Breaking: UFC makes a U-turn on Mass firing, signs four new prospects including LFA champ

The UFC has added four new female fighters to their roster.

Earlier this week, the UFC disappointed some fans when a handful of fighters were released. Several days later, two bantamweights, one female strawweight, and one flyweight were signed to the women’s divisions, making it seem like the worldwide leader in MMA could have been making room for new talent.

According to multiple sources, and confirmed by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, the four new fighters are Melissa Dixon, Shauna Bannon, Luana Santos, and Jacqueline Cavalcanti. Among the new signings, only one has their Octagon debut scheduled.

On July 22, Bannon looks to make a statement in the strawweight division by taking out Bruna Brasil at UFC London. ‘Mama B’ is an Irish fighter with a 5-0 record, including two wins inside the distance. The 29-year-old also holds a 9-3 amateur record.

In the women’s bantamweight division, Dixon and Calvalcanti hope to make a run for the 135-pound title in the future. Dixon is an English fighter with a 5-0 record, including three wins inside the distance. Meanwhile, Calvalcanti holds a 5-1 record and won the vacant LFA women’s bantamweight championship in her last bout on April 21.

The last addition to the women’s divisions is Santos. The 23-year-old Brazilian holds a 5-1 record and seems to be a fighter to watch in the strawweight division. She last fought on March 10, securing a first-round submission at LFA 154.

---

Who was released during the recent UFC mass firing?

According to UFC Roster Watch, a robotically generated Twitter account that tracks when fighters are removed from the promotion's website, sixteen people have potentially been released over the past week. To be clear, there are different circumstances other than being released for those removed from the website, including contracts expiring and extended layoffs.

The sixteen fighters recently listed, along with their promotional records, are Mounir Lazzez (2-2), Makwan Amirkhani (7-7), Batgerel Danaa (3-4), Trevin Jones (1-4, one no-contest), Omar Morales (3-4), Ilir Latifi (9-7), Orio Cosce (1-2), Nick Fiore (0-2), Maxim Grishin (2-3), Journey Newson (1-4, one no-contest), Aaron Phillips (0-4), Takashi Sato (2-5), Don Shainis (0-2), Bea Malecki (2-1).