Ex-UFC title challenger was KO’d in his Octagon debut years before matching Conor McGregor milestone

On this day in 2015, a UFC star’s debut didn’t go to plan.

We’ve seen the likes of the Joe Rogan approved Ateba Gautier produce incredibly impressive debut years in the UFC in 2025.

It’ll be fascinating to see how he and other breakout stars like Kevin Vallejos progress in 2026 after hitting the ground running inside the Octagon.

It’s far from a guarantee that a fighter who may be deemed to be UFC ready will immediately find their feet when competing under the brightest lights.

This was the case for a fighter who has now become a staple of the roster after making the walk for the first time on the same night that Jon Jones defeated Daniel Cormier.

Jared Cannonier lost his undefeated record after being stopped on his UFC debut

While he may be currently coming off of a loss, Jared Cannonier’s win over Gregory Rodrigues in 2025 showed that he can still compete at the elite level.

The 41-year-old made his debut at UFC 182 in 2015 and has now competed 20 times inside the Octagon.

Cannonier has admitted that his title hopes may be slipping away from him, having previously come up short when challenging Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.

‘The Killa Gorilla’ may have done his best work at 185 pounds but when he initially signed to the promotion, he did so as a member of the heavyweight division.

His first appearance inside the Octagon didn’t go to plan for Cannonier after a big overhand right sent him to the canvas, with follow-up shots producing the first-round finish.

Having moved down to light heavyweight several bouts later before dropping to middleweight in 2018, only he and Conor McGregor hold UFC wins by knockout in three weight classes.