Melissa Martinez Record: 8-2-0

UFC run

Martinez stepped into the Octagon in September 2022 at UFC 279, where her unbeaten record met a stiff test against Elise Reed. She dropped a three-round unanimous decision, the first loss of her professional career. She regrouped and returned in October 2024 to outpoint the experienced Alice Ardelean over three rounds for a unanimous-decision win and her first UFC victory. The momentum was halted in July 2025, when she ran into surging prospect Fatima Kline, who finished her late by TKO with a head kick and punches in the third round. The result left Martinez at 8-2 and looking to bounce back in a deep strawweight division.

Fighting style

Martinez is a kickboxing-heavy striker who does most of her damage with her legs, mixing traditional low, body, and head kicks with flashier sidekicks, hook kicks, and front kicks. Her finish breakdown tells the story of a true knockout artist: five of her eight wins have come by KO or TKO, with the other three by decision and zero submission wins, reflecting a game built almost entirely around volume and variety on the feet. Her WAKO world title and Combate Global belt underline that striking pedigree. The honest counterpoint is durability against high-level pressure: both of her professional losses have come inside or via UFC-caliber striking, including the late TKO against Kline, suggesting that defense and takedown threats remain areas opponents can target. When she is dictating range and landing her kicks, however, she is one of the more dangerous finishers in her division.

Career highlights

• Combate Global champion — captured a strawweight title on the regional circuit while running her professional record to a perfect 7-0 before the UFC.
• WAKO world kickboxing title — won a 2021 world kickboxing championship, the foundation of the kick-heavy striking that defines her MMA game.
• First UFC win — outpointed the veteran Alice Ardelean over three rounds in 2024 to break into the win column in the Octagon.