Irene Aldana Record, stats and next fight

Analysis

Irene Aldana is a Mexican fighter, a former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger who retired in 2026 after a decade in the promotion. Trained at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara alongside Alexa Grasso, she built her career on heavy striking and a trading-forward style.

Background

Irene Aldana was born on March 26, 1988, in Culiacan, in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, and grew up between Mazatlan and Guadalajara. As a child she tried many sports, from skating to gymnastics to karate and basketball, before planning a career in graphic design. She took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu as an adult, won a national tournament in the discipline, then began MMA at 23. She has trained since at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, under Francisco Grasso, alongside fighters such as Alexa Grasso and Diego Lopes.

Career before the UFC

Irene Aldana made her professional debut in October 2012 with a KO win over Sandra del Rincon, then strung together several quick wins in Mexico. She fought for the vacant Jungle Fight bantamweight title in December 2013, losing by TKO to Larissa Pacheco. She then joined Invicta FC, where she won by submission over Peggy Morgan and Colleen Schneider, before fighting for the promotion’s vacant bantamweight title in July 2015, lost by TKO to Tonya Evinger. She bounced back with two TKO wins, over Jessamyn Duke and then Faith Van Duin, which opened the door to the UFC.

UFC career

Irene Aldana made her UFC debut on December 17, 2016, losing by unanimous decision to Leslie Smith in a fight that still earned a Fight of the Night bonus despite the loss. She then alternated wins and close losses, beating Talita Bernardo, Lucie Pudilova and Bethe Correia among others, before winning by KO over Ketlen Vieira in December 2019. After a decision loss to Holly Holm in 2020, she reeled off three wins, including an upkick stoppage of Macy Chiasson in September 2022, which pushed her into title contention. On June 10, 2023, at UFC 289, she faced Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight belt, as a late replacement for Julianna Pena, and lost a hard-fought unanimous decision after five rounds. She followed with a decision win over Karol Rosa in December 2023, before closing out her career with a decision loss to Norma Dumont on September 14, 2024, in Las Vegas, at the Noche UFC event.

End of career

Irene Aldana left the UFC roster in the summer of 2026, after a decade in the promotion. According to Cageside Press, she had told the organization of her decision to retire as early as spring 2026, in a letter later made public, citing a priority on her health after several years of thought. She thus closes out a 23-fight professional career that saw her face several of the division’s best fighters.

Fighting style

Irene Aldana is a striker, per UFC and Sherdog classification, with a large majority of her landed strikes coming standing rather than in the clinch or on the ground. Her record shows a clear tendency to finish fights early, with nine of her fifteen wins coming in the first round, by KO, TKO or submission. She has also gone the distance in several fights against top-level opponents, showing an ability to go the distance despite a trading-forward style.

Record

• Professional record of 15 wins and 8 losses in 23 fights
• Wins by KO or TKO: 8
• Wins by submission: 3
• Wins by decision: 4
• Fought for three championships (Jungle Fight, Invicta FC, UFC) without winning a title
• Three Fight of the Night and two Performance of the Night bonuses in the UFC

Vital stats

• Full name: Irene Aldana Robles
• Born: March 26, 1988, in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
• Nationality: Mexican
• Height: 5’9″ (175 cm)
• Division: Women’s bantamweight
• Team: Lobo Gym, Guadalajara
• Coach: Francisco Grasso
• Base: Striking

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org
• www.ufc.com
• cagesidepress.com
• www.essentiallysports.com
• invictafc.com