Cynthia Calvillo

Overview

Three UFC submission wins, three decision wins, and then five straight losses. Cynthia Calvillo's 6-6-1 UFC record is really two stories: a fast start and a long skid.

Calvillo fights at Women's Strawweight out of Syndicate MMA and is listed as active. She was born in San Jose and has a 9-6-1 professional record across all promotions. Her UFC debut came in 2017, and she carries a five-fight losing streak into her next bout.

She won her first three UFC fights and never found that rhythm again.

UFC Career

The debut was a clean one. Calvillo submitted Amanda Cooper in the first round at UFC 209, then took Pearl Gonzalez by submission in round three at UFC 210, barely a month later. A unanimous decision over Joanne Wood made it three straight wins in 2017.

Carla Esparza ended the run with a unanimous decision at UFC 219. Calvillo answered with a first-round submission of Poliana Botelho in 2018 and a decision over Cortney Casey, then drew with Marina Rodriguez by majority decision in December 2019.

June 2020 brought her main event. She beat Jessica Eye by unanimous decision over five rounds, the only five-round fight on her UFC record and her last win to date.

What followed was a hard stretch. Katlyn Cerminara beat her by decision at UFC 255. Jessica Andrade, one of the stronger opponents of her career by our model, stopped her in round one at 4:54. Andrea Lee finished her by TKO at the end of round two. The last two came on the scorecards, both split decisions: Nina Nunes in 2022 and Loopy Godinez in 2023.

Five losses, three of them decided on the cards. Only two ended inside the distance.

Fighting Style

Calvillo is a grappler who is also a busy striker. She lands strikes more often than most UFC fighters, though she misses more than she connects, and she is hard to hit.

Her grappling is where she stands out. She shoots for takedowns more than most, almost always stops them when others try, and hunts for submissions at a higher rate than the typical fighter.

That shows up in her finishes. All three are submissions: two in the first round and one in the third. Her other three wins went to the scorecards.

She is not only a grappler, though. Two of her losses came by KO/TKO, so she can be stopped on the feet.

Notable Wins

• Jessica Eye — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night: Eye vs. Calvillo (2020), a main event
• Pearl Gonzalez — submission, round 3 (3:45), UFC 210 (2017)
• Poliana Botelho — submission, round 1 (4:48), UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio (2018)
• Cortney Casey — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Velasquez (2019)

Quick Facts

• Division: Women's Strawweight
• UFC record: 6-6-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 9-6-1
• UFC debut: 2017
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'4" / 64"
• Team: Syndicate MMA
• Born: San Jose, United States