Melissa Amaya has advanced to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 34 after surviving a harrowing submission sequence from GiGi Canuto that left her arm badly damaged. Canuto controlled the early going with an armbar and triangle choke that bent Amaya's arm at extreme angles, but Amaya escaped and turned to ground-and-pound to swing the momentum. She confirmed she tore muscles in her brachialis but avoided tendon, ligament, or bone damage, calling it the best-case scenario given what her arm endured.
Melissa Amaya punched her ticket to the TUF 34 strawweight final on August 10, gutting out a brutal submission sequence to eliminate GiGi Canuto and advance to the championship round of the season.
Canuto, 23, entered the bout as a composed orthodox fighter standing five-foot-two with a 64-inch reach and carrying a 7-2 professional record. She controlled the early portions of the semifinal with a dangerous ground game, locking up an armbar and a triangle choke that torqued Amaya's arm into alarming positions. The submission attempts were relentless and nearly finished the fight on multiple occasions.
Amaya, however, refused to submit. She survived each exchange, worked her way free, and shifted the momentum by going to ground-and-pound, ultimately earning the decision to move on to the final. The cost was severe — Amaya confirmed afterward that she tore muscles in her brachialis during the ordeal. She acknowledged the damage was significant but noted that medical evaluation found no tendon, ligament, or bone destruction, describing the outcome as the best-case scenario given the extreme angles her arm was forced into.
Why it matters
- Amaya's ability to escape high-level submission attempts and immediately shift to offense signals championship-caliber resilience heading into the final.
- The brachialis tear is a legitimate health concern; her condition and recovery timeline will be a major storyline before the title fight.
- Canuto, despite the loss, demonstrated a polished submission game at just 23 years old, establishing herself as a future name to watch in the strawweight division.
- The TUF 34 strawweight final now has a defined competitor in Amaya, setting up what promises to be a high-stakes conclusion to the season.
