Macy Chiasson Bio
Macy Chiasson (born July 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women’s Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She first rose to national attention as the Women’s Featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 28, a UFC reality competition series that earned her a place on the promotion’s roster. A former softball player who turned to combat sports after a serious car accident, Chiasson has built a reputation for finishing power, durable cardio, and a calm, technical approach inside the cage.
Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall with a 72-inch reach, Chiasson is one of the taller fighters in the women’s bantamweight ranks and uses her frame to control range. Training out of Fortis MMA in Dallas, Texas, she holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Krav Maga. Since her 2018 promotional debut, she has collected multiple Performance of the Night awards and remains a consistent presence near the top of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight rankings.
Early Life and Background
Macy Chiasson was born on July 27, 1991, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she grew up and attended local schools. As a teenager, she was a dedicated softball player, and athletics were a central part of her daily life. That routine was interrupted in her late teens when a serious car accident left her bed-ridden for three and a half weeks, forcing her to rebuild her fitness from the ground up.
Determined to regain the conditioning she once had on the softball field, Chiasson walked into a martial arts gym at the age of 19. She was drawn first to Krav Maga, a self-defense discipline rooted in Israel, and quickly became captivated by its physical aggressiveness and mental toughness. After about a year of training, she earned the right to teach Krav Maga classes, an early sign of her discipline and leadership. Her interest in live competition eventually pushed her toward mixed martial arts, where the skills she had built could be tested against resisting opponents.
Path to MMA
Because Krav Maga is not a competition-based combat sport, Chiasson transitioned to mixed martial arts so she could apply her striking and grappling against other fighters. She began training at Mushin MMA and Mid City MMA in Louisiana, two gyms that helped her round out the striking, wrestling, and submission skills required of a complete mixed martial artist. It did not take long for her to put those tools to use, and she made her professional debut in 2017.
In her first year as a pro, Chiasson built an unblemished 2–0 record while competing under regional promotions such as Invicta Fighting Championships and Cage Warrior Championship. Her quick rise caught the attention of UFC matchmakers, and in August 2017 she was announced as one of the fighters on The Ultimate Fighter 28, the UFC’s long-running reality competition series. That opportunity became the launchpad for her UFC career.
Macy Chiasson Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Chiasson’s professional MMA career began in 2017, when she fought twice on the regional circuit and won both bouts. Those wins came on the Invicta Fighting Championships and Cage Warrior Championship stages, organizations that have long served as proving grounds for female talent in the sport. Her performances were enough to land her a slot on The Ultimate Fighter 28, where she would face a deeper and more experienced featherweight field.
On the show, Chiasson was selected second among the featherweight fighters by head coach Kelvin Gastelum. She made quick work of her bracket, stopping Larissa Pacheco by technical knockout in the first round of the quarter-finals and then finishing Leah Letson by knockout in the first round of the semi-finals. Both wins demonstrated a finishing instinct that would later become a hallmark of her UFC tenure.
The Ultimate Fighter 28 Breakthrough (2018)
Chiasson’s run on The Ultimate Fighter 28 ended in the tournament finale on November 2, 2018, where she met Pannie Kianzad for the Women’s Featherweight crown. The two had already built a quiet rivalry inside the TUF house, and their bout delivered a clear verdict. Chiasson locked in a rear-naked choke in the second round, forcing the tap and securing the tournament title along with a UFC contract.
The victory signaled a smooth transition from the reality-show format to the official UFC roster. Coaches and matchmakers praised her poise under the bright lights, and her finishing ability suggested that she could become a problem for any featherweight willing to stand and trade with her. That early momentum earned her an immediate opportunity at the next level of competition.
UFC Career (2018–Present)
Chiasson made her official UFC bantamweight debut on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235, where she dispatched Gina Mazany by first-round TKO. Two months later, she stepped in on short notice to face Sarah Moras at UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy and added another second-round TKO win, this one earning her a Performance of the Night bonus. She suffered her first UFC setback that September, dropping a unanimous decision to Lina Länsberg at UFC on ESPN+ 18.
The years that followed brought a mixture of cancelled bouts, catchweight contests, and contested decisions. Chiasson rebounded with a unanimous-decision win over Shanna Young in February 2020, then out-pointed Marion Reneau at UFC on ESPN 21 in March 2021. A planned bout with Aspen Ladd fell through after Ladd failed to make weight, and a catchweight fight with Raquel Pennington in December 2021 ended in a second-round guillotine-submission loss. In May 2022, she took a split decision over Norma Dumont at UFC 274, then returned to bantamweight and dropped a third-round knockout to Irene Aldana at UFC 279.
Chiasson’s form rebounded sharply in 2024. She submitted Pannie Kianzad in their March 2024 rematch at UFC Fight Night 239, locking in a first-round rear-naked choke that earned another Performance of the Night award. Three months later, at UFC 303, she stopped Mayra Bueno Silva by doctor-stoppage TKO after an elbow opened a cut over Silva’s eye, collecting a third Performance of the Night bonus. A scheduled 2025 booking with Ketlen Vieira was pushed back and rebooked at featherweight; Chiasson lost a unanimous decision on May 31, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 68, then dropped another unanimous decision to Yana Santos at UFC 320 in October 2025. Her most recent outing came on February 28, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 268, where she lost a unanimous decision to Ailín Pérez.
Style and Strengths
Chiasson is a long, rangy fighter who uses her 5-foot-11 frame and 72-inch reach to dictate distance on the feet. Her finishing arsenal is built on sharp boxing combinations, well-timed elbows in the clinch, and a tight rear-naked choke that has produced several of her biggest wins. Working out of Fortis MMA in Dallas, she has benefitted from a team culture that emphasizes composure under pressure, balanced weight management, and disciplined game plans from fight to fight.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her defining moments, Chiasson lists her TUF 28 tournament victory over Pannie Kianzad, her quick TKO of Gina Mazany at UFC 235, and her second-round submission win over Sarah Moras, which earned her first Performance of the Night bonus. Her 2024 rebound, highlighted by submission and TKO wins over Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva, cemented her status as a perennial contender in a deep bantamweight division.
Macy Chiasson Career Wins
Across her professional career, Macy Chiasson has accumulated 10 verified wins, with victories spread across regional promotions, The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale, and the UFC proper. Her finishes have come by knockout, submission, and decision, reflecting a well-rounded skill set that has produced multiple Performance of the Night bonuses along the way.
UFC and TUF Highlights
Her UFC and TUF win ledger includes the second-round rear-naked choke of Pannie Kianzad at the TUF 28 Finale, a first-round TKO of Gina Mazany at UFC 235, and a second-round TKO of Sarah Moras at UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy. In more recent action, she added a first-round submission of Pannie Kianzad at UFC Fight Night 239 and a doctor-stoppage TKO of Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303, both of which earned Performance of the Night honors. Each of these wins reinforced her reputation as a fighter who closes the show before the judges are needed.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the UFC spotlight, Chiasson picked up early professional wins under Invicta Fighting Championships and Cage Warrior Championship, building the 2–0 record that earned her a slot on The Ultimate Fighter 28. She has also added UFC decision wins over Shanna Young and Marion Reneau, plus a split-decision catchweight victory over Norma Dumont at UFC 274.
Macy Chiasson Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Chiasson’s parents and broader family background is limited, and verified details about her upbringing in New Orleans are not widely documented beyond her own interviews. As a result, a deeper family history cannot be reported here with confidence.
Personal Life
Chiasson is an open lesbian and is married to Dr. Hannah Chiasson (née Leffler), a flute professor. The couple make their home in Dallas, Texas, where Chiasson trains at Fortis MMA. She is widely regarded as a positive presence in her gym community and remains active with fans through her verified social-media channels.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 campaign was a transitional year for Macy Chiasson, marked by a high-profile booking change and a return to the featherweight ranks. Her scheduled bantamweight bout with Ketlen Vieira was pushed back from January to May 31, 2025, and was ultimately shifted to featherweight after Vieira ran into weight-management issues on fight day. Chiasson lost that contest by unanimous decision, snapping the momentum she had built with back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses in 2024.
Looking to reset at bantamweight, Chiasson was matched with Yana Santos on October 4, 2025, at UFC 320. She came in 1.5 pounds over the non-title limit, forcing the bout to a catchweight and a purse forfeit, and dropped a second straight unanimous decision. The consecutive setbacks pushed her back down the official UFC women’s bantamweight rankings, where she has historically hovered near the top tier.
Despite the late-year slide, Chiasson entered 2026 with renewed motivation and a clear opportunity to climb back into title contention. Training remains centered at Fortis MMA in Dallas, where she continues to refine her striking and grappling under familiar coaches. With several ranked opponents ahead of her and a long runway of prime years still ahead, she remains a credible threat in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions.
