Pannie Pantea Kianzad (born December 8, 1991, in

Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) is an Iranian-born Swedish

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 ...

. She is currently signed by

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

in the Women's Bantamweight division, having previously fought in

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

and

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 ...

where she held the bantamweight title. As of October 3, 2022, she is #7 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kianzad started her martial arts career in boxing when she was around 14 years old and she went on to compete in around 30 amateur boxing fights. In 2010, she competed in the Swedish National Championships in

Shootfighting Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestli ...

and came in second place claiming the silver medal after losing to

Lina Länsberg Lina Länsberg (born 13 March 1982) is a Swedish professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 3, 2022, she is #12 in the List of current U ...

in the final. The following year, at 19 years of age, she became Swedish Champion in Shootfighting by defeating Genesini Serena by submission (armbar) in the second round. After turning professional in MMA she avenged her loss against

in her third fight, which she won by TKO. She racked up five straight wins in smaller organizations before getting signed to

. During this period she transitioned from team Kaisho in

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, to Rumble Sports in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. As of 2016 Kianzad trains with Arte Suave team in

Cage Warriors

In 2014 Kianzad signed with British top promotion

. She made her promotional debut against Megan van Houtum on August 22, 2014, at Cage Warriors 71. She won the fight by TKO in the third round. Kianzad was expected to face Agnieszka Niedzwiedz for the vacant bantamweight title on November 15, 2014, at Cage Warriors 74, but Niedzwiedz was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury and Kianzad's opponent was changed to be Finnish fighter Eeva Siiskonen. After five rounds Kianzad defeated Siiskonen by unanimous decision (50–45, 50–45, 49–46) to become Cage Warriors female bantamweight champion.

Invicta Fighting Championship

After staying undefeated through her first 7 fights, and claiming the Cage Warriors title, Kianzad got another step up in her career as she got signed by

in March, 2015. She made her promotional debut against

Jessica-Rose Clark Jessica-Rose Clark (born 28 November 1987) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the women’s Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Clark was born in Cairns, Australia, as the eldest of ...

on July 9, 2015, at Invicta FC 13. Kianzad won the fight by one-sided unanimous decision. Kianzad was set to face newly crowned champion

Tonya Evinger Tonya Evinger (born June 4, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Evinger has previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), EliteXC, Raging Wolf and Invicta Fighting Champi ...

in a title fight on September 14, 2015, at Invicta FC 14. However, Kianzad missed weight for the fight so it was changed to a non-title bout. She lost by TKO in the second round. She fought

Raquel Pa'aluhi Raquel Pa'aluhi Canuto (born October 14, 1990) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler and former mixed martial artist. Canuto was awarded her Black Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by her coach Robert Drysdale. Raquel is the 2014, 2015, 2016, 20 ...

on January 14, 2017, at Invicta FC 21. She lost the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. Kianzad faced

Sarah Kaufman Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman (born September 20, 1985) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the women's bantamweight division where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Kaufman was the inaugural Strike ...

on January 13, 2018, at Invicta FC 27. At weight-ins, Kianzad weighted 136.7 Ibs, missing 0.7 Ibs of the upper limit in bantamweight of 136 Ibs. Kianzad was fined twenty five percent of her fight purse for missing weight. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad fought Bianca Daimoni on May 4, 2018, at Invicta FC 29. At weight-ins, Kianzad weighted 134.8 lbs while Daimoni weighted 139.6, missing 3.6 lbs of the upper limit in bantamweight of 136 lbs and the bout proceeded at catchweight. Daimoni was fined twenty five percent of her fight purse for missing weight Kianzad won the fight via unanimous decision. About a month later she fought Kerry Hughes on June 9, 2018, at Danish MMA Night 1. Kianzad had a dominant performance and won by unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter 28

In August 2018 Kianzad's sponsor Combat Dollies revealed that she had been selected as a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter 28, where she would compete at featherweight. Kianzad was the fourth pick (second among featherweights) by coach

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum has competed for the UFC since he won '' The Ul ...

. She fought

Katharina Lehner Katharina Lehner (born April 9, 1990) is a German mixed martial artist who last competed in Bellator MMA. She has also previously fought in Invicta FC. She fought Sarah Kaufman for the Invicta Bantamweight title in the main event of Invicta FC ...

in the quarter-finals of the tournament. She won the fight by unanimous decision. In the semi-finals of the tournament, Kianzad was paired up against

Julija Stoliarenko Julija Stoliarenko (born 8 April 1993) is a Lithuanian mixed martial arts and Lethwei fighter. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2012, she is the former Invicta FC Ban ...

. She won the fight by unanimous decision, securing a spot in the finals.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kianzad faced

Macy Chiasson Macy Chiasson (born July 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Women's Featherweight winner of '' The Ultimate Fighter 28'' and currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

in the finals on November 30, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale. She lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in round two. Kianzad did not receive a contract from UFC after her loss at TUF 28 Finale.

Post-UFC career

In her return to the European scene, Kianzad dropped back down to the bantamweight division and faced Bellator veteran Iony Razafiarison on May 11, 2019, at Super Challenge 19. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Return to Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kianzad replaced Melissa Gatto in a short notice bout against

Julia Avila Julia Aide Shumate Avila (born May 11, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Previously she has competed in Invicta FC, HD MMA, XKO MMA, Total Warrior Combat and King of the Cage ( ...

on July 6, 2019, at

UFC 239 ''UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Kianzad faced

in a re-match on November 9, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 163 UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar (also known as UFC Fight Night: Zabit vs. Kattar, UFC Fight Night 163 and UFC on ESPN+ 21) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 9, 201 ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad was scheduled to face Bethe Correia on May 9, 2020, at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date The bout eventually took place on July 26, 2020, at

UFC on ESPN 14 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 14'' and ''UFC Fight Island 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 26, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu ...

. Kianzad won the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad entered the

UFC rankings Ultimate Fighting Championship rankings, which were introduced in February 2013, are generated by a voting panel made up of media members. These media members are asked to vote for whom they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight class and ...

for the first time in her career after her win over #13 ranked Correia. Kianzad faced

Sijara Eubanks Sijara Jihan Eubanks (born April 27, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently fights in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Eubanks was born and raised in Springf ...

on December 19, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 183 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 183'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 41'' and ''UFC Vegas 17'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 19, 2020 at the UF ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad faced on Alexis Davis June 12, 2021 at

UFC 263 ''UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2021, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, United States. Background The event was the second ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad faced

Raquel Pennington Raquel Len Pennington (born September 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in Ultimate Fighting Championship women's featherweight division. She has previously fought for Invicta Fighting Championships. As of May 23, 2022, ...

on September 18, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 192 ''UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 192'', ''UFC Vegas 37'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 18, 2021 at the UFC ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kianzad faced

on April 16, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 34 ''UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 34'' and ''UFC Vegas 51'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 16, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter 28 (Runner-Up) *

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) vs. Bianca Daimoni *

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 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 ...

** CWFC Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time) **Undefeated in the CWFC (2-0) *Nordic MMA Awards - MMAViking.com **2013 Female Fighter of the Year **2018 Female Fighter of the Year **2020 Female Fighter of the Year

Shootfighting

*Swedish Shootfighting League **2010 National Women's Featherweight Shootfighting Championship **2011 National Women's Featherweight Shootfighting Championship

Mixed martial arts record

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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 ...

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

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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 ...

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Annalisa Bucci Annalisa Bucci (born ) is an Italian female kickboxer and mixed martial artist, based in Rimini. She has competed professionally since 2005 and is the currently competing in the Bellator Featherweight division and in the SUPERKOMBAT Lightweight ...

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Milana Dudieva Milana Dudieva (russian: Милана Дудиева; born August 4, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Dudieva made h ...

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Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kianzad, Pannie 1991 births People from Ahvaz Living people Swedish female mixed martial artists Iranian female mixed martial artists Swedish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Iranian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Iranian emigrants to Sweden Sportspeople of Iranian descent Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Sportspeople from Khuzestan province