23-year-old Francis Marshall caps off UFC debut with huge knockout win

Francis Marshall earned his UFC contract on the back of a solid performance on Dana White’s Contender Series back in August and has today capped off his debut with an enormous knockout win over veteran Marcelo Rojo.

The South American has now suffered his third loss in a row since joining the UFC and could well be the next name on the chopping block, likely exiting the company with a 0-3 record. Despite the losses, ‘Pitbull’ has shown promise during his octagon outings and can take that experience with him into his next MMA venture.

Francis Marshall began on the front foot, taking the fight to his opponent from the opening bell. After landing heavy shots and dropping the Argentinian in the first round, he went on to claim the finish early into the second with a big right hand.

At just 23 years old, Francis Marshall showed great promise and will be ecstatic with his first UFC appearance, a win that could well earn him a performance bonus at the end of the night.

‘Fire’ has just stamped his name on an already stacked featherweight division, and despite his almost flawless display and at such a young age, it will likely take several more standout showcases to earn him a top 15 spot.

Just two fights into UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Holland and the card is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining events of the year. The opening fight saw Yazmin Jauregui score an impressive comeback TKO over the gritty Istela Nunes.

The event headlined by Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland will feature some fantastic must-watch matchups. More standout fights on the card are the heavyweight brawl between Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich, and a welterweight showdown between Bryan Barberena and Rafael Dos Anjos.

Francis Marshall’s path to the UFC

Francis Marshall began his UFC career by collecting his first ever knockout in his professional MMA career, but how did the promising talent look en route to the promotion?

In his first three bouts in martial arts, the New Jersey-native got off to a lightning start by earning back-to-back rear-naked submission victories and going 3-0 in the sport.

A decision win in his fourth fight ended his run of stoppages, but he got straight back to work and got another submission win in his fifth matchup earlier this year. As mentioned, a short stint on the Contender Series just months ago earned him a contract with the UFC.