5 fighters who turned their UFC debuts into highlight reels

#4. Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague – UFC 102

Todd Duffee equalled a UFC record in his octagon debut

When heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee entered the octagon for the first time at UFC 102, it was clear from his walkout that he was in a hurry.

Duffee tore off his t-shirt as he headed towards his destination, a clash with Tim Hague, who had won his UFC debut against Pat Barry impressively.

Holding an unbeaten record of 5-0, as well as a win over UFC and PRIDE veteran Assuerio Silva, there were plenty of whispers that Duffee could become the next big thing in the heavyweight division.

Just seconds later, those whispers turned into genuine talk. Duffee walked to the center of the octagon, dropped Hague with a stiff jab, and finished him with a follow-up barrage.

The whole fight took just seven seconds, equalling the UFC’s record for fastest knockout in the process and left UFC fans thoroughly blown away, particularly when Duffee labeled Hague an “appetiser” and yelled to Dana White that he “wanted to eat now”.

Over the decade that has followed, Duffee never quite lived up to the hype that he caused upon his debut – he’s gone 3-2-1 in the UFC and there are questions over whether he’ll return to action – but this remains one of the most explosive debuts in the promotion’s history.

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#3. Stephen Thompson vs. Dan Stittgen – UFC 143

Stephen Thompson's UFC debut produced one of the best knockouts of 2012

When the UFC signed Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in early 2012, the native of Simpsonville, South Carolina, brought quite the reputation with him.

A world class kickboxer and karateka, Thompson was ranked as the #1 fighter in Chuck Norris’ short-lived World Combat League, and he even held an unbeaten kickboxing record of 58-0.

However, with just five MMA fights to his name against low-level competition, there were questions over how well he could do in the octagon.

‘Wonderboy’ didn’t take long to answer those questions against fellow UFC debutant Dan Stittgen at UFC 143. Late in the first round, he caught Stittgen with a beautifully whipped ‘question mark’ head kick, folding him like a bad poker hand.

Thompson didn’t even need to follow up the kick with punches as it was immediately clear that Stittgen wasn’t getting up any time soon.

The win not only turned ‘Wonderboy’ into an overnight sensation in the UFC, but it also won him a $65k bonus, and would be widely recognized as one of the best knockouts of 2012.