This weekend (Saturday, October 3, 2026), four rookies stepped into the Octagon UFC 332 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Collectively, the rookies went 1-3 — and all three losing fighters were was violently interrupted in the first round.
Now that the dust has settled, we evaluate their respective performances below:
After wasting several prime years in ONE Championship, the former two-division KSW champion Roberto Soldic finally made his UFC debut against a perennial knockout threat Chaos Williams.
Soldic endured a disastrous opening round, dropped twice with right hands and was in trouble as “Khaos” charged forward with wild combinations. The Croatian repeatedly backed straight towards the fence and appeared overwhelmed by Williams’ speed and power. A late takedown helped him settle into the fight, but it wasn’t enough to steal the round.
Soldic looked like a completely different fighter in the second one. After hurting Williams with a left head kick, “Robocop” began mixing up his attacks beautifully, tearing up the body with heavy combinations before returning upstairs. A straight left finally rocked Williams and allowed Soldic to secure top position, where he controlled the rest of the round with heavy elbows, forearms and punches.
With Williams exhausted, Soldic took complete control of the deciding round. He kept his distance with kicks, repeatedly fending off Williams’ increasingly desperate advances and rocking him with a right hook before securing an effortless takedown. Soldic eventually pulled back and punished Williams with strikes, completing an impressive comeback after being in serious danger for the entire opening five minutes.
I’m sure everyone expected a knockout in this match – I know I did – but I’m modestly glad we got to see Soldic fight for 15 minutes after more than a year away from MMA. Even better, he did it against an always dangerous opponent in Williams.
It was also Soldic’s first cut to £170 since 2021 and he accepted the fight at fairly short notice.
Do I believe Soldic will ever touch UFC gold? No. I think that time has probably passed him by. However, he should remain in or near the top 15 middleweights for the next several years.
I would match him Daniel Rodriguez next, possibly on one of the UFC’s upcoming Middle East cards.
Struggling with only two days notice, Anthony Romero facing Bantamweight contender Marcus McGhee.
The first three minutes offered plenty of feel as two natural bantamweights squared off at featherweight. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, McGhee’s jumping knee landed. Romero ate it up and immediately responded with a stiff right hand followed by a left hook that rocked “The Maniac.” Romero then got hit and swept McGhee to the canvas.
Just when it looked like the UFC rookie was about to take over, McGhee hit him with a jab that sent him down. Romero survived the initial takedown and returned to his feet, but probably should have stayed down. McGhee crushed him with a nasty left hand, punched and landed punches until Romero got up and the referee stopped the fight.
Overall, Romero showed some encouraging flashes. He has legitimate power and seems to have some pretty solid boxing. I know next to nothing about his fight so far, so it remains a mystery.
Given the circumstances, Romero deserves another chance with a full training camp.
He can fight Gianni Vazquez in his second Octagon appearance.
Long time Fury FC veteran on 10 days notice Bruce Whitehead faced a brutal task Jacob Smith.
Whitehead opened with a power punch but quickly countered with a nasty body kick. Seconds later, Smith drilled him with an absolutely brutal low kick, forcing Whitehead to use the full five-minute recovery period.
As the fight continued, Whitehead appeared to stab Smith more than once. This eventually convinced Smith to use his elite wrestling. He slammed Whitehead to the canvas and soon unleashed a vicious ground and pound that knocked the UFC rookie unconscious just 92 seconds into the fight (watch the highlights).
Despite the ugly finish, Whitehead showed he was game and could hurt Smith, something none of Smith’s previous opponents had accomplished to that extent.
However, he was still knocked out in 92 seconds.
I watched Whitehead throughout his regional career with Fury FC and he is extremely entertaining. He is primarily a can-do fighter, though he has proven that he can compete for a full 15 minutes.
I think Whitehead makes for some fun moments in the Octagon. I’m just not convinced he’s going to stay very long.
Meeting together Eric Nolanwho knocked out Court McGee on the same card, makes sense as follows.
Lucas Armand casually signed as a warm-bodied top heavyweight prospect Anthony Wint.
Armand opened with a one-two combo and that was essentially all of his offense. Wint rocked him with a left hook before rushing forward and briefly threatening a takedown.
From there, Wint was all over him, throwing about 938 hooks until Armand decided he’d had enough and fell to the canvas.
Armand only lasted 23 seconds against Wint, who quite frankly could be the heavyweight’s next big. Regardless, Armand looked completely out of his depth. Even considering the dire situation of the UFC heavyweight division in 2026, he didn’t look like he belonged.
I wouldn’t have a problem with the UFC releasing him after this performance.
If the promotion holds him, Armand may face Guilherme Urielwho recently earned a UFC contract Contender series.
Click for complete UFC 332 results, coverage and highlights HERE.