Aisling Daly ( ; born 24 December 1987) is a retired Irish female professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who last competed in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

women's strawweight division. Daly had been a professional MMA competitor since 2007. Daly is well known for her participation in the reality TV series " The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned", season 20. The 12 episodes featured a single elimination tournament that was used to determine two finalists to compete for the first ever UFC woman's straw weight belt. Daly was eliminated in the quarterfinals, and as a result of her showing was offered and accepted a fight on the undercard of the championship fight, which she won. Daly has competed in several divisions, including strawweight and

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

. Daly has trained throughout her career at Straight Blast Gym Ireland, under SBGi head coach John Kavanagh. She received her Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from SBG head coach Matt Thornton in October 2016, becoming the first Irish female to earn the prestige. On 30 January 2017 she officially retired from MMA due to an abnormality in a routine brain scan making it unlikely for her to be cleared to fight again.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Daly began her professional career in Denmark against Nicole Sydboge, defeating her in the second round via guillotine choke. This was followed up by a win over Annika Sitter via TKO after 22 seconds.

Cage Rage

Daly then signed with

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

and debuted against Majanka Lathouwers. Daly won the fight by armbar submission in the second round. She later competed outside of Cage Rage against Nadia van der Wel and won the fight by TKO. Daly returned at Cage Rage 25 and defeated Aysen Berik, younger sister of Cage Rage veteran Sami Berik, via corner stoppage less than two minutes into the fight, making her the first woman to win a professional bout in Cage Rage. She then fought at Cage Rage Contenders and won via TKO, which was followed up by a win at Cage Rage 27 via rear naked choke. Daly then made two more appearances after Cage Rage's dissolution, winning one via decision and another via TKO.

Bellator Fighting championships

Ranked as the number three female flyweight in the world and the top female mixed martial artist in Ireland, Daly signed with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

to compete in their women's 115 lbs tournament. Her opening round fight was against Lisa Ellis at

Bellator 26 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. On 10 April 2011, it was announced that Daly had been released from her Bellator contract. Daly was scheduled to return to the promotion at

Bellator 66 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

on 20 April 2012 to face

Jessica Eye Jessica Jo-Anne Eye (born July 27, 1986) is an American retired mixed martial artist. She competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Jessica Eye was born in Akron, Ohio to Randy Allen and Colleen Joanne Eye. ...

in an NAAFS title rematch. However, Daly was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an ear infection.

Outside of Bellator

Daly faced Molly Helsel at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 39 on 27 November 2010 in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Ireland. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Daly faced German

Sheila Gaff Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, meanin ...

at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 41 on 24 April 2011 in North London, England. She was defeated by TKO in the first round. She next faced

at NAAFS: Fight Night In The Flats 7 on 4 June 2011 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Daly defeated Eye by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the second round to become NAAFS 125 lbs women's champion. On three days' notice, Daly agreed to face Angela Hayes at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship: Fight Night 2 on 8 September 2011 in

Amman, Jordan Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is ...

. Daly replaced Sheila Gaff, who withdrew from the fight due to illness. She defeated Hayes by armbar submission in 20 seconds. Daly was scheduled to face

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. A p ...

at BlackEye Promotions 5 on 1 October 2011 in

Fletcher, North Carolina Fletcher is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,187 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to be 8,333 in 2018. Fletcher is adjacent to Asheville Regional Airport, which serves western North Carolina. I ...

. However, she was forced to withdraw from the fight due to contractual obligations to NAAFS and instead defended her title against Kelly Warren at NAAFS: Night of Champions 2011 on 23 November 2011 in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. Daly defeated Warren by submission due to an armbar in the second round. Daly had planned to compete in Ireland on 24 March 2012 at Battlezone Fighting Championships 5, but her fight was cancelled when opponent Titiana van Polanen Petel suffered a shoulder injury. On 2 June 2012, Daly faced

Rosi Sexton Rosemary Ann Sexton (born 16 July 1977) is a British athlete, sports therapist, osteopath, and politician. She had a career in mixed martial arts (MMA), from which she retired in 2014. In 2020, Sexton ran in the Green Party leadership electi ...

at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 47. The bout was part of a tournament to crown a

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

125-pound women's champion. Daly was defeated by unanimous decision. Daly next competed in a 120 lbs catchweight bout against

Katja Kankaanpää Katja Kankaanpää (; born June 30, 1981) is a Finnish former mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is ...

at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 51 on 31 December 2012. She was defeated by unanimous decision.

Invicta Fighting championships

Daly faced Barb Honchak at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on 6 October 2012. She was defeated via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter

On 3 July 2014, it was announced that Daly was one of the eight remaining contestants on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez''. In the first episode of '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez'' it was revealed that the UFC had seeded the fighters. Aisling was seeded 5th of 16 fighters and was paired with the no. 12 seed,

Angela Magaña Angela Magaña (born August 2, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is also known for competing on The Ultimate Fighter 20 for Team Melende ...

, who she fought in the preliminary round. Daly won the fight via TKO in the third round to advance in the tournament. She was defeated by no. 4 seed

Jessica Penne Jessica Marie Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Cha ...

in the quarterfinals via unanimous decision in 3 rounds.

After TUF

Daly's first fight after The Ultimate Fighter was against Alex Chambers at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale on 12 December 2014. She was successful in her debut, winning by submission in the first round. Daly was expected to face

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...

on 11 April 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 64 ''UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 64'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2015, at the Tauron Arena Kraków in Kraków, Poland. Background The event was the first that the organization has ...

. However, Gadelha pulled out of the bout in late March citing a recent muscle spasm in her back. Subsequently, Daly was pulled from the card entirely. In turn, she was quickly re-booked and faced Randa Markos on 25 April 2015 at

UFC 186 ''UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 25, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event was the seventh event that the UFC has hosted in Montreal, Quebec. The event was expec ...

. Daly lost the fight by unanimous decision. Daly next faced Ericka Almeida on 24 October 2015 at UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka. She won the fight by unanimous decision. On 30 January 2017 Daly announced her retirement following medical tests that revealed an abnormality as a result of a prior brain haemorrhage.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Ericka Almeida , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 ,

Randa Markos Randa Cemil Markos-Thomas (born August 10, 1985) is an Iraqi-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Personal life Markos was ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Alex Chambers , Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:53 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Karla Benitez , Submission (armbar) , Cage Warriors 63 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 ,

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors: 51 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

Barb Honchak Barbara Marie Honchak (born August 30, 1979) is a retired American professional female mixed martial artist. She is the first Invicta FC Flyweight Champion. She has four wins in the Invicta FC promotion and holds notable victories over Vanessa ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors: 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Kelly Warren , Submission (armbar) , NAAFS: Night of Champions 2011 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Angela Hayes , Submission (armbar) , Cage Warriors: Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

, Jordan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , NAAFS: Fight Night In The Flats 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , Cage Warriors: 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Molly Helsel , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 39: The Uprising , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Lisa Ellis , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Maiju Kujala , Decision (unanimous) , Rumble in Rush 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Tevi Say , TKO (punches) , Cage of Truth 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Eva Liskova , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Rage 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 , London, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Myriem el Banouti , TKO (punches) , Cage Rage Contenders - Ireland vs. Belgium , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Aysen Berik , TKO (corner stoppage) ,

Cage Rage 25 A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:49 , London, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Nadia van der Wel , TKO (punches) , COT 1 – Battle on the Bay , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:39 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Myriem Lathouwers , Submission (armbar) , Cage Rage Contenders: Dynamite , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:43 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Annika Sitter , TKO (punches) , ROT 7 – The Next Level , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nicole Sydboge , Submission (guillotine choke) , Adrenaline 1 – Feel the Rush , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Hvidovre Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg. History Hvidovre has ...

, Denmark ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Championships and accomplishments

* North American Allied Fight Series 125 lbs Women's Champion (One time; current) ** One successful title defence

References

External links

Aisling Daly Awakening Profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daly, Aisling 1987 births Living people Irish female mixed martial artists Irish Muay Thai practitioners Female Muay Thai practitioners Irish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Dublin (city) Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters