The Rookies: UFC Fight Night 236

Days of being a big fish in a small pond are over for Hyder Amil.

The undefeated 33-year-old featherweight will put his perfect 8-0 record on the line in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut when he meets Fernie Garcia as part of the UFC Fight Night 236 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Amil nailed down his spot on the UFC roster on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series in August, when he took a three-round unanimous decision—29-28, 29-28, 29-28—from Great Britain Top Team’s Emrah Sonmez.

Sonmez certainly made him earn it. The two men were in non-stop motion during a 15-minute struggle marked by scrambles and position changes. Amil appeared to have a little more horsepower with which to work down the stretch. He freed himself from takedowns, made Sonmez pay with some ground-and-pound and even threatened the neck on occasion, doing just enough to sway the judiciary.

“That was a dogfight, for sure,” Amil said at the post-fight press conference. “It was hard to gain separation so I could strike. We ended up getting into more grappling exchanges than I’m accustomed to in my fights. I knew with his style it might be a grinding kind of fight. Not the performance I wanted. I always like to finish people, but I’m glad I got the win [and] I’m glad I got the UFC contract.”

A protégé of Gilbert Melendez, Amil credits the two-time Strikeforce champion and Cesar Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with much of his progress as a mixed martial artist. Melendez, now 41, was released by the UFC following a July 2019 decision defeat to Arnold Allen.

“He has a great mind for MMA,” Amil said. “I’m so happy to have him in my corner and to train me up. I’m blessed to be under his guidance.”

Amil enters the UFC humbled by the opportunities he has been given.

“I’m in my 30s and I’m doing this,” he said. “I almost left MMA, but I just gave it another shot, with the support of my team and my family. I’m here now, and I’m going to make the most of it.

Three other rookies are set to join Amil on the bill: middleweight Robert Bryczek, welterweight Carlos Prates and lightweight Bolaji Oki.

Perhaps the most accomplished of the four promotional greenhorns, Bryczek has his sights set on Ihor Potieria—a short-notice replacement for Albert Duraev—in a three-round clash at 185 pounds. The Polish veteran carries a 17-5 record and steps into the Octagon on the strength five consecutive victories, all of them first-round finishes. Bryczek, 33, last appeared on July 28, when he needed just 55 seconds to bury Samuel Kristofic with punches under the Oktagon MMA banner. He has secured 11 of his 17 pro wins by knockout or technical knockout.

Prates, meanwhile, draws retired Houston police officer Trevin Giles in his first Octagon assignment at 170 pounds. The 30-year-old Brazilian steps into the spotlight on a career-best seven-fight winning streak. Prates was awarded a UFC contract in August, when he punched out Mitch Ramirez in the second round of their encounter on Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series. Nearly five years now separate “Carlao” from his most recent setback.

In terms of pure upside, Oki may be the most intriguing of the organizational newcomers. The Valon Team prospect marches into his 155-pound clash opposite Damir Hadzovic having rattled off eight straight wins, six of them finishes, since his professional debut resulted in a unanimous decision loss in 2018. Oki, 28, secured his spot on the UFC roster on the Aug. 29 episode of DWCS, where he wrecked Dylan Salvador with a mean left hook to the body 2:46 into the first round of their pairing at the UFC Apex. “The Zulu Warrior” captured the lightweight crown in the Belgium-based Atomic Fighting Championship promotion prior to his arrival.