Lone’er Kavanagh Impresses In UFC Debut Versus the Undefeated Jose Ochoa

More than three months after his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series (where he scored an impressive knockout), the undefeated Lone’er Kavanagh (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) stepped into the Octagon for the first time yesterday at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo. Making his debut in Macau, China, the impeccable Englishman had his work cut out for him when he went up against fellow undefeated competitor Jose Ochoa (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC). 

Fighting out of Peru, Ochoa boasted not just a perfect 7-0 record (the same as Kavanagh at the time of their bout), but a 100 percent finishing rate across his professional and amateur careers. Originally, he was set to make an appearance on Contender Series as well back in August against Jack Duffy, but that pairing fizzled out, leading to “Kalzifer” being included to the lineup at UFC Fight Night 248.

Kavanagh, Ochoa Make First Walks in UFC

For the first fight of his contract, Kavanagh was in for a real challenge against the equally unblemished Ochoa, and on the biggest stage that combat sports has to offer, two of the strongest 125-lb. prospects in the world put their zeros on the line. 

In the early phases of the first round, the pace of the fight was very calm, with both men patiently testing the waters and picking their shots. As the round continued, though, it was Kavanagh who began to take control by targeting Ochoa’s legs, landing several powerful kicks throughout the first five minutes. He even managed to scrape the side of Ochoa’s face with a high kick, which the Peruvian waved off as nothing. Ochoa also got in some notable strikes as well, hitting Kavanagh with some big punches in the pocket.

Kavanagh Drops Ochoa in Second Round, Ochoa Fires Back

In round two, Ochoa began to come forward more, using his kicks to control the distance. This gave Kavanagh a few things to worry about, but a body to head punch combination from the Englishman scored him the first knockdown of the contest. Undeterred by his drop to the canvas, “Kalzifer” quickly got back up, smiled, and went right back on the attack. While he showed a lot of heart despite the damage he took, Ochoa was having trouble getting off his attacks, as Kavanagh was being more evasive while hitting to the body with kicks and hooks up top. That was until the last minute of the round when Ochoa managed to stun Kavanagh with body shots of his own and take his back momentarily. 

Heat Turned Up in Final Round

In comparison to the first two rounds, round three played out much more competitively, with both competitors notching some solid blows on each other, as well as the pace being much faster. Partway in, however, Kavanagh, again, knocked down Ochoa with a stunning left hook, which only earned another smile from the Peruvian. As the final seconds of the fight dwindled away, Kavanagh tested the chin of Ochoa for one last time by landing a huge spinning heel kick, but “Kalzifer” merely took it while continuing to stalk the Englishman, leading to an uproarious applause from the Chinese crowd.

Kavanagh’s UFC Debut Ends With His Hand Raised

The hard-fought battle between the up-and-coming flyweight prospects was over, and in the end, it was Kavanagh who came out with the victory by unanimous decision. Although he is only one bout deep into his UFC tenure, Kavanagh appears to be a bright new face in the division. As the promotion prepares to put on an electrifying 2025, there is no doubt that the young prodigy from England will only continue to improve as he continues to test himself against the best 125-lb. fighters on the roster.