Nikita Krylov was 21 years old when he crossed the threshold into the Octagon for the first time, taking on Australian veteran Soa Palelei in a heavyweight contest that closed out the Facebook prelims at UFC 164 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’d been a professional for all of 13 months when he made the walk to the cage inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center, carrying a 14-2 record, with all of his victories coming by way of stoppage, into his UFC debut.
A few things were immediately apparent on that August evening in the Midwest.
Though unpolished, Krylov’s raw talent was obvious, as was the fact that he was undersized for the heavyweight division.