One of the more intriguing mixed martial arts prospects in the great fight north will make their Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Vancouver.
Melissa Croden is the combatant in question and this fighting foray in British Columbia will mark the beginning of a four fight deal with the promotion. On October 18th, ‘Scare’ Croden will test skills against Tainara Lisboa. Croden looks to extend her winning streak to three straight against the ‘Thai Panther’ in the coming weeks.
The Alberta native boasts an overall professional MMA record of 6-2 heading into this inaugural octagon trip. Croden has notched four wins across her last five bouts and has a one hundred percent finishing rate across all of her pro MMA victories. This will also be Croden’s first fight of the calendar year as she last stepped into the LFA cage last October.
For Lisboa, while she secured wins in her first two UFC fights, she is looking to return to the win column. Lisboa lost in that outing a few months back by way of submission in May to Luana Santos. Croden will join a card that features several Canadian combative compatriots such as Aiemann Zahabi, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Kyle Nelson, Mike Malott, Kyle Prepolec, as well as Charles Jourdain.
Croden had her “vision come to fruition” here, “absolutely ready” for UFC Vancouver
For the top Canadian MMA bantamweight who began taekwondo when she was young and began her professional mixed martial arts career in 2019, this UFC Vancouver contest has been a long time coming for Melissa Croden. Regarding her mindset as she prepares for this UFC debut on this martial arts journey throughout her life, Croden said [via CTV News],
“I’ve sacrificed a lot in my life. It hasn’t been easy, so it means a lot to have this vision come to fruition like it has.”
As far as her thoughts on the specific machinations of this matchup with Lisboa, Croden stated [via CTV News],
“[She’s a] really good fighter. I respect her a lot. Really good at striking, she has a solid Muay Thai background, and her grappling looks solid as well.
“She’s going to be a challenge and it’s a challenge that I’m absolutely ready for.”
