Only one athlete made his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut in the Middle East yesterday (Sat., Oct. 24, 2025) at UFC 333 inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

It was disappointing, but not entirely bad.

UFC 333’s lone rookie suffered his first professional loss, so now that the dust has settled, let’s grade his debut below:

One of the best young Bantamweight prospects competing outside UFC, Asaf Chopurov made his highly anticipated Octagon debut against Australia’s Colby Thicknesse.

Unfortunately, the -600 betting favorite left his undefeated record in the hands of the dreaded judges.

It took Chopurov a couple of minutes to find his rhythm, but once he did, the 24-year-old began walking Thicknesse down and finding success with his striking along the fence. He landed a sharp front kick to the body before pressuring with punches, but wandered into a guillotine attempt. Chopurov escaped, dumped Thicknesse to the canvas and allowed him back up. Thicknesse threatened another guillotine later in the round, but Chopurov again escaped and comfortably secured the opening frame.

Thicknesse made the necessary adjustments in Round 2. Chopurov continued moving forward and landed a knee and standing elbow, but Thicknesse began slowing his pressure with combinations, clinch strikes and repeated knees to the body. Chopurov scored a late takedown but inexplicably allowed Thicknesse to stand, immediately eating another elbow and several knees. It was Thicknesse’s clearest round.

With the fight tied 1-1, Chopurov opened the third round behind his jab before powering into a takedown, stacking Thicknesse and landing punches. Thicknesse returned to his feet, but Chopurov dragged him down again and opened a cut beneath his right eye.

For some reason, Chopurov once again allowed Thicknesse to stand.

Thicknesse responded by controlling portions of the clinch before Chopurov reversed position and landed a right uppercut and left hook to the body. Thicknesse later connected with a head kick and right hook before tripping Chopurov to the canvas. Chopurov finished aggressively with a knee, body punches and another takedown, but Thicknesse returned to his feet and closed the fight with an elbow and final flurry.

While I — along with most media members who scored the fight — thought Chopurov won 29-28, Thicknesse escaped with the split decision.

One judge somehow awarded Thicknesse Round 1, which was Chopurov’s clearest frame. Ironically, that same judge gave Chopurov the third round, while one of the other judges awarded the decisive frame to Thicknesse.

Make it make sense!

Losing your debut as the biggest betting favorite on the card is undeniably a bad look. However, Chopurov still showed flashes of why he arrived with so much hype.

His biggest problem was some dreadful fight IQ. Chopurov successfully took Thicknesse down several times but repeatedly allowed him to stand, only to get trapped in the clinch and punished with elbows and knees. He also slowed as the fight progressed and struggled to maintain the pace that made him so effective early.

Still, I remain convinced that Chopurov can become a player at Bantamweight. He is only 24 years old, possesses legitimate knockout power and has strong grappling when he actually commits to using it.

Perhaps the first loss of his career will ultimately be the humbling experience he needs.

I’d like to see him rebound against Muin Gafurov in his second Octagon appearance.