This crossed my mind after the Gaethje fight this weekend. He was immediately thrown to the wolves against Michael Johnson, who is never an easy out and has some of the fastest hands out there. Then he fought the ex-champ and renowned brawler Eddie Alvarez. Next was Dustin Diamond who, again, is a very skilled brawler and if the UFC made fights based on merit has a great claim to a title shot behind the LW holy trinity. Vick was a step down but still respectable.
I'm a relatively new fan so while I've watched all the legends, I wasn't around to witness the Pride greats crossing over to UFC. In recent times Brock Lesnar comes to mind as well. He definitely got matched up with killers to start his UFC career and did very well, eventually capturing the belt.
Who comes to mind when you all think of a fighter who immediately began facing elite competition as soon as they began fighting in the UFC?