Sheila Gaff (December 29, 1989) is a German

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 was fighting in the

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 ( ...

but was released on August 12, 2013. Since May 14, 2015 she has been under contract with

XFC Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is a premier international mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Spring Lake, Michigan, with offices throughout the United States and South America. The XFC showcases both male and female fighters, ad ...

. She is known for her berserker fighting style, which has resulted in most of her wins and losses coming via (T)KO stoppage within the first two minutes. Gaff has also worked a lot on her ground fighting, which led to successful participations in grappling tournaments. She is also known for being the first-ever woman released by UFC.

Mixed martial arts career

Gaff made her mixed martial arts debut on September 2, 2006. She won six of her first eight fights over the next three years. On March 27, 2010, Gaff competed in a one-night tournament at Upcoming Glory 7. She defeated Lena Buytendijk in the first round and lost to Romy Ruyssen later in the night. Gaff faced

Cindy Dandois Cindy Dandois (born 26 October 1984) is a Belgian female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions in Invicta and the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also the Lightweight division in the Pro ...

two months later at M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 3. She was disqualified after landing an illegal knee early in the third round. On February 26, 2011, Gaff dropped down to 125 pounds to face Hanna Sillen at The Zone FC 8: Inferno. She defeated Sillen by knockout in eight seconds.

Cage Warriors

Gaff made her

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

debut when she fought Ireland's

Aisling Daly Aisling Daly ( ; born 24 December 1987) is a retired Irish female professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC women's Strawweight (MMA), strawweight division. Daly had been ...

at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 41 on April 24, 2011 in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She defeated Daly by TKO in the first round. Gaff was then scheduled to face Angela Hayes at Cage Warriors: Fight Night 2, but had to pull out due to illness and was replaced by

. Gaff next fought

Jennifer Maia Jennifer Apreciada Gonçalves de Maia (born October 6, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Women's Flyweight division. Maia trains at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil. A professional since 2009, Maia is most ...

at Cage Warriors: Fight Night 4 as part of a four-woman flyweight tournament to crown the inaugural Cage Warriors women's flyweight champion. She defeated Maia via knockout in ten seconds. Gaff began the fight with a sucker punch instead of touching gloves. Gaff was scheduled to face

Rosi Sexton Rosemary Ann Sexton (born 16 July 1977) is a British politician, mathematician, sports therapist, osteopath, and former mixed martial artist. Sexton obtained a degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1998, before later obta ...

in the tournament final at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 49 on October 27, 2012 in

Cardiff, Wales Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) drug testing was used in the weeks prior to the planned fight. However, the bout was cancelled on October 19 when Gaff withdrew due to illness.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On March 1, 2013, German website groundandpound.de reported that Gaff had signed a 4-fight contract with 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 ...

to join the UFC women's bantamweight division. She faced

Sara McMann Sara McMann (born September 24, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. She is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympi ...

UFC 159 ''UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 27, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background Jimy Hettes was expected to face Steven Siler at the event; however, Hettes was forced out of the bou ...

on April 27. Gaff lost the fight via TKO in the first round. In her second fight with the promotion, Gaff faced

Amanda Nunes Amanda Lourenço Nunes (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women ...

UFC 163 ''UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo taking on fut ...

on August 3, 2013. She lost the fight via TKO in the first round. On August 12, 2013 German MMA magazine GroundandPound reported her release from the UFC. She was also the first-ever woman released by UFC.

XFC

On April 14, 2015 Gaff signed a 6-fight contract with

. She joins the Strawweight division of the organisation. Gaff debuted at XFCi 11 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 19, 2015 against Antonia Silvaneide. She won the fight via submission in Round 1.

KSW

After XFC closing operations for undetermined time, Gaff signed a 1-fight contract with Polish organization KSW. She faced Brazilian prospect

Ariane Lipski Ariane Lipski da Silva (; born 26 January 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She competed in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki#Women's flyweight championsh ...

at her debut at KSW 36. She lost via knockout in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Milena Bojić , TKO (punches) , Dynasty Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 ,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 ,

, KO (punches) , KSW 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in western Poland with a population of 972,140. Its regional capitals are Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. The region is characterized by a landscape of forests, lake ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 , Antonia Silvaneide , Submission (armbar) , XFCi 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:46 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–6 ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 ,

, KO (punches) , Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , Cage Warriors 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Hanna Sillen , KO (punches) , The Zone FC 8: Inferno , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 ,

Milana Dudieva Milana Dudieva (; born August 4, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Dudieva made her debut in 2009 against Julia Berez ...

, Decision (unanimous) , ProFC 22 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 ,

, DQ (illegal knee to the head) , M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:10 ,

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 , Romy Ruyssen , Submission (armbar) , Upcoming Glory 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Lena Buytendijk , Submission (armbar) , Upcoming Glory 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Alexandra Buch , Submission (heel hook) , MMA Berlin: Tournament 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Dalia Grakulskyte , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Night of Pain 2nd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Tania Loureiro , TKO (Punches) , Hamburger Kafig - First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Lydia Myska , Submission (armbar) , FCA: Fight Club Plauen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Plauen Plauen (; ; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest cit ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Majanka Lathouwers , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFR: Mix Fight Gala , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Neuwied Neuwied (, ) is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the Neuwied (district), District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt ...

, Germany ,

Mixed martial arts amateur record

, Win , align=center, 3–0–1 , Julie Larsen , Submission (armbar) , FG: Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, Denmark , , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 , Katharina Albinus , TKO (punches) ,

FFA FFA may refer to: Aviation and military * First Flight Airport, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, United States * Free-fire area in U.S. military parlance * Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, a Swiss aircraft and railway vehicle manufacturer * Fe ...

: New Talents 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Eschwege Eschwege (), the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany. In 1971, the town hosted the eleventh ''Hessentag'' state festival. Geography Location The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Wer ...

, Germany , , - , Draw , align=center, 1–0–1 , Tania Loureiro , Draw , FFA: New Talents 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Annett Sonntag , TKO (punches) , FFA: New Talents 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

, Germany ,

References

External links

Sheila Gaff's official website

Sheila Gaff Awakening Profile
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaff, Sheila 1989 births Living people People from Bad Hersfeld Sportspeople from Kassel (region) Bantamweight mixed martial artists German female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century German sportswomen