Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Kennedy Freeman has announced via social media that she has signed to the UFC.
With her father, Ian Freeman, being the first Brit to compete inside the Octagon, she will now look to follow in the footsteps of her own family.
Freeman recently claimed CW gold after stopping Mafalda Carmona at CW 181 in Newcastle to win the vacant bantamweight title.
After going 3-0 in 2018, Freeman was inactive for five years before she returned in 2023 and looked to make up for lost time.
She has now accumulated a perfect 6-0 record with four finishes, leading "The Machine 2.0" to be snapped up by the MMA leader after proving her status as one of the best in Europe right now.
Freeman posted the news on her Instagram alongside the following caption:
"We did it guys… UFC CONTRACT SIGNED! What an unbelievable year 2024 has been. Thankyou to everyone who has been involved in the last 12 months of been back in this sport. Next year is going to be crazy. Life long goal achieved. LFG BABYYYY"
Following her title winning performance against Carmona, she spoke about being ready for the next phase of her career in a post-fight interview with Cage Warriors.
Freeman admitted that though she had been offered some big opportunities in the past, she didn't believe that she was ready for them back then but after putting on a dominant performance over four rounds, it was time to pull the trigger.
It isn't yet known when or where she will make her Octagon debut but one upcoming date on the schedule stands out from the rest.
On March 22, the UFC returns to the O2 Arena in London, England and there's nowhere better than home soil to make the walk for the first time.
