Fight Preview: Evelyn Martins vs Jaeleen Robledo
The women’s bantamweight division holds a unique place in MMA. Once the gateway for women’s MMA thanks to its historic stars, it’s now developing more slowly than other weight classes. While lighter divisions keep producing new talent, women’s bantamweight is moving more slowly, creating a sharp contrast between its past prestige and its current momentum.
It’s precisely in this context that fighters from the regional scene become essential to watch. At 135, a good string of victories can quickly open the doors to the biggest organizations, as the division is constantly seeking to renew itself. Athletes who dominate local or international circuits at this weight are often propelled to the elite earlier in their careers. Keeping a close eye on these hopefuls is therefore crucial, as many of them represent the next wave of talent poised to join the biggest organizations.
That’s why I decided to highlight the upcoming matchup between two promising women in that division: Evelyn Martins vs Jaeleen Robledo. The fight is slated for Tuff-N-Uff 150 on Friday. The winner of the matchup is slated to come home with the TNU Bantamweight Title and all the reasons in the world to get UFC’s call.
Evelyn Martins (6-1) – Brazil – 23 years old
Evelyn Martins, nicknamed “Spartan”, stands 5’8″ with a 67.5 reach. She has a professional record of 6-1. Most of her victories came by decision, while having one submission to her credit. Known for her disciplined style and intelligent pace management, she favors control and precision. She trains and fights out of Miami, as she made her home with American Top Team. Despite her young age, she is gradually establishing herself as one of the most promising prospects in her division. She started her career with Titan FC and then joined PFL, where her promotional record stands at 3-1. She made her TNU debut earlier in August, winning the decision over Taylor Guardado and propelling herself into a title opportunity.
Evelyn is a pressure-tolerant, grit-driven fighter whose game is built around durability, countering, and disrupting opponents rather than overwhelming them athletically. She shows very good defensive awareness on the ground, often neutralizing opponents’ offense by tying them up and slowing their progress. Her kicking game is one of the strongest aspects of her striking. She uses low kicks and calf kicks effectively, almost like a jab, to manage range and disrupt rhythm. She is most comfortable as a counter-striker and tends to come alive in brawls, relying heavily on her excellent chin and toughness.
When grounded, she is not passive; she can be dangerous off her back with submission attempts such as armbars. Also, her guillotine is a genuine threat, both defensively and offensively. At the same time, her overall striking is still underdeveloped. She is highly hittable, lacks defensive awareness, and absorbs far too much damage. She struggles with forward pressure and tends to retreat in straight lines.
Martins’ takedown defense is inconsistent and overly reliant on her guillotine as a primary line of defense. When taken down, she can lose long stretches of time on her back due to a lack of explosiveness and urgency. Sometimes she chooses to strike from the bottom rather than working to stand. Her fight IQ has also been an issue, as she occasionally chases low-percentage submissions or desperation moves instead of improving position. Her pace can dip, with moments where she appears to “pause” during grappling exchanges. It raises questions about her cardio and general work rate. She’s also generally slow in transitions and foot speed. There are some important contextual factors in her profile. She trains out of a high-level camp and has faced a stronger level of opposition than many fighters at a similar stage. She has competed as high as 147 pounds, which speaks to frame.
Jaeleen Robledo (4-1) – USA – 22 years old
Jaeleen Robledo, on her end, stands approximately 5’7″. A former featherweight, she’ll be making her 135-pound debut this Friday. Robledo has a professional record of 4-1 and is currently on a 4-fight winning streak. That includes a pair of finishes in her last two fights. She fights under the Supa MMA team, with her training camp in Ontario, California. Also a young combatant, Robledo has been fighting as a pro since the beginning of 2024.
Robledo is a grappler-first fighter whose entire game revolves around chaos, transitions, and opportunism. She has excellent balance and an instinctive ability to capitalize on small mistakes. Even when put on her back, she is dangerous. She actively looks for reversals, triangles, crucifix positions, and submission openings, often turning defensive situations into dominant ones. Her top pressure is heavy, aided by relentless ground-and-pound and vicious elbows that force reactions and open submission chains. She scrambles well, transitions smoothly between positions, and shows a strong ability to stand back up.
Robledo’s clinch work is creative, shown by effective judo-style throws and good control in tight spaces. With a purple belt in BJJ, she presents constant submission threats and maintains an active, dangerous guard. However, her game is far from polished. Her takedown defense is questionable, and while she recovers well through scrambles, she is still too easily put on her back.
On her feet, she remains very green. She is hittable, susceptible to basic jabs, and often carries her chin high. She also tends to absorb ground-and-pound unnecessarily and tends to accept damage rather than urgently improving her position. Visually, she reacts poorly when struck, bleeding easily and exaggerating impact, which creates bad optics for judges. Against physically strong opponents, she has shown vulnerability to being reversed and controlled. Stylistically, she gravitates toward side control and half guard, both offensively and defensively. This appears to be a comfort zone rather than a strategic choice.
A key variable is her move to 135 pounds, where physical parity may affect her cardio. Against clean strikers with strong takedown defense, her current skill set is likely to be neutralized, as she relies heavily on chaos and grappling exchanges to create opportunities.
Fight Breakdown
This matchup looks like a classic clash between chaos and control. Robledo’s best path to success lies in turning the fight into scrambles, transitions, and opportunistic grappling exchanges. That’s where she can create triangles, crucifix positions, and capitalize on loose moments. However, Martins’ strengths line up well to neutralize that style. She’s defensively sound on the ground, capable of stalling opponents’ offense and slowing their momentum. As a result, it directly targets Robledo’s chaotic rhythm.
On the feet, Martins’ low and calf kicks should allow her to manage distance against a very hittable, green striker who carries her chin high. While Martins is also hittable and susceptible to pressure, Robledo is not the type of clean, pressure-based striker with strong takedown defense that would exploit those flaws. Over time, Martins’ durability, counter-striking, and ability to control the pace are more likely to blunt Robledo’s opportunistic grappling and earn her the edge.
I think this fight will play out closer than what the public might expect, but the experience of Martins should prevail against the greener opponent.
Prediction : Martins by decision.