Updated June 20, 2026, 9:47 p.m. ET
The most promising up-and-coming women’s bantamweight, Bia Mesquita, keeps on rolling.
On the prelims of UFC Fight Night 279 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Mesquita (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) handled business as she has done throughout her career. It wasn’t all one-way traffic, though, as she had to weather an early scare for the first time as a pro MMA fighter, thanks to the hands of Melissa Mullins, but still won by submission at 3:16 of the first round.
Mullins (7-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) rocked Mesquita with a fast combination of punches, but was unable to get the finish in the first round. Mesquita managed to grab a hold of Mullins to stay in the fight. Mullins took top position on the ground, but perhaps put herself in more danger, as Mesquita is a high-level grappler. Sure enough, a few moments later, Mesquita threw up an armbar, rolled Mullins over, and got the tap.
During her post-fight interview, Mesquita called out Ailin Perez.
“I want to be top 10, top five, so, Ailin Perez, hey, you are disgusting for this weight division,” Mesquita told Daniel Cormier. “This not a place to shake your ass. I’m going to kick your ass, girl.”
The undefeated Mesquita is currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC’s official women’s bantamweight rankings, while Perez holds the No. 5 spot.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 279 results:
- Bia Mesquita def. Melissa Mullins via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:16
- Mitch Raposo def. Allan Nascimento via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Gaston Bolanos def. Michael Aswell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Levan Chokheli def. Leon Shahbazyan via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:23
- Luana Santos def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Shane Collins def. Otari Tanzilovi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
