UFC Strawweight Fatima "The Archangel" Kline Is Coming to Blythewood Jiu Jitsu
Mark your calendars: on Saturday, December 5th, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Blythewood Jiu Jitsu is hosting a live MMA seminar with UFC strawweight contender Fatima "The Archangel" Kline, right here at 733 University Village Drive, Blythewood, SC 29016. This is a rare opportunity for our students — and the broader Columbia-area martial arts community — to train directly with a fighter currently competing at the highest level of mixed martial arts in the world.
If you've never heard the name Fatima Kline before, you're about to. If you have, you already know why this is a big deal. Either way, here's what you need to know about who's walking onto our mats this December, and why you don't want to miss it.
Who Is Fatima Kline?
Fatima Kline, born in July 2000 and fighting out of Hyde Park, New York, has built one of the more compelling résumés in the UFC's women's strawweight division. Nicknamed "The Archangel," she currently holds a professional MMA record in the double digits, with the majority of her wins coming by finish rather than decision — a sign of a fighter who looks to end things, not just win rounds.
Kline's path to the UFC wasn't a shortcut. She built her name in the regional circuit first, going undefeated through her run in Invicta Fighting Championships before moving to Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), where she captured titles in two different weight classes — the promotion's Women's Strawweight and Women's Flyweight championships. That's a genuinely rare accomplishment: most fighters spend their whole regional career chasing one title, and Kline collected two on her way out the door to the biggest stage in the sport.
Since arriving in the UFC on short notice in 2024, Kline has climbed the rankings quickly, picking up highlight-reel finishes along the way, including a head-kick knockout victory delivered, fittingly, on her own birthday. She has also scored a dominant decision win over a highly ranked, jiu jitsu-heavy opponent — a performance that turned a lot of heads in the division and made it clear she's not just a striker who can survive on the ground, but a fighter who can dominate it.
A Genuine Black Belt, Not Just a Striker
Here's the part that matters most for a Jiu Jitsu gym like ours: Fatima Kline isn't a kickboxer who picked up grappling as an afterthought. She holds a legitimate black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and she trains daily alongside some of the top grapplers in the sport at her home gym. Her ground game isn't a backup plan — it's a core part of what makes her dangerous, and it shows on fight night. Opponents with strong wrestling and jiu jitsu pedigrees of their own have found themselves controlled, swept, and out-grappled by Kline, not just out-struck.
That combination — legitimate striking power paired with a real, tested BJJ black belt — is exactly what makes this seminar special. A lot of MMA seminars end up being 90% striking pads and 10% "oh, and also here's a rear naked choke." That's not what you should expect here. Kline can speak with real authority on how jiu jitsu functions inside a live, full-speed, full-contact fight — not just how it works against a cooperative training partner.
From the Streets of Long Island to the Octagon
Part of what makes Kline's story resonate with so many students is where it started. She began training as a kid — not chasing a title, but looking for a practical way to protect herself. That's a story a lot of people walking into a Jiu Jitsu gym for the first time can relate to. Whatever brought you to the mats — confidence, fitness, self-defense, or just curiosity — Kline's own path started in exactly the same place plenty of our students' did.
She's also competed and medaled in combat sports outside of MMA, including boxing's Golden Gloves and Junior Olympic-level competition, before she ever set foot in a professional cage. That kind of layered athletic background — boxing, jiu jitsu, and now elite-level MMA — is exactly why her seminar is going to cover more ground than a typical single-discipline workshop.
What to Expect at the Seminar
While the exact curriculum will be shaped by Kline on the day, seminars like this one typically combine:
Striking fundamentals that translate to the cage — footwork, distance management, and the kind of setups that lead to real finishes, not just technique for technique's sake.
Jiu jitsu concepts under MMA rules — how grappling changes when strikes are part of the equation, including positional control, takedown entries, and staying safe on the ground against a striking opponent.
Live Q&A — a chance to ask a UFC-level competitor directly about training camps, fight preparation, mindset, and what it actually takes to compete at the top of the sport.
Photos and time with Fatima — for students who want to meet her, get a photo, or just say thank you for coming out.
Whether you're a striker looking to round out your ground game, a grappler curious about how your jiu jitsu holds up when punches are involved, or simply a fan who wants to train alongside a fighter you've watched on ESPN, this seminar is built for you.
Why This Matters for Blythewood Jiu Jitsu
We built BWJJ around the idea that high-level martial arts instruction shouldn't be something our community has to travel to a major city to access. Bringing in a current UFC roster fighter for a hands-on seminar is exactly the kind of opportunity we want to keep putting in front of our students — a chance to train with someone actively competing at the top of the sport, not just watching her on a pay-per-view from the couch.
For our younger students especially, this is a chance to see, up close, what years of disciplined training can build toward. Fatima Kline didn't start as a UFC fighter. She started as a kid on Long Island who wanted to learn to protect herself. That's a message worth putting directly in front of the next generation of grapplers training with us.
Event Details
Who: UFC Strawweight Fatima "The Archangel" Kline
What: Live MMA seminar covering striking and jiu jitsu under MMA rules, plus Q&A
When: Saturday, December 5th, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: Blythewood Jiu Jitsu, 733 University Village Drive, Blythewood, SC 29016
Who should come: All levels welcome — strikers, grapplers, and anyone curious about training with a current UFC competitor
Don't Miss This One
Seminars with active UFC roster fighters don't come around often, and they come around even less often in a room this size, where you'll actually get real reps and real feedback instead of watching from the back of a packed arena. Whether you train with us regularly or you're a martial artist from another gym in the Columbia area looking for a reason to make the trip to Blythewood, December 5th is worth clearing your schedule for.
Spots for hands-on seminars like this tend to fill up fast, so keep an eye on our website and social media for registration details, and get ready to train with one of the sport's rising contenders right here at Blythewood Jiu Jitsu.
We'll see you on the mats.