Aleksandra Albu (, also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

Alexandra; born 14 July 1990) is a

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

n-born

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. Albu previously competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

’s strawweight division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Alexandra Albu has competed in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

crossfit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

, and

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the practice of Resistance training, progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's skeletal muscle, muscles via muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to a ...

competitions.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Albu was expected to make her promotional debut against

Julie Kedzie Julie Kedzie (born March 18, 1981) is an American retired mixed martial artist. She is a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Kedzie was Greg Jackson's personal assistant at Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts. ...

at UFC Fight Night 33 on 6 December 2013. However, Albu was forced to pull out of the bout due to a knee injury. Albu made her eventual debut on 11 April 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 64 ''UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 64'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2015, at the Tauron Arena Kraków in Kraków, Poland. Background The event was the first that the organization has ...

against Izabela Badurek. Albu defeated Badurek in the second round with a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compared to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

. In July 2017 after a two-year hiatus, Albu returned to UFC with a match against American fighter

Kailin Curran Jaydene Kailin Asoa Curran (born April 11, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Curran was born and raised in Ewa Beach, Ha ...

. Albu won by unanimous decision. Albu faced

Emily Whitmire Emily Anne Whitmire (born May 24, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Invicta FC. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background The daugh ...

on 17 February 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 1 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 1'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 17, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena, now known as Footprint Center ...

. She lost the fight via submission in the first round. Albu faced promotional newcomer

Loma Lookboonmee Suphisara Konlak () (born January 18, 1996), known professionally as Loma Lookboonmee (), is a Thai martial artist who has competed in Muay Thai, boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts. In boxing she has fought under the names Kanda Por Muang ...

on 26 October 2019 at

UFC on ESPN+ 20 ''UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 20'' and ''UFC Fight Island 8'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 20, 2021, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. In February 2021, it was reported that Albu and UFC had parted ways.

Personal life

Albu is currently a student at the Academy of Intellectual Property. Her nickname, Stitch, comes from the fictional character Stitch from the movie

Lilo & Stitch ''Lilo & Stitch'' () is a 2002 American animated Science fiction film, science fiction comedy-drama film, comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It was written and directed by Chris Sanders and De ...

. She officially represents Russia after several years of living and training in Moscow.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 3–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Ja ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 2–0 , Izabela Badurek , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:34 ,

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 1–0 , Lyubov Demidova , TKO (punches) , Octagon Fight Club , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia , , -

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Albu, Aleksandra 1990 births People from Gagauzia Russian female mixed martial artists Moldovan female mixed martial artists Russian female karateka Russian female judoka Moldovan female karateka Moldovan female judoka Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Russian female bodybuilders Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century Russian sportswomen