Sam Hughes Record: 11-7-0

UFC run

That debut at UFC 256 was a rough introduction: Hughes took the fight against Tecia Pennington on short notice and was stopped by a first-round doctor stoppage due to an eye injury. A pair of decision losses to Loma Lookboonmee and Luana Pinheiro followed, leaving her searching for her first promotional win. She found it in April 2022 with a majority-decision nod over Istela Nunes, then stopped Elise Reed with third-round strikes weeks later. A unanimous-decision loss to unbeaten Piera Rodriguez in October 2022 was followed by a defining stretch of upset-minded wins: she outpointed unbeaten Jaqueline Amorim at UFC 287 in 2023, and after a decision loss to Yazmin Jauregui, spoiled the unbeaten records of Victoria Dudakova and Stephanie Luciano by close decision. In September 2025 she submitted Shauna Bannon with a second-round rear-naked choke, before dropping a unanimous-decision rematch to Piera Rodriguez in March 2026.

Fighting style

Hughes is a high-volume, pressure-based fighter whose game is about output, pace and a tough-as-nails ability to drag opponents into deep water. Five of her 11 wins have gone to the scorecards, with four submissions and two knockouts rounding out a 55% finish rate – numbers that reflect a fighter who wins as often by grinding rounds as by finishing. Her purple-belt grappling gives her a real submission threat, as the choke of Bannon showed, while her cardio and durability let her stay competitive against unbeaten prospects. The flip side is a record heavy on decision losses: five of her seven defeats have come on the cards, underlining how often her bouts hinge on razor-thin judging and how she has frequently played the spoiler against rising talent.

Career highlights

• Prospect spoiler — decision wins over unbeaten Jaqueline Amorim, Victoria Dudakova and rising prospect Stephanie Luciano built a reputation for derailing hyped newcomers.
• Submission of Shauna Bannon — a second-round rear-naked choke in Paris in 2025 showed her purple-belt grappling can still finish at the UFC level.
• Fortis MMA mainstay — built from a non-traditional athletic background into a durable, long-tenured UFC strawweight under coach Sayif Saud.