5 fighters who made late-notice UFC debuts and went onto stardom

The UFC brings in countless numbers of fighters each year, and many of them come in on late notice. Usually, these fighters tend to vanish into the ether.

On occasion, though, the UFC has basically unearthed a star by accident, bringing in a late-notice fighter who turns out to be a huge talent. Sometimes, these late-notice debutants have even gone onto reach the very top of the promotion, becoming champions in their own right.

Here are five fighters who made late-notice UFC debuts and went onto stardom.

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#5. Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson - former UFC light heavyweight title challenger

While he never claimed gold in the octagon, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, who passed away in November 2022, was a fighter who was both admired and feared.

Renowned for his brutal punching power, 'Rumble' competed in the octagon for a decade, switching the lights off on opponents like Glover Teixeira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Ryan Bader.

However, while his best successes - and two failed title challenges - came at 205 pounds, Johnson initially made waves as a welterweight.

His UFC debut came in June 2007, at which point he'd only had three professional MMA bouts. Coming in on less than a week's notice to replace Steve Bruno, he made an instant impact, knocking out Chad Reiner in just 13 seconds.

The knockout made a huge impact on the promotion's brass, and was one of the preliminary fights on the event chosen to be televised, exposing him to the wider audience.

While he didn't find instant success after his late notice debut, he was marked out as a potential star of the future - promise he did eventually realise.

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#4. Chris Weidman - former UFC middleweight champion

Before he even made his way to the UFC, Chris Weidman was marked out as a potential middleweight great by hardcore MMA fans.

Weidman was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, and also had a reputation of some renown in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world.

However, he'd only had four professional fights when he was approached by the UFC's matchmakers to make his octagon debut on two weeks' notice in a fight with Alessio Sakara.

Sakara was a heavy-handed striker and a veteran of 11 octagon bouts, and he was expected to give his late-notice foe some serious problems. However, he had no answer for the takedowns of 'The All-American', who beat him up on the ground and won a lopsided decision.

Even though he was impressive, though, few fans could've predicted what Weidman would achieve.

Just over two years after his late-notice debut, 'The All-American' became the man to dethrone the legendary Anderson Silva, ending his middleweight title reign after nearly seven years.

While Weidman was a recognised prospect prior to his debut, he still remains a fine example of a late-notice debutant who went onto make history in the octagon.

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#3. Diego Lopes - UFC featherweight contender

The latest fighter to make a big splash in the UFC after arriving in the promotion on late notice is Diego Lopes.

The Mexico-based Brazilian featherweight defeated former title challenger Brian Ortega in vicious fashion this past weekend and now finds himself on the cusp of a title shot.

It's probably fair to say that Lopes has come a long way since his octagon debut, which came on ridiculously late notice back in May 2023.

The Brazilian stepped in to face top 10-ranked 145-pounder Movsar Evloev on just five days' notice to replace Bryce Mitchell, and nobody expected him to make much of an impact.

After all, Evloev was unbeaten in the octagon at 6-0, while Lopes had actually lost to Joanderson Brito on Dana White's Contender Series. Given that Brito had done nothing of note, there was certainly no expectations around Lopes.

However, the newcomer put up a tremendous fight against Evloev, giving the Russian fits with his submission attempts at points.

It was immediately clear from this that Lopes had serious talent, and he's since proven this firmly, beating four fighters in a row before dispatching of Ortega last weekend.

He now stands on the cusp of true greatness, something that was never expected when he made his late-notice debut.

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#2. Khamzat Chimaev - UFC middleweight contender

During the peak of COVID-19, the UFC's events regularly saw last-minute changes due to pandemic-related issues.

One such change saw Dusko Todorovic withdraw from his fight with John Phillips in July 2020 just eight days before the event.

Todorovic was replaced by an unknown fighter named Khamzat Chimaev, and at the time, nobody really batted an eyelid.

That all changed when 'Borz' utterly dismantled Phillips, submitting him with a brabo choke in the second round to take his record to 7-0.

It was clear that Chimaev was a big talent, but that became even clearer just 10 days later. Remarkably, the Chechen took another late-notice bout and dispatched Rhys McKee in the first round, setting a UFC record in the process.

Since then, of course, the rest is history. Chimaev remains unbeaten at 13-0, competing at both 170 and 185 pounds and claiming wins over the likes of Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman.

Injuries and health issues have slowed his rise down, but to see 'Borz' crowned a champion in the near future still wouldn't be surprising - making him one of the best examples of a star who was discovered on late notice.

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#1. Jon Jones - UFC heavyweight champion

While controversy has definitely surrounded him during certain points of his career, there's no denying that Jon Jones is an all-time great of the octagon.

The reigning UFC heavyweight champion, 'Bones' is also the most successful 205-pounder in MMA history. He reigned as light heavyweight champion twice and holds a promotional record of 11 successful title defenses.

Dana White, in fact, is happy to label Jones as MMA's GOAT, regardless of the multiple issues that have arisen with him over the years.

One thing that many fans forget about 'Bones', though, is that he actually made his octagon debut on very late notice after just four months of professional fighting experience.

Those four months saw Jones reel off six straight wins on the regional circuit. However, few observers could've seen him finding instant success in the world's biggest promotion when he was pegged to fight Andre Gusmao on two weeks' notice.

'Bones' was pulled in as a late replacement for the injured Tomasz Drwal in what probably stands today as one of MMA's all-time great sliding doors moments. He easily defeated Gusmao, and the rest is basically history.

Would Jones have made it to the UFC anyway? It's highly likely, but there's also a chance he could've been signed by a rival promotion of the time like Bellator or StrikeForce, meaning history could've been very different indeed.

That's why, even though it's been largely forgotten, Jones stands as the ultimate example of a late-notice octagon debutant who went onto major stardom.