Joselyne Celina Edwards Loboriel (born September 29, 1995) is a Panamanian

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 currently 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 (UFC). As of April 29, 2025, she is #14 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.

Background

Edwards started boxing when she was 13 years old, and after four years of

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

, she started doing MMA when she was 17. She had seen the

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

on TV in her home of

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, but she did not know a gym that taught it. She then started doing

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

and after six months debuted in

MMA 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Edwards compiled a 9–2 record on the regional scene, winning the UCC Women's Bantamweight Championship in her homeland of Panama and defending it twice. In 2018, she moved to her camp to the United States, where she defeated former

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

fighter Jessica Middleton via TKO on May 18, 2018, at The Fight Series. She would then defeat highly touted prospect Brenda Gonzales at KOTC: Aggressive Lifestyle on September 1, 2018, via armbar, in the process winning the KOTC Bantamweight Championship. Afterwards, she competed against fellow future UFC fighter Sarah Alpar for the LFA Women's Bantamweight Championship at LFA 55, losing the close bout via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Edwards, as a replacement for

Bethe Correia Bethe Correia (; born June 22, 1983) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the women's bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2012, Correia has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Earl ...

, faced Wu Yanan on January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar. She won the bout via unanimous decision. Edwards, as a replacement for

Nicco Montaño Nicco Montaño (born December 16, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first UFC Women's Flyweight Champion. Background Montaño was bor ...

, faced

Karol Rosa Karol Rosa Cavedo (born December 30, 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional since 2012, she currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #10 in t ...

on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. Edwards lost the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards was scheduled to face

Zarah Fairn Dos Santos Zarah Fairn dos Santos (born December 10, 1986) is a French female mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Fairn was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil to a ...

on August 28, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze. However, the contest was cancelled in late July as Edwards was removed from the event in favor of another bout. Edwards faced

Jessica-Rose Clark Jessica-Rose Clark (born 28 November 1987) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Bantamweight division. She formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Clark was born in Cairns, Austral ...

at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori on October 23, 2021. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards faced Ramona Pascual on June 11, 2022, at

UFC 275 ''UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Procházka'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Champi ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. 11 out of 16 media outlets scored the bout as a win for Pascual. In a quick turnaround, Edwards replaced an injured

Mariya Agapova Mariya Agapova (born April 7, 1997) is a Kazakhstani mixed martial artist who competed in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is currently signed with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Background A ...

to face

Ji Yeon Kim Kim Ji-yeon (; born October 18, 1989), often anglicized Ji Yeon Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Jewels and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion. She competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fi ...

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweight Cha ...

on July 9, 2022. At the weigh-ins, Edwards weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit and was fined 20% of her purse, which went to her opponent Kim. She won the fight via split decision. Edwards faced

Lucie Pudilová Lucie Pudilová (born June 13, 1994) is a Czech female mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the Gladiator Championship Fighting Bantamweight female champion in Czech R ...

on April 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 44. At the weigh-ins, Edwards weighed in at 136.5 pounds, half a pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. Consequently, Edwards was fined 20% of her purse, which was awarded to Pudilová. She won the fight via a controversial split decision. Cageside commentators

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler, and current color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweig ...

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

, and Brendan Fitzgerald all expressed shock that Edwards was declared the winner, with numerous media outlets also scoring the fight in favor of Pudilová. Edwards faced

Nora Cornolle Nora Cornolle (born December 6, 1989) is a French professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter who competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a Muay Thai fighter, she was the french na ...

on September 2, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 226 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 226'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 84'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 2, 2023, at the Accor Arena in Paris, ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards faced

Ailín Pérez Ailín Luciana Pérez (born 5 October 1994) is an Argentinian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 6 May 2025, she is #7 in the UFC wome ...

on June 1, 2024, at

UFC 302 ''UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 1, 2024, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The event marked the pro ...

. She lost the fight again by unanimous decision. Edwards faced Tamires Vidal on October 19, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245. At the weigh-ins, Edwards weighed in at 139 pounds, three pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Edwards was fined 30 percent of her purse which went to her opponent Vidal. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission at the end of the third round. Edwards faced

Chelsea Chandler Chelsea Chandler (born January 29, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2018, she has also previously competed f ...

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 won the fight by technical knockout in the first round. Edwards is set to face Mayra Bueno Silva on August 9, 2025 at

UFC on ESPN 72 ''UFC on ESPN: Dolidze vs. Hernandez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 72'' and ''UFC Vegas 109'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on August 9, 2025, at the UFC Apex in Ente ...

Controversies

Altercation with Ailín Pérez

Before

UFC Fight Night 232 ''UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Craig'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 232, UFC on ESPN+ 90'' and ''UFC Vegas 82'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 18, 2023, at the UFC Apex ...

, Edwards and

allegedly had an altercation for unknown reasons.

Championships and accomplishments

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

** KOTC Bantamweight Championship (One time) * Ultimate Combat Challenge ** UCC Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time) *** Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–6 ,

, 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 , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Tamires Vidal , Submission (face crank) , UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:33 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

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

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Kim Ji-yeon , Decision (split) ,

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

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Ramona Pascual , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , 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, 10–4 ,

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

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Wu Yanan , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Pamela Gonzalez , KO (punches and body kick) , UWC 22: Total War , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Sarah Alpar , Decision (split) , LFA 55 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Brenda Gonzales , Submission (armbar) , KOTC: Aggressive Lifestyle , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Ignacio, Colorado The Town of Ignacio (Ute dialect: Piinuu) is a Statutory Town in La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The population was 852 at the 2020 United States census. Ignacio is the headquarters of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. History ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jessica Middleton , TKO (punches) , The Fight Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

West Des Moines, Iowa West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, United States. Most of the city is in Polk County, Iowa, Polk County, some of it is in Dallas County, Iowa, Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren County, Iowa, Warren and Madison County, Iowa, Madi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Trisha Cicero , Decision (unanimous) , UCC Fantastic Fight Night 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Francelys Rivero , TKO (punches) , UCC Fantastic Fight Night 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 ,

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Mauris Marcano Gonzales , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Combat Challenge 31 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Yacqueline Arosemena , Submission (verbal) , Ultimate Combat Challenge 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Heydi Irias , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Combat Challenge 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:45 ,

El Progreso El Progreso () is a city, with a population of 120,600 (2023 calculation), and a municipality located in the Honduran Departments of Honduras, department of Yoro (department), Yoro. Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport of San Pedro Su ...

, Honduras , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Mauris Marcano Gonzales , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Combat Challenge 25 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Evelyn Jessenia Caballero Llanes , KO (punch) , Ultimate Combat Challenge 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

, Panama ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Joselyne 1995 births Living people Panamanian female mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Panamanian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Panamanian women boxers

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Controversies

Altercation with Ailín Pérez

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links