Melissa Croden

Melissa Croden, known to fans as "Scare," is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's bantamweight division of the UFC.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Croden built her career in the tight-knit Canadian regional scene before reaching the sport's top level. She trains out of Raven House MMA in Calgary, where she developed the counter-striking style and long underused wrestling and grappling that have become hallmarks of her game. Away from the cage, Croden earned her Primary Care Paramedic certification and has worked in emergency medicine for Alberta Health Services, experience she has credited with sharpening her composure under pressure.

Croden holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and began her professional MMA career in 2019, cutting her teeth with promotions such as Z Promotions, Titan Fighting Championship, and Pallas Athena Women's Fighting Championship, where she won the bantamweight title. Her run through the regional ranks included finishes over Jolinne Maisonneuve, Elizabeth Schroder, Jackie MacLean, and Cornelia Holm, and she later signed with the Legacy Fighting Alliance, where she challenged Jacqueline Cavalcanti for the promotion's women's bantamweight title.

Croden's nickname was coined by an early coach who likened her stiff early movement to a scarecrow, a label that stuck even as her striking matured into a genuine knockout threat. She signed with the UFC and made her promotional debut on home soil at UFC Vancouver, stopping Tainara Lisboa with a third-round ground-and-pound finish in front of a hometown crowd.

Croden's blend of paramedic-honed composure, brown-belt grappling, and heavy hands has made her one of the more compelling additions to the UFC women's bantamweight division, backed by a regional pedigree built over years on the Canadian independent circuit.