Welcome to Year 12 of the annual “Prospects the UFC Should Sign” series, in which we’ll examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign in the upcoming year.
This series started during my time as a writer for Bleacher Report, continued through my tenures at Today’s Knockout and FanSided, and now it stays alive another year here at Combat Press.
Let’s examine the women’s strawweight division, the second women’s weight class to be added to the UFC. It’s been thinned out due to the recent addition of the women’s flyweight division, so the UFC needs to look to replenish its talent.
In picking these prospects, I’ll try my hardest to stay away from fighters who are currently in top organizations, such as ONE Championship or the Professional Fighters League, but a couple may pop up. In the past, I’ve had some great picks on the list, and some that haven’t worked out. Below are the previous year’s selections, followed by the five men the UFC should offer roster spots to in the coming year.
2014: Justine Kish, Kalindra Faria, Aisling Daly, Mizuki Inoue, Stephanie Eggink
2015: Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Alexa Grasso, Livia Renata Souza, Mizuki Inoue, Zoila Frausto
2016: DeAnna Bennett, Alexa Grasso, Livia Renata Souza, Viviane Pereira, Angela Lee*
2017: Mackenzie Dern, Weili Zhang, Virna Jandiroba, Angela Lee*, Kinberly Novaes
2018: Weili Zhang, Marina Rodriguez, Virna Jandiroba, Ariane Carnelossi, Kali Robbins
2019: Ariane Carnelossi, Miranda Granger, Melissa Martinez, Alesha Zappitella*, Magdalena Sormova
2020: Kanako Murata, Melissa Martinez, Julia Polastri, Svetlana Gotsyk, Pauline Macias
2021: Lupita Godinez, Emily Ducote, Julia Polastri, Alesha Zappitella*, Micol di Segni*
2022: Emily Ducote, Micol di Segni*, Jessica Delboni, Maria Silva, Ewelina Wozniak*
2023: Josefine Knutsson, Giovanna Canuto, Seika Izawa*, Valesca Machado, Ewelina Wozniak*
2024: Fatima Kline, Katharina Dalisda, Seika Izawa*, Danni McCormack, Maria Silva*
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
Possessing an undefeated record with more than a half dozen fights, especially in women’s MMA, is a good indicator that a fighter is ready to step up to the big leagues. For 7-0 Melissa Amaya, it seems long overdue given her skillset, toughness and track record.
A member of the underrated Sikjitsu team, Amaya has shown a solid all-around game, scoring finishes in four of her seven outings. Two have come by way of choke and the other two by TKO. She has solid striking which she uses to set up her takedowns, so she can do her work on the mat. She has taken all of her pro fights for Combate Global, including her only 2024 bout where she TKO’d Samanha Jean-Francois to stay undefeated.
It’s time for Amaya to step up in competition, as she’s proven to be a top 115-pound prospect in the sport. Combate Global has given her a platform against some tough competition, but Amaya looks like somebody that could compete in the UFC right now.
Being a multiple-organization champion is basically a shoo-in to get into the UFC, especially in women’s MMA. UAE Warriors and Eternal MMA Strawweight Champion Jacinta Austin has proven against some worthy opponents in multiple combat sports that she is UFC-ready right now.
Austin, who has pro experience in boxing and kickboxing as well, is a good technical distance striker who has some solid takedowns and submission grappling as well. That well-rounded skill set has continued to push her up the prospect rankings while competing for top regionals like UAE Warriors and Oktagon. She had a wildly successful 2024 where she ran a 3-0 record, besting Contender Series vet Karolina Wojcik, countryman Amenda Hadaya and undefeated prospect Valentina Escobar, the latter two fights being for championship belts.
Austin is 30 years old, so the time to strike on her is now, as she’s in her athletic prime. She’s more than proven she’s ready for the UFC, as she has a record against top prospects and notable veterans, as opposed to crushing cans like some prospects do en route to the major leagues.
Back in 2021, Valesca Machado got her shot to compete on the Contender Series, putting her one win away from earning a UFC contract. However, she failed on that opportunity, sending her back to the regionals, where she has honed her craft and gone 7-1 since that fight. The time for her UFC shot appears to be now.
Now 29 years old, Machado is far more battle tested in terms of cage time and quality of opponents. She’s still a very good technical striker with some solid power to boot. She ended 2023 with her only loss in her post-Contender Series run, but went 3-0 in 2024. She scored a highlight-reel first-round knockout over Taylor Mauldin to start the year. Then, she scored two Invicta wins over Yulia Ostroverkhova and Yasmin Castanho.
Machado’s brand of striking and high-level action should be enough to score that UFC contract, especially considering she’s been fighting quality opponents in quality promotions such as Invicta FC and Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat. She’s more than shown she can win against UFC-level talent.
At this point in the recent history of Dana White’s Contender Series, it’s hard not to get a contract with a win. They hand out contracts like candy. However, Julieta Martinez got passed on due to being “too young” at 20 years old. She should get a shot to develop in the UFC and build up slowly, as she’s shown to be very talented.
Martinez, who comes from a taekwondo background, is not just a technical, flashy striker. She has rounded off her game as a fighter with good grappling as well. Since turning pro in May of 2023, she has been insanely busy, racking up eight wins to date, including six by finish. She fought twice in 2024, tapping out Georgina Tartaletti in defending her Samurai Fight House Championship belt before taking to the Contender Series and besting Leslie Hernandez in an exciting bout.
Martinez being “too young” to be signed by the UFC on the ’24 Contender Series is a bit of a copout, as Raul Rosas Jr. was signed in his teens. The UFC should grab her and build her up slowly, much like they do most of their young talent in their early 20’s. She’s proved she has the potential to be something in the future.
One would think that if a fighter were the Invicta FC Champion and has been victorious on the Road to UFC series, they would already be on the UFC roster. However, for Irelan’s Danni McCormack, that is not the case and it really should be given her track record.
McCormack is a solid all-round fighter, having solid boxing to go with a good wrestling-to-top-grappling style. She also has experience in big shows being a Bellator veteran in addition to her status as the Invicta Strawweight Champion. In addition to big wins over Contender Series vet Karolina Wojcik, top prospect Valesca Machado and another top prospect in Katharina Dalisda, McCormack went 1-0 in 2024, besting 30-fight Chinese vet and Contender Series vet Qihui Yan on the Road to UFC in August.
McCormack is already 34 years old and will be 35 years old in March, so the UFC needs to give her a shot now or she will likely never make her way to the UFC, which is a shame. She could compete in the UFC right now and has proven that with her recent track record. Not only does she represent a market the UFC caters to in Ireland, but she’s a champion and a proven commodity.