Melissa Gatto hopes to get her ‘groove back’ after successful debut year in the UFC

UFC flyweight Melissa Gatto hopes to fight three or four times in 2022 following her successful debut year with the promotion.

[autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag] capped off a successful debut year in the UFC with a spectacular knockout.

At UFC Fight Night 199, the Brazilian flyweight folded Sijara Eubanks (7-7, 5-5 UFC) with a body kick in the third round to pick up her second win of the year. The TKO by Gatto (8-0-2, 2-0 UFC) was so nice, the promotion awarded her with one of two “Performance of the Night” bonuses on a card filled with exciting finishes.

Prior to making her UFC debut in August, a number of injuries and global pandemic travel restrictions kept Gatto away from the cage for nearly three years. After finally returning and competing twice in the same calendar year, Gatto has no preferences on who’s next, but she hopes to stay consistently active with three or four fights in 2022.

“I just want to get my old rhythm, my own groove back,” Gatto said through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference. “It’s been a long time. I did a hiatus for about two years, so I want to improve my skills, and whoever the UFC throws at me, I welcome.”

Gatto made her UFC debut at UFC 265 in Houston against Victoria Leonardo. The fight was stopped after the second round when the cageside physician discovered Leonardo’s arm was broken.

Watch Gatto’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

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