For Tina Lahdemaki, at least as far as her UFC journey was concerned, the beginning turned out to be the end.
The date was July 16, 2014, and Lahdemaki became part of history, battling Claudia Gadelha in the first-ever strawweight bout in the UFC. She would lose a unanimous decision, but going three rounds with the highly respected Gadelha only seemed to indicate that the then-26-year-old Lahdemaki had a bright future ahead of her inside the Octagon.
Issues with a past shoulder injury arose soon after, meaning Lahdemaki’s next booking would have to wait as she underwent surgery.