← UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos
UFC Strawweight

Melissa Amaya VS Valesca Machado

Meta Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Tale of the Tape

16-1-0 Record 16-4-0, 1 NC
31 Age 30
163 cm Height 162 cm
163 cm Reach 160 cm
orthodox Stance orthodox
63% Finish rate 44%
38% KO rate 38%
25% Sub rate 6%

Result Summary

Valesca Machado def. Melissa Amaya TKO (Punches) · R2 3:19

Valesca Machado defeated Melissa Amaya by TKO at 1:41 of round two in a strawweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos on September 26, 2026. Machado controlled the opening round with sharp combinations, landing a right hand that dropped Amaya to the canvas midway through before Amaya recovered and landed a counter right hand at the bell. In round two, Machado pressed forward with hooks and an overhand right, stuffed Amaya's clinch takedown attempt against the fence, and wobbled her with a right hook before dropping her with a sweeping right and finishing with hammerfists on the ground. The performance marked a dominant two-round showing for Machado, who dictated both the striking and the clinch exchanges throughout.

Fight Overview

The Ultimate Fighter 34 women's strawweight finale brings undefeated Melissa Amaya (8-0) against experienced Brazilian Valesca Machado (15-4) in a contract fight that rewards one woman with a permanent UFC roster spot. Amaya carries the momentum of a perfect professional record into the biggest fight of her career, while Machado's decade of experience and battle-tested resume make her the kind of opponent who has seen and solved most problems before. Experience versus unblemished momentum is the central tension.

Keys to Victory

Melissa Amaya

  1. Attack relentlessly and use her undefeated energy to overwhelm Machado before experience can settle the fight.
  2. Neutralize Machado's striking by getting inside and converting her pressure into takedowns and top control.
  3. Avoid prolonged standup exchanges where Machado's veteran timing and durability become dangerous equalizers.

Valesca Machado

  1. Use her ten-year professional career to control pace, impose distance, and deny Amaya her preferred rhythm.
  2. Pick apart Amaya's offense early to exploit any tendency to rush and expose openings for counters.
  3. Leverage her grappling experience to neutralize any wrestling from Amaya and keep the fight competitive on the feet.

Last 5 fights

Melissa Amaya

  1. W Megumi Sugimoto TKO · R1 3:51 · 19 JUN 2025
  2. W Megumi Sugimoto TKO · R1 3:51 · 19 JUN 2025
  3. W Samantha Jean-Francois TKO · R2 3:44 · 8 JUN 2024
  4. W Samantha Jean-Francois TKO · R2 3:44 · 8 JUN 2024
  5. W Gillian Noll Decision · R3 5:00 · 1 APR 2023

Valesca Machado

  1. W Yasmin Castanho Decision · R3 5:00 · 13 DEC 2024
  2. W Yulia Ostroverkhova Decision · R3 5:00 · 9 AUG 2024
  3. W Taylor Mauldin KO · R1 0:50 · 22 FEB 2024
  4. L Danni McCormack Decision · R5 5:00 · 15 MAR 2023
  5. W Ediana Silva Decision · R3 5:00 · 16 NOV 2022

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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.

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