Shanelle Dyer aims to “steamroll” opponent in UFC debut

Shanelle Dyer is nothing short of confident ahead of her UFC debut in London.

March 21 will see the UFC strawweight division gain a new face in Shanelle Dyer as she makes her first walk to the Octagon.

“The Nightmare” will take on Ravena Oliveira at UFC London, who Dyer believes is an ideal matchup for her.

She said: “I think for me? Stylistically she’s perfect. The perfect opponent for me to get a head kick KO on and a bonus.”

The bonus Dyer refers to is the finish bonus, newly introduced under the UFC and Paramount deal. It means that any fighter who wins via finish will automatically receive a 25,000 dollar bonus for their efforts.

This does not include the Fight of the Night bonus and two Performance of the Night bonuses, which are now worth 100,000 dollars.

Dyer previously finished Georgian opponent Marian Torchinava with a head kick back in June 2024, in what was only her fifth professional fight.

She aims to replicate this against Oliveira.

“I’m going to control the fight from the first 30 seconds and just steamroll her.”

After fighting for a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Dyer was signed despite not picking up the win.

She plans to correct that in London and display the full extent of her abilities.

“I want to show the world what I can actually do. Unfortunately I didn’t get to showcase that on the Contender Series.

I’m going to show Dana White that he was right to sign me. I’m going to show everyone that I am a top level fighter and that I am world class.”

The prospect of a UFC debut is something the Londoner has been visualising for years.

She told us that she has attended the last six UFC London events dating back to 2019, picturing the moment she would make the walk.

After fighting in a mostly empty arena on the Contender Series, the idea of returning to compete in front of a live audience brings Dyer great excitement.

“Fighting in front of a London crowd is unreal, it’s what dreams are made of. I picked my walkout song four years ago for this moment, that’s how much I manifested it.

I thrive with a crowd, I thrive under pressure.”

As if the pressure of winning her UFC debut was not enough, Dyer is bringing her family to the event, something that only speaks to her level of confidence. She is very much a fighter betting on herself.

“I haven’t fought in London for three or four years,” she said.

“All my family are coming. My mum is coming for the first time ever. Family, friends will all be watching me. I’m getting goosebumps right now, it’s going to be surreal.”

A win in March would mark a significant bounce back from her first professional loss on the Contender Series.

What better place to do it than the city in which she was born.