Chelsea Chandler (born January 29, 1994) is an American professional

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 ...

who competes in the women's

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of 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). A professional since 2018, she has also previously competed for

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

(Invicta FC).

Background

Chandler played basketball and competed in track in high school. She started training at Tiger Muay Thai, Thailand in 2011 and joined

Nick Diaz Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and ...

's Academy after she finished college.

Mixed martial arts career

Invicta Fighting Championships

Chandler made her promotional debut on March 24, 2018, at Invicta FC 28: Mizuki vs. Jandiroba against Kerri Kenneson. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. On the next fight, she faced Mitzi Merry on November 16, 2018, at Invicta FC 32: Spencer vs. Sorenson. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Her third fight in Invicta came on June 7, 2019, at Invicta FC 35: Bennett vs. Rodriguez facing Brittney Victoria Grizzelle. She won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Chandler faced Olivia Parker on July 2, 2020, at Invicta FC 40: Ducote vs. Lima. She won the fight via

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

submission in round one. Chandler faced Courtney King on May 11, 2022, at Invicta FC 47. She won the bout via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Chandler was scheduled to face Leah Letson in her UFC debut on October 1, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 211 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 211'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 69'' and ''UFC Vegas 61'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 1, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. However, Letson pulled out in late August for personal reasons and was replaced by

Julija Stoliarenko Julija Stoliarenko (born 8 April 1993) is a Lithuanian mixed martial artist, submission grappler, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt athlete and former Lethwei fighter. A two-time European Open champion and two-time IBJJF World medallist i ...

, therefore changing the pairing to a catchweight of 140 pounds. She won the bout via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round. This win earned her the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Chandler faced

Norma Dumont Norma Dumont Viana Ferreira (born October 1, 1990) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 5, 2024, she is #4 in the ...

on July 15, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Chandler faced

Josiane Nunes Josiane Nunes (born December 23, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA fighter since 2013, she has competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. Mixed martial ...

on March 16, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 239 in what was scheduled to be a bantamweight bout. At the weigh-in, Chelsea weighed in at 137 pounds, one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Chelsea was fined 20% of her purse which went to her opponent Nunes. Chandler won the bout by unanimous decision. Chandler faced Yana Santos on August 10, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 61. At the weigh-ins, Chandler weighed in at 141 pounds, five pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Chandler was fined 20 percent of her purse which went to Santos. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Chandler faced Joselyne Edwards on April 26, 2025 at

UFC on ESPN 66 ''UFC on ESPN: Machado Garry vs. Prates'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took on April 26, 2025, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, United States ...

. She lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 , Joselyne Edwards , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Machado Garry vs. Prates , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Yana Santos , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Bueno Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Courtney King , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Olivia Parker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Invicta FC 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Brittney Victoria , TKO (punches) , Invicta FC 35 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Mitzi Merry , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 32 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Kerri Kenneson , Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 28 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

*
Chelsea Chandler
at

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Chelsea 1994 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female Muay Thai practitioners American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Sportspeople from Stockton, California 21st-century American sportswomen