Melissa Gatto Record: 9-3-2

UFC career

Gatto opened her UFC run in style. In August 2021 at UFC 265 she stopped Victoria Leonardo via second-round doctor stoppage, then closed out 2021 with a third-round TKO of veteran Sijara Eubanks, finishing with a body kick and punches to push her promotional start to 2-0. The competition tightened in 2022, when she dropped a unanimous decision to unbeaten Tracy Cortez at UFC 274, the first of a run of close, decision losses.

Recent form

Gatto's path since has been a back-and-forth of tight scorecards. She lost a split decision to Ariane Lipski da Silva in July 2023, then rebounded emphatically in May 2024 with a third-round TKO of Tamires Vidal, a body-shot stoppage that snapped her skid. In April 2026 she came up short again, dropping a majority decision to Dione Barbosa, leaving her at 9-3-2.

Fighting style

Gatto is one of the more finish-oriented competitors in her division, with a 78% finish rate built on a genuinely complete skill set: four submissions and three knockouts among her nine wins, a reflection of her jiu-jitsu base and her sharp, varied striking. She is dangerous early – several of her wins are quick chokes, armbars and kimuras – but she has also shown the body-attacking striking that stopped Vidal. The honest weakness is the judges' scorecards: all three of her losses have come by decision, several of them razor-thin, suggesting she is at her best closing fights herself rather than leaving them to the cards.

Career highlights

• Finished a future UFC contender early — submitted Karol Rosa by first-round kimura on the regional scene to fast-track her path to the UFC.
• 2-0 UFC start — stopped Victoria Leonardo and Sijara Eubanks in back-to-back finishes to open her Octagon run.
• 78% finish rate — mixed four submissions and three knockouts across her wins, one of the highest finish rates in her division.