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Yazmin Jauregui and Iasmin Lucindo | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Yazmin Jauregui and Iasmin Lucindo put on debut performances that folks will be talking about for a long time. The two first-time UFC fighters stole the show at UFC San Diego, standing in the pocket and trading shots for three rounds in front of a raucous Pechanga Arena crowd. Jauregui won a unanimous decision to remain undefeated at 9-0, but both fighters look to have bright futures if Saturday’s performance is any indication. Their fellow fighters lavished the bout with praise on social media, complimenting both Jauregui and Lucindo (just 23 and 20 years old, respectively). Cody Stamann called the contest “the best debut fight I’ve ever seen,” while other UFC standouts like Walt Harris, Dominick Reyes, and Terrance McKinney tweeted out their amazement as the bout was happening. Even legendary UFC brawler Chris Leben was wowed, writing, “These ladies are slanging heat!” See the best fighter reactions below. Best debut Fight I’ve ever seen! #UFCSanDiego— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) August 14, 2022 This fight is amazing! #UFCSanDiego— Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) August 14, 2022 What a fight! #UFCSanDiego— Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) August 14, 2022 Them girls are throwing — Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) August 14, 2022 That girl is a beast ! 23 years old, going to be a big star ! Viva Mexico #UFCSanDiego— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) August 14, 2022 Wow that’s the future of the straweight division . 23 & 20 years old . How’s their wrestling ? That’s the true test #UFCSanDiego— Eric Albarracin (@CPTdasAmericas) August 14, 2022 These ladies are slanging heat! @ufc #UFCSanDiego— Chris Leben (@ChrisLebenMMA) August 14, 2022 Amazing matchmaking in this one. Sick fight #UFCSanDiego— Brian BOOM Kelleher (@brianboom135) August 14, 2022 They slinging them first — Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) August 14, 2022 High level debutants. Prospects for the future 100%— LERONE MURPHY (@LeroneMurphy) August 14, 2022 Great fight @ufc— Saidyokub Kakhramonov (@SaidYokubMMA) August 14, 2022 Le Futur ‼️ https://t.co/eYeZINPLjQ— Fernand Lopez (@fernandlopez) August 14, 2022

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Yazmin Jauregui will be a name to remember after she had a star making performance in her octagon debut at UFC San Diego. The 23-year-old fighter went to war with fellow newcomer Iasmin Lucindo but it was her precision, power and volume that helped Jauregui secure the victory after a back-and-forth battle through three rounds. The judges ultimately scored the fight 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Jauregui, who remained undefeated with a perfect 9-0 record following her latest win. “That’s what I expected,” Jauregui said. “A tough opponent and I know I got the win and this is the result here but I know I got a little taste and I need to improve thing. I need to evolve. I take my shots too at the gym all the time. My team trains for this.” The strawweights were trading bombs from the first exchange with Jauregui connecting on target early but then Lucindo firing back and clipping the Mexican born fighter with some hard shots. Jauregui stayed composed despite getting buzzed with punches as she looked to set up counter shots while facing a very heavy-handed striker in Lucindo. Jauregui was the more technical fighter as she set up her combinations, which usually ended with a really stiff shot that kept finding a home on Lucindo’s chin. Because Lucindo’s answer was usually to fight fire with fire, she ate a lot of hard strikes but she also showcased good durability to absorb the punishment while still coming back after her opponent. With time ticking away to the end of the second round, Jauregui and Lucindo threw caution to the wind as they both decided to just start swinging leather at each other in a furious exchange. When Jauregui was able to draw Lucindo to move forward recklessly, she began landing with better accuracy but she still had to be cautious about the power coming back from the Brazilian. Every flurry felt like it could have potentially ended the fight yet Jauregui and Lucindo just kept trading shots until the final horn sounded. As the strawweight division seeks new blood, Jauregui appears to be a top prospect to watch, although Lucindo certainly made a strong account for herself as well even in defeat.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Azamat Murzakanov is a name to remember as the undefeated Russian picked up another finish at UFC San Diego. This time Murzakanov delivered a devastating body shot in the third round that put Devin Clark down on the canvas and he never got back up again after absorbing even more strikes until referee Frank Trigg stopped the contest. The end came at 1:18 in the third round with Murzakanov moving to 12-0 in his career with the win. “My main goal was to win and I was focused on it,” Murzakanov said afterwards. “I wasn’t thinking about anything else. Devin is a tough son of a gun. I was hitting him and nothing was happening so I decided to go down to the body.” Despite giving up size and reach, Murzakanov was surgical with his strikes as he continuously found a home for a stinging left hand that kept catching Brown on the feet. Murzakanov was also cutting off the cage while marching forward as he closed the distance to keep Brown on his back foot. Just when it looked like Murzakanov was taking over, Brown threw an unexpected head kick that caught the Russian off guard and put him on wobbly legs for a moment. He survived to the end of the round but it forced Murzakanov to reset as he came out for the second round. Whatever advice he got in the corner paid off because Murzakanov took over right away as he clubbed Brown with several stiff punches that quickly changed the momentum. Murzakanov was showing incredible speed and power as he continuously caught Brown with his punches. Another left hand blasted Brown and put him down on the canvas as Murzakanov went to the ground looking for the finish. Brown did a good job making it through the round in survival mode but Murzakanov dished out a lot of punishment before the horn sounded. Murzakanov started dishing out more of the same in the final round until he backed Brown up towards the cage and that’s when he launched a thudding left hand to the body. As soon as the shot reverberated off Brown’s midsection, he fell to the ground and he never got back up again until the fight was over. Now 2-0 in the UFC with two finishes, Murzakanov appears to be a deadly striker who is already starting to make waves in the light heavyweight division.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC UFC president Dana White said after this past Tuesday’s Contender Series event that super-prospect Bo Nickal will get another fight with the promotion. Now Nickal has a date and an opponent set for his chance to become a UFC fighter. During Saturday’s UFC San Diego event, the UFC announced that the Penn State wrestling standout will face Donovan Beard at DWCS: Season 6, Week 10 on Sept. 27 at the UFC APEX. Nickal is fresh off a 62-second submission win over Zach Barrego to improve to 2-0 as a pro. The multi-time NCAA champion only needed 33 seconds to win his pro debut, which he did with a vicious knockout of John Noland at Jorge Masvidal’s iKON FC 3 in June. Beard is 7-1 as a pro and enters the biggest opportunity of his career coming off of back-to-back finishes. In his most recent outing, the 32-year-old captured the vacant CFFC middleweight title with a fourth-round submission win against Miles Lee at CFFC 111 in July.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Priscila Cachoeira made quick work of Ariane Lipski with a jaw-dropping performance at UFC San Diego on Saturday. In a battle of Brazilians, Cachoeira started throwing bombs as soon as the fight started and she relished the opportunity to unleash her power punches once it was clear Lipski was willing to stand and trade with her. A short left hand rattled Lipski initially and a right hand behind it dropped her to the canvas, which spelled the beginning of the end with the referee stopping the fight at just 1:05 in the opening round. Cachoeira, who was originally supposed to compete last week in the UFC APEX, instead got to celebrate her win in front of a raucous audience in San Diego. “Fighting with a crowd is always nicer,” Cachoeira said. “We fight to put on a show for you guys. It’s the power of my team. You can keep doubting me. I keep coming back.” It was a stellar performance for Cachoeira after she realized that Lipski was going to be a willing participant in a war on the feet. Lipski appeared ready to trade shot for shot as she began winging punches with the same kind of ferocity as Cachoeira. Unfortunately, Lipski’s shots were coming up short and she was ultimately eaten alive on the feet by a stronger and more accurate puncher in Cachoeira. As soon as Lipski hit the floor following a crushing right hand, Cachoeira followed her to the canvas where she was just relentless with her ground and pound until the referee saw enough to stop the bout. The win moves Cachoeira to 3-1 in her past four fights, which is an impressive run in the UFC after starting her career inside the octagon with three straight losses.