Melissa Dixon will be entering the big leagues in the European MMA scene after getting scheduled to fight at ARES FC on June 25. She will be entering the fight on short notice against Olympian Judoka Rizlen Zouak. Zouak’s previously scheduled opponent Iony Razafiarison pulled out from the bout due to injury. The fight will be happening on the featherweight limit and will be broadcasted live on UFC Fight Pass.
Fight Announcement
The Rise of Melissa Dixon…
The Coventry-based fighter has been one of the hottest MMA prospects in the UK regional scene off-late. At 30, Melissa’s stock went to an all-time high after she won the bantamweight belt at GTFP 19 on the 4th of June in Wolverhampton. Her victory was monumental on two occasions. First, she and her opponent headlined a women’s main event for the first time in the UK regional scene. Secondly, she cemented herself as Coventry’s first female MMA champion.
Dixon is currently 3-0 in her pro MMA career, out of which 2 of them have been 1st round finishes while her title fight victory going into a decision. Dixon had always been a proven finisher, with her amateur MMA victories all being finished.
Melissa’s training journey started under coach James Dixon in 2016 and it was only last year in 2021, that she turned professional. The two got married the same year. Dixon himself is a professional fighter, fighting under the GTFP, where he has secured 2 victories and 2 losses.
Just a day after her historic fight, Dixon, who is based at Lion’s Gym, competed at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ) British Open 2022, where she won two silver medals in the tournament, resulting in her being promoted to brown belt. She is about to hold the first-ever female-only ‘open mat’ MMA event on June 19 in the UK.
In an earlier interview with Combat Sports UK, Dixon did let us know about her feelings and her future ambitions in the sport and how UK-based female fighters like Molly McCann and Corey McKenna have gone past the regional stage to be successful in their career overseas.
ARES FC 7
ARES FC 7 features two title fights at the top of the card. Abdul Abdouragimov will defend his welterweight title against Karl Amousso in the main event. Akhmed Salamov will face Jose Galindo for the vacant middleweight title in the co-main bout. Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao is scheduled to face William Gomis on this card. This will be his first appearance since his departure from the UFC.
Will Melissa Dixon be able to continue her splendid winning streak?
Featured image credits to Ares FC
