Montana De La Rosa
About
Submission-heavy flyweight grappler who spent seven years in the UFC before departing in 2025, now competing in the PFL with a 13-9-1 record.
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Montana De La Rosa is a Texas-bred flyweight who rose from a wrestling background and Xtreme Fighting League championship to seven years inside the UFC octagon. She turned pro in 2014 and caught the promotion's eye after competing on The Ultimate Fighter 26; she made her debut in December 2017 and started hot with three consecutive victories, including a Performance of the Night submission win against Nadia Kassem at UFC 234 in February 2019 that announced her as a prospect to watch. Her grappling-heavy approach, anchored by a wrestling foundation and sharp submission skills, made her a threat in the flyweight mix, but her UFC run was defined as much by competitive losses to ranked contenders like Tatiana Suarez and Maycee Barber as by her wins. She took former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva to a controversial majority draw in 2021 and fought a string of tough matchups that tested her resolve.
De La Rosa's most recent chapter in the UFC featured redemption: after losing a unanimous decision to Andrea Lee in 2019, she avenged that loss with a split-decision win in June 2024, her final octagon appearance. However, her departure was abrupt. Scheduled to fight Luana Carolina in March 2025, De La Rosa showed up ready to compete, but her opponent missed weight by ten pounds and the bout was canceled. Despite De La Rosa bearing no responsibility for the mishap and still having fights on her contract, the UFC released her weeks later, ending a seven-year run in which she compiled a 6-5-1 record and earned respect as a submission specialist who fought above her ranking.
Now 30 years old, De La Rosa has signed with the Professional Fighters League, bringing her 13-9-1 overall record and her ground game to a competitive women's flyweight division. Her story remains one of quiet persistence: a teenage mother who earned a wrestling scholarship, discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu as an adult, and spent years grinding against elite competition. She may not have main-event charisma or a trash-talk persona, but her grit and submission arsenal have earned her a second chapter outside the UFC.
Why fans love De La Rosa
Her fighting spirit despite adversity: she clawed back from a 1-3 UFC start to win wars with ranked opponents, took Mayra Bueno Silva to a controversial draw, and returned to avenge a loss to Andrea Lee. Her grappling-heavy style and multiple submission finishes appeal to technique-focused fans.
