On this week's Holy Smokes MMA Podcast, we provided a breakdown of the upcoming TUF 26 cast, which will determine the first ever UFC Flyweight Women's Champion. The show premieres on August 30, and culminated in early December at the TUF Finale.
Below you can take a look at some of the notes provided for the cast members.
Ariel Beck- Former boxer, competed for the Legacy FC title, lost a split decision to Rachel Ostovich. 4-4 as a pro, has lost 3 of her last four.
Shana Dobson- Turned pro 15 months ago, 2-1 with her only wins against 0-0 fighters.
Montana Stewart- 7-4 pro with losses to Mackenzie Dern and Calvillo, but has a nice wrestling background. At 22 and 5'7”, she has a big future ahead of her. Could be the Rose Namajunas of the season.
Sijara Eubanks- Has been a pretty decorated grappler who has faced solid competition. Has trouble with opponents she can't finish. 32 years old, lost 2 of 3, and is 2-2.
Rachael Ostovich- 26 years old, the kind of girl UFC would love to push, but Is 3-3, lost two of 3. She looked promising as an amateur and went 6-0. Trains with her father, brother and husband. Her husband isn't a bad fighter himself and if an event happened in Hawaii I'd expect to see him on it.
Melinda Fabian- 4-3 with all of her wins via submission against inexperienced opponents. Fights out of Budapest.
Karine Gevorgyan- 3-2 pro, Armenian. Dropped 2 of 3. All three fights are submission wins. Has solid trips, throws, ground and pound.
Christina Marks- 8-8 pro, who has won her last three. She's had trouble against advanced talents like McMann, Scheider, D'aleilo, Dufresne. Has fought for over 8 years. Very tall at 5'6".
Nicco Montano- 3-2 pro, 5-0 ammy coming off of a loss. Underrated aspect of her is her ability to end fights via submission or TKO.
Emily Whitmire- 26 year old, 2-1 pro, 4-4 amateur.
Gillian Robertson- 22 years old, 3-2 pro, 9-1 ammy, just fought as a pro since last year. Competed and lost against Calvillo. Trains at ATT in Florida.
Maia Stevenson- Married to Joe Stevenson. 6-4 pro with five straight wins via finishes, but the fact that she competed in Gladiator puts a big red flag there.
Roxanne Modafferi- Looked like she should have retired following TUF 18, but she got with a good gym in Syndicate and revitalized her career – a complete 180 to be honest. 34 years old and 5'8", has went 6-2 since leaving UFC
DeAnna Bennett- 32 year old, 8-3 pro with wins over Julianna Pena and Jennifer Maia. She's fought across three weight divisions. Her record looks impressive until you realize she's lost three in a row. The last two were via split decision, however.
Lauren Murphy- 34-year old former Invicta Bantamweight Champion, who came to the UFC and lost three of four. She hasn't fought in over a year, and this show very well could have saved her job.
Barb Honchak- She's a giant question mark. She won the Invicta Championship, but then never fought again. She has a great resume behind her, but how much of it matters with three years on the shelf? Probably had the highest peak of any fighter on the cast.
