Dione Barbosa

Barbosa closed the distance immediately, took Melisano down, and worked through dominant positions hunting the neck. Melisano defended the early attempts, but as she worked back up Barbosa leapt onto her back and locked the rear-naked choke for the tap at 4:04 — much-needed momentum after alternating results across her previous five UFC appearances.

Key moments

• Closed distance and took Melisano down inside the opening exchanges.
• Advanced through dominant positions, mixing ground-and-pound with submission attempts.
• Leapt onto the back as Melisano rose and finished with a rear-naked choke at 4:04.

Barbosa's latest outing ended with a majority decision over Melissa Gatto in Las Vegas and gave her an immediate rebound from the Karine Silva loss. It mattered because she had to go the full distance against another proven UFC flyweight instead of leaning on an early submission swing.

Key moments

• Won a majority decision after three rounds at UFC Fight Night 272.
• Bounced back immediately from the Karine Silva defeat.
• Added a second 2025-26 UFC scorecard win after the Ernesta Kareckaite decision.

Karine Silva handed Barbosa a clear decision loss in Chicago and interrupted the momentum that had returned with the Diana Belbita submission. The fight showed how much harder it becomes for Barbosa once another strong flyweight forces her to keep winning minutes without early control swings.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision over fifteen minutes at UFC 319.
• The defeat snapped the two-fight rise built on Ernesta Kareckaite and Diana Belbita.
• It became her second UFC loss after the Miranda Maverick bout.

Barbosa put Belbita away with an arm-triangle late in the first round and reminded the division what her top game looks like when it sticks early. After the Miranda Maverick setback, returning with a clean submission was the exact kind of rebound she needed.

Key moments

• Submitted Belbita by arm-triangle choke at 4:13 of round one.
• Scored her first UFC finish one fight after the Miranda Maverick loss.
• Used the grappling path that still defines the best version of her game.

Maverick beat Barbosa over three rounds in what became the first UFC loss of her career. The result was important because it tested whether Barbosa's grappling-heavy rise would hold once she met a flyweight who could manage the pace and deny easy control stretches.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision over the full three rounds.
• Suffered the first loss after entering the UFC on a long winning streak.
• The setback separated the Ernesta Kareckaite debut win from the later Belbita submission rebound.

Barbosa opened her UFC run with a unanimous decision over Ernesta Kareckaite on the Rio card and showed enough control to survive the jump in level cleanly. Winning her debut in Brazil without fading or rushing the finish made the transition from Contender Series look legitimate.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision in her UFC debut at UFC 301.
• Opened the promotion run with a home-country result in Rio de Janeiro.
• Carried her Contender Series momentum directly into the roster fight.

Barbosa punched her way into the UFC by submitting Rainn Guerrero with an armbar late in the first round on Contender Series in Las Vegas. The finish mattered because it closed the regional chapter at 6-2 and earned the contract that set up her Rio debut eight months later.

Key moments

• Submitted Guerrero with an armbar at 4:35 of round one.
• Won the opening fight on the Contender Series 2023 Week 5 main card at the UFC Apex.
• Left the cage with a UFC contract after improving her professional record to 6-2.

Barbosa steadied her climb by outpointing Jessica Middleton over three rounds on the LFA 152 main card in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The bout was booked at bantamweight, and the result showed she could bank a composed scorecard win after splitting her first two LFA appearances.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over fifteen minutes at LFA 152.
• Competed at 130 pounds on the main card at Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
• Improved to 5-2 and positioned herself for the later Contender Series opportunity.

Barbosa bounced back from the Jena Bishop loss by taking a unanimous decision over Mariana Piccolo at LFA 148 in Commerce, California. It was an important reset because she had to handle a younger prospect cleanly over three rounds rather than relying on the early grappling finishes that marked her Brazil run.

Key moments

• Beat Piccolo by unanimous decision after three rounds at LFA 148.
• Won on the main card at The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California.
• Moved to 4-2 and restarted her momentum after the first LFA defeat.

Jena Bishop handed Barbosa a unanimous decision loss in Burbank in what became Barbosa's first appearance under the LFA banner. The defeat was useful context because it snapped the five-fight regional run and forced her to rebuild before the later wins over Piccolo and Middleton.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision over three rounds at LFA 118.
• Made her LFA debut on the main card at the Los Angeles-Burbank Marriott Convention Center.
• Fell to 3-2 in the first setback after her four-fight winning run in Brazil.

Barbosa's first professional defeat came against future UFC fighter Josiane Nunes, who stopped her with punches late in the second round at Katana Fight 10 in Pinhais. The matchup was contested at bantamweight, and it broke the perfect start Barbosa had built across her first four pro appearances.

Key moments

• Lost by TKO to punches at 4:36 of round two against Nunes.
• Fought on the Katana Fight 10 main card at Expotrade in Pinhais, Parana.
• Dropped to 4-1 in the first defeat of her professional career.

Barbosa banked one of the better regional wins of her early run when she outpointed Karine Silva over three rounds at Katana Fight 9. The result came on the preliminary card in Pinhais and pushed her to 3-0 years before the two met again inside the UFC.

Key moments

• Defeated Karine Silva by unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Won a bantamweight preliminary-card bout at Expotrade in Pinhais, Parana.
• Improved to 3-0 in a matchup that later gained extra relevance once both reached the UFC roster.

Barbosa followed her pro debut with another first-round finish, submitting Ana Paula da Silva by rear-naked choke at Katana Fight 5 in Colombo. The quick win kept the early blueprint intact: secure top control, stay attached and finish before the fight could settle into a longer striking match.

Key moments

• Submitted Ana Paula da Silva with a rear-naked choke at 3:31 of round one.
• Won on the preliminary card of Katana Fight 5 in Colombo, Parana.
• Moved to 2-0 with back-to-back opening-round submissions.

Barbosa's professional debut ended with a first-round armbar over Cristmi Niero Pafaro at Federação Fight 8 in Contagem. It was an immediate statement of the grappling-first identity that still defines her best work years later.

Key moments

• Submitted Niero Pafaro with an armbar at 2:27 of round one.
• Made her pro debut on the main card at Ginásio Califórnia in Contagem, Minas Gerais.
• Opened her career 1-0 with the first of four submission wins on her current record.