Melissa Croden - News & Rumors - UFC | FOX Sports

Digs deep after tough first round Croden defeated Daria Zhelezniakova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night 273 on Saturday in Winnipeg.

Impact Croden was unable to find her opponent through much of the first round, as Zhelezniakova used her footwork to angle off and sting "Scare" with shots. Croden decided to make the fight messy thereafter, forcing the clinch and dragging "The Iron Lady" to the ground, nearly finding a ground-and-pound finish as time expired in Round 3. Croden can make life miserable for opponents when she is able to work her way inside, but she will need to improve her striking at range to remain competitive against fighters who can keep space. She improved to 8-3-0 in professional MMA due to the victory.

APRIL 19 • ROTOWIRE

Next fight scheduled Croden is scheduled to compete against Daria Zhelezniakova in a bantamweight fight at UFC Winnipeg on April 18, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact After ending 2025 with a loss, the first in Croden's UFC career, the bantamweight will try to bounce back in April. Zhelezniakova was initially scheduled against Luana Santos before Croden fought the latter and lost.

FEBRUARY 24 • ROTOWIRE

Suffers first UFC defeat Croden lost to Luana Santos via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Impact Croden made her UFC debut in a third-round knockout win over Tainara Lisboa in mid-October and she got right back to action here against Santos, Unfortunately, she was unable to replicate her initial success. The main reason for Croden's struggles was the fact she gave up three takedowns and 9:21 worth of control time. While her mat defending was fine, Santos' constant positional advantage ensured Croden wouldn't land enough offense to potentially win a decision. Set to turn 35 years old in April, Croden looks like nothing more than solid roster depth at 135 pounds.

DECEMBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Fight scheduled for UFC Vegas 112 Croden is scheduled to compete against Luana Santos in a bantamweight fight at UFC Vegas 112 on Dec. 13, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Croden will get a little more time to prepare for her second UFC fight. She is recently coming off a TKO win over Tainara Lisboa and replaced Daria Zhelezniakova as Santos' next opponent.

OCTOBER 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Steps in for Zhelezniakova Croden will take on Luana Santos in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 111 on Nov. 8, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Croden is coming off her first ever win in her first ever UFC bout, besting Tianara Lisboa just last Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver. Now, she steps in for a fight less than a month later after Daria Zhelezniakova was pulled from the card for undisclosed reasons. Her opponent Santos will be a challenge, as she's off to a 4-1 start in the UFC.

OCTOBER 23, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

UFC Fight Night 262: Melissa Croden full post-fight interview UFC Fight Night 262 winner Melissa Croden talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after her third-round TKO of Tainara Lisboa.

OCTOBER 18, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Earns stoppage win in debut Croden defeated Tainara Lisboa via TKO (punches) at 4:32 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Vancouver.

Impact The 34-year-old Croden was making her UFC debut in her home country following a brief three-fight stint in LFA. She had some good moments. Croden remained aggressive on the feet throughout, scoring a pair of takedowns and a Round 2 knockdown. She also made plenty of technical mistakes, both standing and on the mat, but the exhausted Lisboa was too tired to take advantage. Croden is worth keeping an eye on simply because there are very few female bantamweights on the roster that check in at 5-foot-10.

OCTOBER 18, 2025 • ROTOWIRE