One of the most highly touted female prospects in mixed martial arts finally has the chance to prove herself directly to the UFC brass – and she faces a stiff test.
CFFC double champion Fatima Kline (6-0) has signed to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 24 to face surging Brazilian prospect Alexia Thainara (10-1) in a strawweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup including Kline’s manager Oren Hodak, of KO Reps, informed MMA Junkie of the matchup Tuesday.
Kline, 23, is a main training partner of Erin Blanchfield and holds the CFFC flyweight and strawweight titles. With a strong grappling background and sharpened striking tools, Kline has a 50 percent finish rate with two TKOs and one submission. Outside of her two CFFC title wins, her other four professional fights took place in Invicta FC.
Thainara, 26, is a stiff test, however. She has dominated the Brazilian regional scene en route to her opportunity. Six of her 10 victories have been by submission. In December, she won the SFT strawweight championship with a first-round submission of 15-fight veteran Thaiane Souza. Her only professional loss came against current UFC fighter Bruna Brasil in 2019.
