Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Saturday’s UFC 251 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

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Zhalgas Zhumagulov

Division: Flyweight (competed at 129-pound catchweight)
Result: Raulian Paiva def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Record: (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D

Like many UFC debutants, Zhalgas Zhumagulov headed into his maiden octagon appearance with the deck stacked against him. But “Zhako” found himself dealing with more disadvantages than most.

The Kazakh fighter already knew he’d be conceding significant reach advantage to No. 14-ranked Raulian Paiva. But when the Brazilian missed weight by four pounds for their flyweight matchup, it meant the newcomer took on a man who didn’t have to go through the punishing final pounds of his cut.

Despite this, the 31-year-old produced a solid display on his debut as he battled the bigger, rangier man throughout the full 15 minutes.

Zhumagulov started pretty well as he looked to close the distance and connect with his honey punch, the right hook, early. But it quickly became apparent that the Kazakh was fighting an uphill battle against a much bigger man.

Then, with the seconds ticking down in the final round, a thumping Paiva kick planted all five of the Brazilian’s toes deep into the Zhumagulov’s groin. It left him in absolute agony as he tried to fight off the pain during his injury timeout.

Despite still being in clear discomfort, Zhumagulov returned to action and received a knee to the same region in the final seconds of the matchup.

The judges’ verdict added insult to Zhumagulov’s injury as he ended up on the losing end of a unanimous decision, with all three scorecards reading 29-28 in Paiva’s favor.

Ultimately, size proved a huge factor in the contest as the gritty Zhumagulov just couldn’t land enough offense to push Paiva. But his willingness to scrap will certainly see him in an entertaining flyweight fight or two as he looks to bounce back from his debut defeat.

Next up: Light heavyweight gets tough welcome in short-notice heavyweight bout