This past weekend marked the sixth straight win for American, Fatima Kline. The Archangel captured her second simultaneous belt for CFFC with a dominant victory over Brazil’s Andressa Romero. At 6-0 with an impressive grappling background, it’s time for the UFC to make the call to Kline and sign her up.
It's likely you're looking at one of the best female fighters outside of the UFC. Fatima Kline is no joke#CFFC129 pic.twitter.com/rYrcZUugwC
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 10, 2024
Career So Far
Kline, at just 23 years old is a phenom outside of the UFC already. She made her MMA debut back in 2021, however, it came alongside a grappling-heavy career. Her debut saw her compete for Invicta FC, winning via rear naked choke in the first round. Then, for Kline, it was back to grappling for the next year.
She competed at Medusa 1, winning the strawweight belt, finishing all three of her matches. Notably, she out grappled and submitted UFC star, Vanessa Demopoulos. She reached the finals of Medusa 2, losing out Aislinn O’Connell.
It was back to Invicta for the young American and back to MMA and she notched three quick wins, two of which came in the space of just two months.
She then transitioned over to CFFC, moving up in weight to flyweight to clash with Sara Cova. It took Kline just under three rounds for Kline to secure the flyweight strap, putting her name out there on the regional scene. Next for the up-and-comer would be a clash with Romero for the vacant strawweight belt, in Kline’s attempt to become a two-weight simultaneous world champion. With the win, she proved she’s UFC calibre, can go the championship distance (four-five minute rounds in CFFC) and is ready for the step up.
Soak it in, Fatima. You earned it#CFFC129 pic.twitter.com/EnbBDw6rfm
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 10, 2024
Matchmaking Kline in the UFC
The good thing for Kline is that she can compete at either strawweight or flyweight with ease. The UFC has signed women with less experience than Kline before, with the likes of Shauna Bannon who signed at 5-0 without a belt to her name. The signature of the American looks inevitable, so it’s now time to start considering who to match her with.
Plenty of experts in the sport believe that she’s already of ‘ranked’ ability, meaning that she deserves a big fight to kickstart her UFC tenure. At strawweight, Michelle Waterson-Gomez isn’t currently booked, is 1-6 in her last seven and is bizarrely still ranked. This could make sense. Angela Hill is always game to take on all comers and as a former Invicta Champion, it could be a good test for Kline. She’s also currently not booked so again, it could make sense.
She could also be signed as a flyweight, giving her plenty of options. JJ Aldrich is unmatched at the moment and would provide a good litmus test. She’s experienced, UFC-proven, well-rounded and on the brink of a ranking spot. Likewise, Veronica Hardy has seen an up-turn in form as of late, notching two wins back to back since her return. She’s likely one fight away from being ranked and a match-up with the well-respected Kline could provide a good test for both women.
Whatever happens with Kline, she’s due a UFC contract next. She called for it, deserves it and has earned it. The future is bring for the 23-year-old.
Anybody wanna disagree with her???? We're guessing not.#CFFC129 pic.twitter.com/uunM4OPiJW
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 10, 2024
