You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut.<\/p>\n
Only one fighter made his Octagon debut at UFC Vegas 113<\/a> last night (Sat., Feb. 7, 2026) inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada \u2014 and Gianni Vazquez entered it with his back firmly against the wall.<\/p>\n With the dust now settled, it\u2019s time to hand out a grade to the lone rookie on the card.<\/p>\n Vazquez stepped in on just two days\u2019 notice, up a weight class, to face Javid Basharat \u2014 a dangerous Bantamweight who, despite riding a two-fight skid, remains one of the division\u2019s better unranked fighters. Things got even tougher when Vazquez missed weight by five pounds<\/a>, immediately putting himself in a hole before the opening bell.<\/p>\n Still, if Vazquez was fighting for his UFC future, he didn\u2019t go quietly.<\/p>\n He opened the fight with heavy calf kicks and showed real pop when he let his hands go. Midway through the first round, however, Vazquez dropped his guard and paid for it, eating a sharp right hand that sent Basharat swarming. Vazquez survived and returned to his feet, but another clean shot closed the round.<\/p>\n Round two was his best. Vazquez marched forward more assertively and, out of nowhere, cracked Basharat with a shot that badly hurt him. Basharat recovered, leaned on his wrestling, and secured a late takedown to steal momentum.<\/p>\n With the fight even heading into the third, Basharat turned to consistent pressure and control. Vazquez threatened briefly with a guillotine and nearly landed a fight-ending left hook, but spent most of the round pinned underneath before a late reversal and short ground-and-pound flurry.<\/p>\n Basharat earned a unanimous decision.<\/p>\n Despite the loss, Vazquez showed he is UFC-caliber, with toughness, power, and defensive grappling under fire. The biggest question now is whether the UFC gives him another opportunity after the weight miss, especially given that Flyweight is his natural division.<\/p>\n Personally, given the circumstances, I give Vazquez SOME grace \u2014 but that decision isn\u2019t mine to make.<\/p>\n If he does keep his job, I\u2019d like for him to fight Lucas Rocha<\/p>\n Performance grade: C-
Final grade (including weight miss): D<\/p>\n