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Melissa Gatto has earned appreciation from MMA fans not only owing to her combat sports successes but also due to her affable personality as well.
The UFC women's flyweight athlete has suffered several setbacks in her recent octagon outings. Regardless, the 27-year-old is still viewed by certain sections of fight fans as a potential dark horse at 125 pounds.
As for Melissa Gatto's relationship, she's dating a fellow Brazilian MMA fighter named Joao Paulo Santos. An Instagram post made in Feb. 2024 featured a photograph of herself with Santos. Her statement in the post read as follows:
"The best companion to walk with whole life is you..."
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Furthermore, the couple celebrated their anniversary earlier this month (March 2024). Melissa Gatto's boyfriend featured in a video montage that highlighted some of their joyous moments. The montage was shared in an Instagram post via their respective profiles. An excerpt from the statement in the post read as follows:
"May it be a new cycle full of achievements and achievements! Always shine wherever you go! Thank you for existing and being part of my story! I love youuuu!!!"
Watch the video below:
Melissa Gatto's partner, Joao Paulo Santos, is a bantamweight MMA athlete. Santos boasts a professional MMA record of 11 victories, four defeats, and one NC (No Contest). The 32-year-old Santos' most recent MMA bout witnessed him suffer a unanimous decision against Isaias Simoes at LFA 159 in May 2023. Prior to that, he was on a six-fight win streak.
Speaking of Santos, Gatto isn't acquainted with him just in the personal realm but also in the professional sphere. The UFC flyweight is no stranger to training with her partner, as indicated in a report by The Fight Library.
Moreover, in an interview with the UFC's official website in 2021, the 125-pounder implied that she commenced martial arts training courtesy of the motivation she got after watching her elder brother. Gatto said:
"I started training because of my older brother, I used to watch him. And I really like fighting."
Melissa Gatto eyes return to the win column at UFC Fight Night event
Melissa Gatto boasts a professional MMA record of eight wins, two losses, and two draws. The Toledo-born athlete competed in her maiden professional mixed martial arts bout in Dec. 2016. She's fought in the featherweight (145-pound), bantamweight (135-pound), and flyweight (125-pound) divisions over the course of her MMA career. Additionally, she's competed in a 127.5-pound catchweight bout.
Moreover, Melissa Gatto's UFC debut came in a flyweight bout at UFC 265 (Aug. 2021), wherein she secured a second-round TKO victory over Victoria Leonardo. Following that, she bested Sijara Eubanks but then suffered back-to-back defeats against Tracy Cortez and Ariane Lipski -- taking her UFC record to 2-2.
Gatto will fight fellow rising star, Russia's Viktoriia Dudakova, next in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot on March 30, 2024.
