UFC newcomer Vanessa Melo still not paid for fight with Battlefield FC
“Miss Simpatia” Vanessa Melo (10-5) will make her UFC debut when she takes a short notice fight against Irene Aldana (10-5) this Saturday night in Mexico City.
The 31-year old Brazilian Melo gets the call after Aldana’s originally scheduled opponent Marion Reneau was forced to withdraw from the contest. Reneau issued the following statement:
Melo comes to the UFC riding a five-fight win stream since September 2018. All the wins have come by way of unanimous decision. Her most recent win came at Battlefield FC 2 in Macau, China on July 27, 2019. Melo was dominant in her win over Jan Finney, but just like several other competitors on the card, has yet to be paid for her performance.
The show was filled with notable names including multi-time UFC veterans Gleison Tibau, Will Brooks and Bryan Caraway, who have all yet to receive payment from the event.
This Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 17 fight card takes place at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens.
UFC Mexico City fight card:
Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens
Carla Esparza vs. Alexa Grasso
Askar Askarov vs. Brandon Moreno
Irene Aldana vs. Vanessa Melo
Martín Bravo vs. Steven Peterson
J. Quiñones vs. Carlos Huachin
Polo Reyes vs. Kyle Nelson
Angela Hill vs. Ariane Carnelossi
Sergio Pettis vs. Tyson Nam
Vinicius Moreira vs. Paul Craig
Sijara Eubanks vs. Bethe Correia
Claudio Puelles vs. Marcos Mariano