Klaudia Sygula was full of emotion following her disappointing UFC debut.
Melissa Mullins was originally supposed to square off against Montserrat Rendon at UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday night, but she fell out and was replaced by a promotional newcomer.
The Polish bantamweight entered the Octagon with a 6-1 record, with the only defeat of her professional MMA career coming in her first fight in January 2021.
Things didn’t go well when she debuted for MMA’s premier promotion.
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Klaudia Sygula issues tearful apology after UFC Vegas 100
Mullins worryingly missed weight and forfeited a percentage of her purse to her opponent for a second consecutive fight, but everything inside the Octagon went to plan.
There was a feeling-out process in the first round, but once the English fighter got the fight to the floor, she was able to dominate Sygula there.
Mullins took mount and hammered away with nasty ground strikes in the final ten seconds of the opening frame, which served as a warning of what would happen in the next few minutes.
In round two, Sygula got carried away and walked into a takedown. This time, she wasn’t able to get up as Mullins once worked her way to a dominant position before unleashing big ground punches.
It was clear Sygula couldn’t properly defend herself, so the referee stepped in and waved off the fight in favor of Mullins.
Post-fight, Sygula was tearful as she took to her Instagram story to apologize to the fans who were rooting for her to win at UFC Vegas 100.
She said in Polish: “Debuts are certainly not my forte. I apologize to everyone who cheered, who I let down, but I think I let myself down the most, because this is not what I’ve been waiting for all my life
“That’s the way the sport goes. I know I will turn this into a success, I just need time.
“Once again, I apologize to everyone. My heart hurts, but I’ve been through difficult moments more than once in this career, so I know I’ll come back stronger.”
What’s next for Klaudia Sygula?
After accepting a short-notice debut fight against an opponent who failed to make weight, it seems almost certain that Sygula will get another shot in the UFC.
In a follow-up post, the 25-year-old vowed to return better than ever.
“Debuts are not my forte,” she wrote. “My heart breaks in a million pieces because this is not how I imagined this night to be.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for a chance to fight in the UFC, and when I got it, I couldn’t take it. The struggle is ME.
“I know I will convert this failure into success. I feel an enormous dose of motivation to prove to myself that this was merely an accident at work.
“I love what I do and I love the opinion of those who criticize me, because I know that the same people will congratulate my success. I do it for myself, for passion- and guess what? Syguła, you haven’t said the last word yet. #nevergiveup”