Cortney Casey Record: 10-10-0

UFC career

Casey debuted in the UFC in July 2015, dropping a decision to Joanne Wood, then a unanimous-decision loss to veteran Seo Hee Ham later that year. She found her footing in 2016, scoring a first-round TKO of Cristina Stanciu and a slick first-round armbar of Randa Markos on the UFC 202 card. Her signature win came in May 2017, when she outpointed the highly regarded Jessica Aguilar over three rounds at UFC 211, a result that established her as a gritty gatekeeper at strawweight.

Tough decisions and a move to flyweight

Casey's career became defined by razor-thin scorecards. She dropped split decisions to Felice Herrig and Michelle Waterson-Gomez in 2017 and 2018, then earned a split-decision win of her own over Angela Hill in August 2018. After a loss to Cynthia Calvillo, she opened 2020 with a first-round armbar before being submitted by Gillian Robertson. She closed out her run with a split-decision loss to JJ Aldrich, a unanimous-decision win over Liana Jojua in late 2021, and a split-decision defeat to Antonina Shevchenko in July 2022.

Fighting style

Casey is a balanced, durable competitor whose 10-10 record carries a 70% finish rate among her wins, split between three knockouts and four submissions. Her best wins have come by armbar and rear-naked choke, the product of an aggressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game built on a brown belt, while her striking and conditioning let her push a high pace over 15 minutes. The "Cast Iron" nickname is well earned, as she has rarely been finished by strikes, with nearly all of her losses coming on the judges' scorecards. That same pattern is the honest counterpoint to her career: many of those decision losses were close, and a string of split verdicts went against her, leaving her with an even ledger despite competitive showings against elite opposition.

Career highlights

• Signature win over a top contender — defeated former WSOF champion Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision at UFC 211 in 2017.
• UFC 202 submission — locked up a first-round armbar on Randa Markos on one of the promotion's biggest cards.
• Decade-long UFC veteran — competed against a who's-who of the women's divisions, including Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Angela Hill, with a 70% finish rate on her wins.