Athletes
Shanelle Dyer Is Buzzin’ Ahead of Hometown Debut
DWCS Grad Talks Journey To UFC, Fighting At Home In London
Shanelle Dyer made her amateur MMA debut a handful of days before turning 18, amassing an 8-3 record before turning pro in March 2023. Six straight wins carried her to Las Vegas last September for an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, where, despite losing a decision, the Great Britain Top Team representative still secured a contract.
Now, just three years after her pro debut, the 24-year-old Dyer is set to make the walk to the Octagon for the first time this weekend as she faces off with Ravena Oliveira on Saturday evening at The O2 Arena in London. While the milestone arrived quickly, Dyer has been a martial artist since she was nine years old, so making it to the UFC is something she spent more than half her life working toward even if she wasn’t always the biggest fan of the sport.
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“Low-key, I used to hate MMA,” Dyer said with a laugh. “I did Muay Thai for ages. I’ve been in Muay Thai. I love Muay Thai, and everyone was like, ‘You should do MMA! You should watch UFC!’ and I was like, ‘If I want to watch high-level striking, I’ll watch Muay Thai!’ … I didn’t appreciate jiu jitsu because I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t want to watch people hugging on the floor. When I started training MMA and they started breaking down jiu jitsu, I fell in love with the complexity of MMA. I find it to be a beautiful sport… I learned from young that I didn’t want to work for the rest of my life — I wanted to fight — and when I turned 18, unfortunately you can’t make a lot of money in Muay Thai, so it was either boxing or MMA and I like kicking people too much do boxing. I started MMA and the rest is history.
“I made my MMA debut after four months of training. I flying kicked someone in the face and that sent me viral, and I was like, ‘Ah, I’ve went viral after one fight. I can do this!’”
It may have been the first time that Dyer went viral for a finish, but it wasn’t the last.
Throughout her march to competing on DWCS, the dynamic striker delivered highlight reel finishes that set social media ablaze and left pundits shouting about her upside. Now, she’s ready to bring that same flare to the biggest stage in the sport.
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“It’s mental because I like watching exciting fights, and I want to be an exciting fighter. I don’t want to be a fighter where it’s, ‘Ah, Shanelle Dyer’s up. Come on, lemme go for a toilet break,’” she said. “I want everyone to be like, ‘Shanelle Dyer’s on — some iconic moment is gonna happen. I need to tune in, keep my eyes peeled.’”
The first opportunity for Dyer to establish herself in the 115-pound weight class comes this weekend against Oliveira, who returned from a 2-year absence in October 2025, to Stephanie Luciano via submission.
Dyer is less focused on who is standing across from her in the Octagon on March 21. What really excites her is the fact that her first UFC walk is coming at home.
“It’s surreal; it’s absolutely mental,” she said. “So many fighters want to fight in their hometown, and I’m actually making my UFC debut in my home city. It’s amazing… I’ve been to the past six UFC Londons, and every time I went, I was telling everyone, ‘I’m gonna make my UFC debut at UFC London,’ and now it’s actually coming to fruition. I’ve worked hard for it, so it’s all paid dividends.
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“It feels like home to me. I live in West London, and I’m fighting in London, so I’m literally just going down the road. (Nathaniel Wood) has fought on UFC London countless times. Brad Pickett, our coach, has fought on UFC London a lot of times as well, so it’s like second nature to them, and it stems down to me. I vibe off their vibrations, and their vibrations are high at the moment, so I’m happy to have them.”
With the good vibes flowing and the dreams primed to become a reality, Dyer can barely contain her excitement when asked about pushing through the curtain for her first walkout, getting introduced by the venerable Bruce Buffer, and all the other firsts set to take place on Saturday.
“I’ve thought about it for years, mate, especially the past few weeks, and it gives me goosebumps thinking about it,” she said. “I picked out my walkout song four years ago, and it’s actually coming. I’m so excited. All my friends and family are excited, everyone’s coming. A lot of people haven’t seen me fight yet.
“I’m absolutely buzzin’ and I thrive in these elements. It’s all motivation for me.”
Filled with motivation and the comforts of competing at home, all that’s left is crossing the threshold into the Octagon for the first time and chasing down her first victory on the big stage.
So what does Dyer need to do in order to make her debut a successful one?
“Win the fight!” she said. “Win the fight in the most Shanelle Dyer way possible, and that’s be memorable, explosive, and iconic… There is definitely gonna be an iconic moment, and I can’t wait myself to see what it is. I don’t plan it. It just happens. I’m gonna come out with an amazing performance.”
And once she does, the young British prospect hopes to be back in the Octagon quickly and frequently.
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“I want to be active. I think I made name being an active fighter. In 2019, I think I fought 23 times, so I wanna be active. I want at least three fights this year. I just wanna be active, so rack it up.
“Whoever wants to fight, whoever doesn’t want to fight — we’ll fight anyway! Whoever the UFC wants to put me against!”
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy took place live from The O2 in London, England On March 21, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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