She’s Next – WMMA Weekly Preview
Each week, I’ll highlight one women’s prospect on my radar and in action in the upcoming days
Mathilde Aschenbrenner
Record: 3-0
Weight Class: Strawweight
Age: 29 years old
Training: NR Fight
Combined opponents record: 8-9
Mathilde Aschenbrenner entered mixed martial arts after approximately 10 years of practicing karate. This background preceded her eventual transition into MMA in her early twenties. Based in Paris, she quickly became one of the most recognizable names on the French amateur circuit. She built a résumé that extended far beyond domestic competition.
Aschenbrenner’s rise came through the amateur ranks, where she was a regular representative of France in international tournaments. She competed under the IMMAF banner and faced opponents from across Europe. This allowed her to gain valuable experience against some of the continent’s most accomplished amateur athletes. During that period, she recorded victories over names such as Paulina Wiśniewska, Ksenija Grabova, Océane Samson and Kelley Hamming. She steadily established herself as one of the top amateur strawweights in Europe.
Her success was not limited to individual wins. Aschenbrenner collected multiple national titles during her amateur career and added significant international achievements to her record. Among her most notable accomplishments were a European championship and a fifth-place finish at the IMMAF World Championships. These results helped solidify her standing within the French MMA scene. By the time she entered the professional ranks, she had already accumulated far more high-level amateur experience than many fighters make in their debuts.
That extensive amateur run eventually led to a professional opportunity with Hexagone MMA. After years spent competing internationally, Aschenbrenner made her professional debut in January 2025. She defeated Brazil’s Gracy Maia by submission. The victory marked a successful start to a long-awaited transition, after she had established herself as one of France’s most accomplished amateur competitors.
She returned later in the year to earn her second professional victory, submitting Veronica Grenno with an armbar in the second round. The win moved her record to 2-0. In addition, it continued the momentum she had built throughout her amateur career.
Still early into her professional journey, Aschenbrenner arrives with a foundation built through years of international competition. Consequently, she is one of the more experienced prospects to emerge from the French amateur scene in recent years.
The next step in that journey comes at Hexagone MMA 45, where Aschenbrenner is set to face former ONE Championship athlete Noelle Grandjean. While Aschenbrenner enters the bout unbeaten as a professional, Grandjean brings eight pro fights’ worth of experience. She has shared the cage with opponents such as Denice Zamboanga and Chihiro Sawada under the ONE banner. Grandjean will become the most experienced fighter Mathilde has ever faced. This will significantly help us see where Aschenbrenner is now in her development path.
Away from competition, Aschenbrenner’s path has never been limited to fighting. She has practiced karate since childhood. She earned her black belt at fifteen and a second degree three years later. Aschenbrenner discovered MMA at nineteen. While building her amateur career, she also completed a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovative Projects at Paris Dauphine University. In 2022, she shifted her focus entirely toward MMA. She began working as a coach while continuing her studies in sports science. Alongside her own competitive ambitions, she has been involved in coaching women and children. She has also participated in projects that use martial arts to help women regain confidence and self-esteem.
Although Aschenbrenner’s martial arts background is rooted in karate, her development as an MMA fighter has largely been defined by her work on the ground. In multiple interviews, she has explained that after discovering MMA, she dedicated significant time to luta livre. As a result, she gradually turned grappling into the strongest aspect of her game. The shift is evident throughout both her amateur and professional careers, with submissions becoming a recurring theme in her victories.
Aschenbrenner built much of her reputation on the international amateur circuit through her ability to secure finishes. During her IMMAF run, she frequently relied on her grappling to separate herself from opponents. Notably, this included a first-round rear-naked choke victory at the 2023 Amateur World Championships. Her amateur record featured numerous submission wins. This success helped establish her as one of the most accomplished French athletes competing outside the professional ranks.
While grappling remains the cornerstone of her game, Aschenbrenner has repeatedly described herself as a fighter striving for versatility. Ahead of her professional debut, she acknowledged boxing and physical development as areas she wanted to continue improving. She also emphasized the overall evolution of her skill set. That willingness to expand beyond her strongest weapons has been a constant theme throughout her progression from decorated amateur to professional prospect.
Aschenbrenner’s success has come from consistently finding ways to impose her grappling while continuing to round out the rest of her game as she climbs the professional ladder.
I’m eager to watch her answer more questions come the weekend.
