Melissa Croden Faces Luana Santos at UFC Vegas 112

Melissa Croden, UFC Vancouver ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Jay Anderson/Cageside Press

Another Canadian UFC athlete has joined the promotion’s final event of 2025.

Women’s bantamweight Melissa Croden, who recently won her promotional debut at UFC Vancouver, is stepping in to face Luana Santos at UFC Vegas 112, set for the Apex on December 13, 2025.

Santos was originally booked to take on Darya Zheleznyakova next month, with Croden initially penciled in to replace Darya in the fight on November 8. However, per a report by Eurosport, the fight will shift to UFC Vegas 112, the final event of the year for the UFC, and of the ESPN era.

Ag.Fight was first to report Croden’s involvement in the bout.

Croden (7-2) made a solid impression in her Vancouver debut, stopping Tainara Lisboa in the third round of an entertaining scrap. “Scare” Croden has won three straight fights, and joined the UFC after a stint in Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Santos (9-2) sits at #15 in the women’s 135lb rankings, making this a huge opportunity for the Canadian in just her second UFC bout. Santos is 4-1 in the promotion, and competed as a flyweight before moving up to face a shared opponent in Lisboa in her last bout.

UFC Vegas 112 is headlined by flyweights Manel Kape and Brandon Royval, with the following match-ups reported for the event thus far: