Melissa Mullins
No Mess
England
Nearly pulls off huge upset
Mullins lost to Bia Mesquita via submission (armbar) at 3:16 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Mullins entered as the biggest underdog on the card at +450 and was nearly able to pull a huge upset. She cracked her opponent with a left hook which left Mesquita stumbling. Then Mullins made her fatal mistake, that being following the all-world BJJ specialist to the mat. Even though Melissa was in top position, Bia was able to reverse things and clamp on the armbar which forced Mullins to tap. Set to turn 35 years old in late July, Melissa was very emotional after the fight. She's 1-3 in her past four fights and no lock to receive another shot with the company.
Mullins entered as the biggest underdog on the card at +450 and was nearly able to pull a huge upset. She cracked her opponent with a left hook which left Mesquita stumbling. Then Mullins made her fatal mistake, that being following the all-world BJJ specialist to the mat. Even though Melissa was in top position, Bia was able to reverse things and clamp on the armbar which forced Mullins to tap. Set to turn 35 years old in late July, Melissa was very emotional after the fight. She's 1-3 in her past four fights and no lock to receive another shot with the company.
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
More Fantasy News
Taking on Mesquita
Mullins will face Bia Mesquita in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 119 on June 20, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Mullins sits at 2-2 in the UFC after picking up a win over Courtney Alex Kaye her last time in the Octagon. That was her first professional win since November of 2024, and she'll look to stack victories against a fighter in Mesquita who is off to a flawless start in the promotion, sitting at 2-0.
Mullins sits at 2-2 in the UFC after picking up a win over Courtney Alex Kaye her last time in the Octagon. That was her first professional win since November of 2024, and she'll look to stack victories against a fighter in Mesquita who is off to a flawless start in the promotion, sitting at 2-0.
Not fighting Carolina in London
Mullins will not fight Luana Carolina at UFC London on Saturday, according to UFC.com.
ANALYSIS
Mullins' opponent missed weight by eight pounds, a significant amount of weight that caused the UFC to scrap their fight altogether. Mullins is looking to bounce back from a loss to Daria Zhelezniakova, and that will not happen for at least a little while longer.
Mullins' opponent missed weight by eight pounds, a significant amount of weight that caused the UFC to scrap their fight altogether. Mullins is looking to bounce back from a loss to Daria Zhelezniakova, and that will not happen for at least a little while longer.
Carolina in London next
Mullins is scheduled to compete against Luana Carolina in a bantamweight fight at UFC London on March 21, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
ANALYSIS
In 2025, Mullins went 0-1, with a clear-cut loss to Daria Zhelezniakova denting the former's year record-wise. The 34-year-old English bantamweight will look to bounce back at home against a fellow fighter trying to get back on track after a loss.
In 2025, Mullins went 0-1, with a clear-cut loss to Daria Zhelezniakova denting the former's year record-wise. The 34-year-old English bantamweight will look to bounce back at home against a fellow fighter trying to get back on track after a loss.
No-shows Baku defeat
Mullins lost to Daria Zhelezniakova via unanimous decision (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ANALYSIS
This was a rematch of a November 2022 fight which Mullins won via first-round knockout. She was unable to come remotely close to replicating that success here. Mullins landed one successful takedown in each round, but did next to nothing with her positional advantage. On the feet, she was hopelessly outclassed by Zhelezniakova, leading to the lopsided unanimous decision defeat. With just nine career bouts her under belt at age 33 and a loser in two of her three UFC appearances, there's little reason to be excited about Mullins moving forward.
This was a rematch of a November 2022 fight which Mullins won via first-round knockout. She was unable to come remotely close to replicating that success here. Mullins landed one successful takedown in each round, but did next to nothing with her positional advantage. On the feet, she was hopelessly outclassed by Zhelezniakova, leading to the lopsided unanimous decision defeat. With just nine career bouts her under belt at age 33 and a loser in two of her three UFC appearances, there's little reason to be excited about Mullins moving forward.
Books next fight
Mullins will take on Daria Zhelezniakova at UFC Baku on Jun. 21, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Mullins has finally booked her next octagon appearance after a solid win over Klaudia Sygula via TKO back in November. The English bantamweight currently sports a 2-1 UFC record and 7-1 professional record, and she'll take on Zhelezniakova who is 1-1 in the UFC and 9-2 overall.
Mullins has finally booked her next octagon appearance after a solid win over Klaudia Sygula via TKO back in November. The English bantamweight currently sports a 2-1 UFC record and 7-1 professional record, and she'll take on Zhelezniakova who is 1-1 in the UFC and 9-2 overall.