Sijara Eubanks

Sijara Eubanks is an American mixed martial artist who pivoted from a distinguished career in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where she earned a black belt and won the IBJJF World Championship seven times, into professional mixed martial arts. Starting in 2015 with regional and Invicta FC bouts, she gained broader attention as a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 26 in 2017, where she advanced through the semifinals before kidney failure during a weight cut pulled her from the inaugural UFC women's flyweight championship final. She made her UFC debut in 2018 and competed in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions for the next three years, recording an 8-7 record against a mix of established and rising opponents. Her UFC tenure included wins by decision over quality foes such as Roxanne Modafferi and Lauren Murphy, as well as a notable TKO finish over Elise Reed in 2021, but was marked more by close losses to fighters like Aspen Ladd (twice), Ketlen Vieira, and Pannie Kianzad. Eubanks is a pressure grappler who favors top control and clinch work, landing significant strikes primarily from distance while attempting takedowns at a high rate, though her conversion rate remained modest. Her striking defense was solid at 57 percent, and she accumulated over 13 minutes of average fight time across her UFC tenure, suggesting a willingness to wage war over three rounds. Recurring weight-cut complications contributed to her struggles in her later UFC years, and she was released by the promotion in early 2023. While not a dynamic finisher or a narrative breakout star, Eubanks represents the grinding, technical side of women's MMA rooted in submission grappling, competing consistently against ranked opponents despite a .533 winning percentage.