Ashley Yoder (born October 20, 1987) is an American

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 ...

and competes in

Strawweight Mini flyweight, also known as paperweight, minimumweight, strawweight, or super atomweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, boxers in the minimumweight division may weigh no more than . This is a relatively new ...

division. A professional since 2008, Yoder is most known for her time 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 ( ...

(UFC).

Biography

Yoder was born on October 20, 1987, in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, United States. At the age of three, her parents got divorced and she and her brother were raised by her mother. During her high school years at

Mitchell High School (Indiana) Mitchell High School is a small public high school located in Mitchell, Indiana, United States. History The graded public school system was first utilized in Mitchell in 1869. Ten years later, the Emerson School was built on 8th Street. Emer ...

, Yoder was involved in

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

, dance and competed in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. She attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

and received two Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice and African American Diaspora Studies. Prior to starting to fight professionally, Yoder worked as a

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and Cardiopulmonary ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

On her 18th birthday, Yoder lost her brother in a car accident, followed by the death of her cousin two years later. She started training in MMA after a friend introduced her to the combat sport. Yoder only fell in love with mixed martial arts after she had her first fight. Prior to that, she mainly used MMA as a channel to vent out her anger of the loss of her brother. Yoder participated in the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter 20 tryouts, but did not make the cut to be a cast member. She attempted to make it into the show again in April 2016, trying out for TUF 23. Yoder was chosen to appear on that season of TUF, and was signed by UFC later that year. Yoder fought most of her fights in the California circuit under BAMMA USA, Invicta and Gladiator Challenge promotions and amassed a record of 5–1 prior joining UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter

Yoder competed in the strawweight tournament under

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (, born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist, Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. Jędrzejczyk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she holds several records and is a forme ...

's team on the

(UFC) produced

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

(TUF) 23, also known as The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia. Yoder took on Jodie Esquibel in round 1 and won the fight via split decision. Yoder moved on to face

Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948), known professionally as Kate Jackson, is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King i ...

, where she lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Yoder made her promotional debut on December 9, 2016, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov in Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

against

Justine Kish Svetlana Nasibulina (born 13 April 1988), known professionally by her ring name Justine Kish, is an American mixed martial artist that competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2010, she has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

. At the weight-in Kish came in at 116.4 Ibs, over the strawweight limit of 116 Ibs, and she was fined 20% of her pay to Yoder. She lost the fight via unanimous decision with the scorecards 29-28 across the board. Yoder faced

Angela Hill Angela Patrice Hill (born January 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was formerly signed with the Invicta Fighting Championships, where ...

on July 7, 2017, at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Yoder faced promotional newcomer

Mackenzie Dern Mackenzie Lynne Dern (born March 24, 1993) is an American and Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner currently competing in the women's Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight division of the U ...

on March 3, 2018, at

UFC 222 ''UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. UFC 222 features ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. Yoder faced Amanda Cooper on November 10, 2018

UFC Fight Night 139 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 ( ...

. She won the fight via a split decision. Yoder faced

Syuri Kondo , better known simply as , is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the leader of God's Eye as well as the current IWGP Women's Champion in ...

on June 22, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 153. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Yoder was scheduled to face Yan Xiaonan on October 26, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 162 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 162'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 20'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 26, 2019 at the Singapore Indoor Stadiu ...

. However, Yan pulled out of the fight in late-September citing a foot injury. She was replaced by Randa Markos. She lost the fight via split decision. As the first fight of her new four-fight contract, Yoder faced

Lívia Renata Souza Lívia Renata dos Santos Souza (born March 11, 1991), also known as Livinha Souza, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has previously competed in the UFC and Invicta Fighting Championships, where sh ...

on August 15, 2020, at

UFC 252 ''UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 15, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United St ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yoder faced Miranda Granger on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Yoder was scheduled to face

in a rematch on February 27, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 186. However, day of the fight it was announced that the bout was scrapped due to safety protocols after one of Yoder's cornermen tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. The bout was rescheduled and took place at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on March 13. Yoder lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yoder faced Jinh Yu Frey on July 31, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 28. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. As the first bout of her new four-fight contract, Yoder was scheduled to face Vanessa Demopoulos on January 15, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 32. However, Yoder withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and she was replaced by

Silvana Gómez Juárez Silvana Gómez Juárez (born December 6, 1984) is an Argentinian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Gómez Juárez started training kung f ...

. After a two-year layoff, Yoder faced Emily Ducote on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. On October 25, 2023, it was announced that Yoder was no longer on the UFC roster.

Post-UFC Career

Yoder made her first appearance outside the UFC at LFA 190 against fellow UFC veteran Gloria de Paula on August 23, 2024. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Professional grappling career

Yoder represented Team Patriot Empowerment in a Combat Jiu-Jitsu team tournament at Subversiv 10 on April 13, 2024. She lost her only match to Alex Enriquez by submission and her team were eliminated. Yoder then defeated Taylor Mauldin by decision at Subversiv: Fight Club 1 on March 8, 2025.

Personal life

Yoder is a dog lover and owns a dog named "Beth".

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoder, Ashley Living people 1987 births American female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Indiana Martial artists from Indianapolis Indiana University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American women