Fresh Ink: Meet the 15 fighters the UFC signed in June 2023
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the June 2023 list below.
Shauna Bannon
Record when signed: 5-0
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Strawweight
Age: 29
Debut: July 22 vs. Bruna Brasil (5-0) at UFC Fight Night in London
Conor McGregor and Ian Garry are no longer the only Irish fighters on the UFC roster. In comes Shauna Bannon, only the second Irish woman in promotion history. Bannon enters the UFC with an undefeated pro record that includes two wins under the Invicta FC banner. Prior to turning pro in 2022, Bannon went 9-3 as an amateur including an IMMAF runner-up clinch in 2021. Bannon trains under former UFC flyweight Paddy Holohan.
Daniel Barez
Record when signed: 16-5
Signing type: 34
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 34
Debut: July 22 vs. Jafel Filho (14-3) at UFC Fight Night in London
It was a long journey to the big show for Spain’s Daniel Barez, but he made it in the end. Barez competed all over the world for promotions in Mexico, the Middle East, the U.K., Poland, and beyond. In 2021, he lost a split decision to Carlos Hernandez on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” but he didn’t let that deter him from his goal. Undefeated with four wins since, Barez will take on Jafel Filho at the UFC Fight Night in London on July 22.
Jacqueline Calvacanti
Record when signed: 5-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 25
Debut: TBD
Another member of Mick Maynard’s recent female signing spree, Jacqueline Cavalcanti enters the UFC as LFA women’s bantamweight champion. In April, Cavalcanti defeated top Canadian prospect Melissa Croden by unanimous decision to earn that title. In five pro wins, Cavalcanti has three finishes. Her only loss was on a PFL Challenger Series card in 2022 when she lost a split decision to Martina Jindrova.
Edgar Chairez
Record when signed: 10-4
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 33
Debut: Saturday vs. Tatsuro Taira (13-0) at UFC 290 in Las Vegas
Edgar Chairez had a gutsy showing on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in 2022, but it wasn’t enough. Opponent Clayton Carpenter defeated him by unanimous decision and it was back to the drawing board. The UFC brass liked what they saw, though, as two regional scene wins (including one that went viral for all the wrong reasons) for UWC and Fury FC earned Chairez an opportunity vs. Tatsuro Taira on the International Fight Week pay-per-view event.
Nora Cornolle
Record when signed: 6-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Strawweight
Age: 33
Debut: Sept. 2 vs. Joselyne Edwards (13-4) at UFC Fight Night in Paris
Nora Cornolle is another addition to the women’s roster – and she’s just in time for the second-ever UFC event in her home country of France. But Cornolle isn’t just here to sell some tickets for the promotion, she’s earned this shot. Since a loss in her pro debut to recent signee Jacqueline Cavalcanti, Cornolle has rolled through every opponent in front of her – finishing them all. Let’s see if her success continues in Paris this September.
Melissa Dixon
Record when signed: 5-0
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 31
Debut: TBD
Melissa Dixon has been nothing short of impressive since her pro debut in May 2021. A little over two years later, she’s in the UFC. In her most recent bout in November 2022, Dixon defeated fellow recent signee Darya Zheleznyakova in a spirited affair. In five pro fights, Dixon has three TKOs (including Zheleznyakova).
Jose Mariscal
Record when signed: 13-6
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Lightweight (featherweight)
Age: 30
Debut: June 24 win over Trevor Peek (8-0) via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Look at Jose Mariscal’s record and you won’t see the full picture. Sure, he has half the amount of losses as he does wins – but look at who he’s fought. Tough challenge after tough challenge Mariscal took on the regional scene. When a short-notice opportunity up a weight class presented itself, he not only took it. He thrived in the midst of it. Against Trevor Peek at UFC on ABC 5, Mariscal won a unanimous decision in a wild and thrilling affair, making fans excited to see what he can do back at his natural weight class of 145 pounds.
Terrence Mitchell
Montserrat Rendon
Nursulton Ruziboev
Record when signed: 34-8-2
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Middleweight
Age: 29
Debut: July 1 win over Brunno Ferreira (10-0) via knockout – Round 1, at UFC on ESPN 47 in Las Vegas
Nursulton Ruziboev entered the UFC with an unprecedented 44 fights’ worth of experience and he put it to good use when he quickly flattened then-undefeated Brunno Ferreira in cinema-like fashion at UFC on ESPN 47. The victory extended Ruziboev’s streak to nine, which also included wins in BRAVE CF and Open FC. All 35 of Ruziboev’s pro wins have come by finish.
Luana Santos
Record when signed: 5-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 23
Debut: Aug. 12 vs. Juliana Miller (3-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas
It took Luana Santos only six fights to reach the UFC. Coming off back-to-back wins under the LFA banner, Santos will debut against “TUF 31” winner Juliana Miller in August. Should she win, Santos will extend her winning streak to three. Her only pro loss came by split decision against now-Bellator fighter Jena Bishop in July 2022.
Joshua Van
Record when signed: 7-1
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 21
Debut: June 24 win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-8) via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla.
There’s skyrocketing toward the top and then there’s what Joshua Van is doing as he progresses through his MMA career. Van made his professional debut in October 2021. In the 21 months since, Van has competed nine times with eight wins. He signed with the UFC in June at 21 years old and promptly defeated always-tough-outing Zhalgas Zhumagulov. The promotion is already looking to rebook Van for the fall, possibly September, MMA Junkie has learned.
Valter Walker
Westin Wilson
Record when signed: 16-7
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 34
Debut: July 1 loss to Joanderson Brito (16-7) via knockout – Round 1, at UFC on ESPN 47 in Las Vegas
Westin Wilson has been at this a long time, since before he made his amateur debut in 2012. Over the years, Wilson established himself as a gritty regional outing with slick submission abilities. A teammate of Stephen Thompson, Wilson made his promotional debut as a massive underdog and was finished with strikes by Joanderson Brito in Round 1.
Darya Zheleznyakova
Record when signed: 8-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 27
Debut: TBD
Darya Zheleznyakova has taken on tough competition since the start of her MMA career. The combined records of her opponents at the time she fought them is 45-16, a higher-than-typical opposition win-loss ratio for a female signee. Though she lost to fellow recent UFC signee Melissa Dixon in November, a first-round TKO of Marie Loiseau was the remedy Zheleznyakova needed to get the UFC call.
