UFC Fight Night: Melissa Croden vs Chelsea Chandler Preview & Prediction

Melissa Croden looks to build on her bounce back win in front of a home crowd, she takes on the relentless Chelsea Chandler on the Edmonton prelims.

Melissa Croden vs Chelsea Chandler facts

What time are Melissa Croden and Chelsea Chandler expected to walk out? 17 October 2026 at 10:40 pm

Where is UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott? Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 291

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott main card

Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott (Welterweight)

Erin Blanchfield vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (Women’s Flyweight)

Kyle Nelson vs Cristian Perez (Lightweight)

Marc-Andre Barriault vs Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight)

Louis Jourdain vs Timothy Cuamba (Bantamweight)

Mandel Nallo vs Nate Landwehr (Lightweight)

UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott prelims

Tanner Boser vs Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)

Julien Leblanc vs Nick Galanti (Middleweight)

Javad Mahjoub vs Joel Faglier (Heavyweight)

Katlyn Cerminara vs Mackenzie Stiller (Women’s Flyweight)

Chad Anheliger vs Steven Koslow (Bantamweight)

Melissa Croden vs Chelsea Chandler (Women’s Bantamweight)

Cody Chovancek vs You Su-young (Bantamweight)

Melissa Croden: Can “Scare” turn a bounce back win into another run

Melissa Croden (8-3) is 2-1 in the UFC. She stopped Tainara Lisboa in the third of her debut, then dropped a short-notice decision to Luana Santos, now ranked #7, before bouncing back with a decision over Darya Zheleznyakova in April. The 35-year-old fighter carries a strong frame and durable chin, getting dropped four times in under a minute against Jacqueline Cavalcanti and still not being finished. She’s a patient, technical striker, most dangerous with kicks at range and knees and elbows in the clinch. The downside is her lack of fast-twitch, and she has no great head movement or defensive ability.

Chelsea Chandler: High output brawler looking to build momentum

Chelsea Chandler (7-4) snapped a two-fight skid in June, submitting Priscila Cachoeira with a first round armbar to move to 3-3 in the UFC. Before that, she was stopped in the first round by Joselyne Edwards, and dropped decisions to Yana Santos and Norma Dumont. Chandler is an aggressive, pressure heavy shootboxer who isn’t overly technical, relying on high output and a good gas tank. When she gets opponents down she hunts for subs, staying busy with ground and pound rather than playing for position. Like Croden, her striking defence is lacking, and technical, rangier strikers who keep their distance or out-wrestle her have given the most trouble.

Melissa Croden vs Chelsea Chandler prediction

Croden hasn’t always found success being the technical one, and she’s had to make things gritty to get her hand raised, but in this matchup she should be the more technical striker. Against Zheleznyakova, she started patiently and lost the first round. She then flipped the script, chasing the Russian down on the front foot and dragging her into the clinch, and she had outlanded her by the final bell. That kind of adaptability matters here.

Chandler struggles most against fighters who stay long and keep it standing, and that’s exactly the fight Croden wants. The Edwards loss tells us a story – against a stronger, longer striker, Chandler simply didn’t know what to do. Croden isn’t as sharp as Edwards, but she brings a similar physicality, and only the more skilled women in the division have been able to overcome that kind of strength.

Chandler will mix in her grappling, and this is where Croden’s frame comes into play. If she defends the shots and keeps the exchanges tied up in the clinch, her knees and elbows can deal the damage. Chandler’s pressure and output mean she’ll probably have her moments, and neither woman is defensively responsible, so expect some heavy exchanges. Croden is the better all-round fighter, and with the Canadian crowd behind her, she should get it done.

Prediction: Melissa Croden to win