Ashley Yoder

Ashley Yoder is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Indianapolis who came to mixed martial arts after personal tragedy in her youth. Prior to joining the UFC, she built a strong amateur record of 5-1 and competed on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 under Joanna Jędrzejczyk's team. Her promotional debut came in December 2016, but her early UFC tenure was rocky: she lost her first three fights in succession, including narrow split-decision setbacks to Mackenzie Dern and decisions to Angela Hill and Justine Kish. Despite the tough start, Yoder remained on the roster and found her footing in the mid-tier strawweight division, posting wins over Syuri Kondo, Miranda Granger, and Amanda Cooper between 2018 and 2020. Those victories demonstrated her ability to control fights over three rounds and execute her ground-based game when facing mid-level competition.

Yoder's fighting style is rooted in her extensive jiu-jitsu background. She is a submission specialist, with all four of her UFC wins by submission coming via armbar - a hallmark of her technical expertise. Her striking volume is moderate (3.42 significant strikes landed per minute), and she has only secured four takedowns across 43 attempts in the promotion, indicating she prefers to engage exchanges on the feet or pursue submissions reactively once grounded rather than pursuing heavy wrestling. Over her career, she has faced some elite company, including Mackenzie Dern early in Dern's run, and encountered more consistent opposition in losses to Randa Markos, Jinh Yu Frey, and Angela Hill (in a 2021 rematch).

After a two-year absence, Yoder returned to the UFC in October 2023 for a bout against Emily Ducote, losing that fight via unanimous decision. She was subsequently released from the roster and has since competed in the regional circuit, including a win over Gloria de Paula at LFA 190 in August 2024. At 35 years old and 8-9 in the UFC, Yoder represents a journeyman fighter whose submission credentials and technical grappling appeal to fans seeking pure jiu-jitsu in MMA, even if her overall promotional record has kept her at mid-card level throughout her tenure.