UFC Reportedly Signs Undefeated MMA Double-Champ Following Recent Title Defense

The UFC has reportedly added a massive name to its women's bantamweight division as of this week.

Four promising young fighters inked UFC contracts on Tuesday following the conclusion of Week 1 of this year’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, but one criticism the UFC has faced in recent years is that the promotion has been largely unwilling to try and sign already-established names that could demand more lucrative deals.

In a sharp contrast to that trend, the UFC made a major splash late last month when news broke that the promotion had signed former KSW titleholder Salahdine Parnasse to headline this year’s UFC Paris event against Dan Hooker.

UFC Reportedly Signs Undefeated Oktagon MMA Champion Lucia Szabová

News of the Parnasse signing was met with considerable fanfare from combat sports community, as the 28-year-old had long been considered one of the top MMA fighters competing outside of the UFC.

Salahdine Parnasse (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Kenny Cross (red gloves) in a featherweight bout at Intuit Dome. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In another unexpected move, the UFC has reportedly inked a deal with one of Europe’s other major stars in undefeated Oktagon MMA Women's Bantamweight Champion Lucia Szabová.

Lucia Szabová přestoupí do UFC, potvrzeno ✅🚨#Oktagon #mmaletemsvetem pic.twitter.com/fZS1yz1xdz
— Pavel Trbušek (@PTrbusek) August 13, 2026

Lucia Szabová Defended Oktagon MMA Title Two Weeks Ago

A perfect 12-0 as a professional MMA fighter, Szabová also has experience in professional Muay Thai and kickboxing but has spent the entirety of her MMA career competing with top Czech promotion Oktagon MMA.

After winning her first two MMA bouts via first-round finish in 2019, “Silent Killer” competed in an exhibition tournament with Oktagon that saw her win her first two bouts before dropping a split decision to current UFC fighter Tereza Bledá in the finals.

Those three fights were contested under a modified ruleset that didn’t include ground strikes and didn’t count towards her professional MMA record, which Szabová extended to 6-0 by the end of 2021 when she scored another three-straight finishes before taking a decision over Cornelia Holm at Oktagon 26.

After she eventually brought her record to 9-0 with seven finishes, the 28-year-old challenged Cecile Bolander for the Oktagon MMA women’s bantamweight belt just over a year ago and took the title via first-round TKO.

Szabová achieved double-champ status this year when she stopped Leidiane Fernandes with strikes in April to win the Oktagon MMA flyweight belt before successfully defending her bantamweight title against UFC veteran and fellow Oktagon staple Lucie Pudilová at Oktagon 92.

When Will the UFC Rebook Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes?

The Slovakian star is only two weeks removed from her title defense against Pudilová and will likely need some time off before making her UFC debut, but Szabová is an intriguing addition to a women’s bantamweight division that’s currently in a bit of a holding pattern.

Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) prepares to fight Julianna Pena (not pictured) in a bantamweight title bout during UFC 316 at Prudential Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kayla Harrison claimed the UFC women’s bantamweight belt in June of last year by submitting
former titleholder Julianna Peña at UFC 316. The Olympic gold medalist was scheduled to defend her belt against returning UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 before she withdrew with a neck injury.

Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) talks to Amanda Nunes after defeating Julianna Pena (not pictured) in a bantamweight title bout during UFC 316 at Prudential Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Harrison still recovering from surgery and Nunes seemingly only interested in fighting for the undisputed title, it will be interesting to see how quickly Szabová is be able to insert herself into the women's bantamweight title picture now that she's joined the UFC.

Add us as a preferred source on Google