Melo has a similar opportunity as Nam on Saturday night, stepping in on 10 days’ notice to replace Marion Reneau opposite popular Mexican competitor Irene Aldana this weekend in her UFC debut.
The 31-year-old Brazilian is a 15-fight veteran, like Aldana, though her 10-5 record is a little deceiving, as Melo went 3-4 over her first seven fights, but is 7-1 since, including victories over “Meatball” Molly McCann, Daiane Firmino, and Mariana Morais. Last time out, Melo scored a decision win over veteran Jan Finney, pushing her winning streak to five.
Just like the other two athletes featured ahead of her in this piece, Melo gets the chance to step into the cage with a ranked fighter right out of the chute and put herself into the thick of the title chase with a victory. The women’s bantamweight division is wide open, with Amanda Nunes continuing to rule with iron fists and the collection of contenders tightly packed and trying to find a way to stand out, and Melo can do just that by beating Aldana.
The Lobo MMA product was on a tidy three-fight winning streak before falling to Raquel Pennington in July, but she’s maintained her place in the Top 10, which provides Melo with the opportunity, in theory, to usurp her position by handing her a second straight loss.
