Montserrat Ruiz

Montserrat Ruiz (born February 3, 1993) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background
At the age of 16, Ruiz started practicing Olympic wrestling at the Técnica 1 in León, Guanajuato, later became a national selection, living for three years at the Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento (CNAR) in Mexico City and then made the leap to MMA. She was a 7-time national champion in Mexico.

Early career
Montserrat Ruiz made her professional MMA debut in 2014 at the Gladiators Coliseum, a promoter in Mexico. She achieved a winning streak of nine fights fighting under various MMA promotions in Mexico before entering the American circuit.

Invicta FC
Ruiz made her promotional debut for Invicta FC against UFC vet Danielle Taylor at Invicta FC 33 on December 15, 2018. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

After the loss to Danielle, she suffered an injury that kept her out of the cage for more than a year.

In her sophomore performance, Ruiz faced Janaisa Morandin on July 30, 2020, at Invicta FC 41: Morandin vs. Ruiz. She won the bout with ease through first round scarf hold keylock submission.

Ruiz was scheduled to face Emily Ducote for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at Invicta FC 43, however on the day of the event, the fight was cancelled due to COVID precautions.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ruiz made her UFC debut as a short notice replacement for Kay Hansen against Cheyanne Buys on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland. She won the bout via unanimous decision, keeping Buys in the headlock position for most of the bout.

Ruiz faced Amanda Lemos on July 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 26. Ruiz lost the fight via a technical knockout in round one.

Ruiz was scheduled to face Mallory Martin on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31. However Ruiz was forced out of the event and she was replaced by Cheyanne Buys.

After a 2-year layoff, Ruiz faced Jaqueline Amorim on August 12, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos. She lost the fight via technical knockout in round three.

Ruiz faced Eduarda Moura, replacing So Yul Kim, on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. At the weigh-ins, Moura weighed in at 119.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Moura was fined 30% of her purse which went to Ruiz. She lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.

Mixed martial arts

 * Xtreme Fighters Latino
 * XFL Strawweight Championship
 * MAX Fights
 * MAX Fights Strawweight Championship