Istela Nunes is the newest addition to the UFC strawweight division, sources told MMA Fighting following a report by MMA Premium. According to sources, the current plan is to have Nunes debut at the UFC Fight Night card in Newark on Aug. 3.
Nunes (7-1, 1 no-contest), a 26-year-old talent from American Top Team, competed under the ONE Championship banner between 2016 and 2018. Nunes earned a shot at the ONE strawweight title after defeating Mei Yamaguchi in her debut, but came up short against champion Angela Lee, losing via submission.
The Brazilian athlete, who also holds a 50-4 record in muay thai, fought for the last time in July 2018, defeating Gina Iniong via unanimous decision in Guangzhou, China.