Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Jacqueline Cavalcanti is a 28-year-old Brazilian-Portuguese striker who has carved a rapid path to the UFC's top 10 in women's bantamweight. Born in Brazil and raised in Portugal from age 11, she turned professional in 2018 and built an impressive résumé outside the UFC, winning the LFA Women's Bantamweight Championship in 2023 before joining the promotion that September. Through early 2026, she reeled off five consecutive wins inside the UFC octagon, all by decision, before losing a unanimous decision to Ketlen Vieira in May 2026 - her first setback of her UFC tenure, though she maintains an eight-fight overall winning streak.

Cavalcanti fights as a pure striker, working at range with high-volume, precise combination boxing. She lands significant strikes at over 5 per minute while defending 69 percent of incoming strikes, and she shuts down takedown attempts at 86 percent success. Rather than chasing early finishes, she tends to grind out three-round victories by outworking opponents, though she has three knockouts on her UFC record. Her striking defense and distance management are elite-level, positioning her as a nightmare matchup for grapplers who cannot find range.

Her signature win came in November 2025 against Mayra Bueno Silva, a former title challenger, which Cavalcanti immediately called the biggest victory of her career. In the aftermath, she publicly targeted fights with Macy Chiasson and Irene Aldana, signaling her ambition to jump from prospect to contender. She trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, where she relocated in 2024, and projects a calm, professional demeanor. She is known as 'ready anywhere, anytime' - willing to take short notice fights and openly calling out ranked foes without manufactured trash talk. For casual fans, Cavalcanti offers the appeal of a rising threat who fights with precision and hunger, unafraid to challenge the division's established names.