempt to return to Flyweight, although that weight cut may become increasingly difficult as he gets older.

Jourdain against Otari Tanzilovi, who just slept Malcolm Wellmaker, sounds like a fun rebound matchup.

Final grade: D-

Nick Galanti

Stepping in on short notice approximately two months after earning a UFC contract during Week 3 of Contender Series, Nick Galanti faced Julien Leblanc — and made it look easy.

Galanti secured a takedown within 15 seconds. Leblanc briefly returned to his feet, but only for a moment, as Galanti dragged him back to the canvas, took his back and finished him with a face crank (watch highlights).

It was a thoroughly dominant debut.

Now, Leblanc may be one of the worst fighters currently on UFC’s roster, so we should probably pump the brakes slightly. Nevertheless, Galanti displayed his knockout power on Contender Series and then showcased his grappling in Edmonton.

The 28-year-old is an extremely fun fighter who actively hunts for finishes but has also shown he can compete for a full 15 minutes when necessary.

In an ever-growing UFC Middleweight division, Galanti is an entertaining addition.

Jackson McVey sounds like a fun and violent second opponent.

Final grade: A

Joel Faglier & Javad Mahjoub

This was the definition of a tale of two rounds.

And it was sloppy.

Javad Mahjoub beat the brakes off Joel Faglier in the opening round, connecting with clubbing overhands, hooks, knees and one-two combinations — the whole shebang.

Mahjoub dropped Faglier twice and outlanded him 46-19 in significant strikes. Two judges even awarded Mahjoub a 10-8 round.

Unfortunately for Mahjoub, he completely and utterly emptied his gas tank.

By the second round, he looked like he was on the brink of death from exhaustion.

Faglier took full advantage, unloading leg kicks and straight punches on his exhausted opponent. Approximately two minutes into the round, Faglier connected with a standing elbow and a left hook to the body that badly hurt Mahjoub.

Faglier then basically tossed him to the canvas and finished the fight with hammerfists (watch highlights).

It was a fantastic comeback from Faglier, who survived a complete ass-kicking before weathering the storm and taking over.

He remains sloppy in spots, but he also displayed enough technical ability to remain interesting. I have absolutely no idea how his UFC career will unfold, but I am willing to watch because he proved he has that dog in him.

Faglier can fight Guilherme Pat next.

Final grade: B-

As for Mahjoub, he looked like a killer during the opening five minutes before suffering one of the worst cardio collapses you will ever see.

Perhaps we should have seen it coming. Four of Mahjoub’s five professional victories came in the first round, and all of his grappling wins were also secured in the opening frame.

If he does not fix his gas tank, he is going to go 0-4 and get cut.

Give him Marcus Buchecha next.

Final grade: D-

Mackenzie Stiller

Mackenzie Stiller, another unsuccessful cast member from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 33, stepped in on short notice to face former Flyweight title challenger Katlyn Cerminara.

It did not go well.

Cerminara had failed to record a single finish across 17 previous UFC appearances. She finally secured her first by knocking out Stiller — despite entering the matchup following a two-year layoff after giving birth.

There is not much positive to say here.

Stiller attempted to pressure Cerminara and bring the fight to her, but she was consistently pieced up before suffering the stoppage.

The only grace I will give Stiller is that she accepted the fight on short notice and competed one weight class above her natural division.

Stiller is a fun personality, but is she a UFC-caliber fighter?

It certainly did not look like it in Edmonton.

She can fight Marina Spasic next.

Final grade: F

Cody Chovancek

Nearly one year after earning a UFC contract on Season 9 of Contender Series, Cody Chovancek finally made his promotional debut against Su-young Yoo.

For the Canadian, it was a very long night.

The matchup opened UFC Edmonton, and credit to the fans inside Rogers Place for not booing both fighters out of the building because it was brutal to watch.

Yoo basically controlled Chovancek on the ground for three rounds before finally submitting him with a kimura (watch highlights).

It was an awful viewing experience and a terrible look for Chovancek, who had absolutely nothing to offer against Yoo’s grappling.

I have never been particularly high on Chovancek, and I did not necessarily believe he deserved a UFC contract when he earned one. After watching him get completely dominated by Yoo, it is difficult to envision a particularly bright future for him inside the Octagon.

He can fight Ricky Turcios in his second UFC appearance.

Final grade: F

For complete UFC Edmonton results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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