Prediction: Melissa Mullins via TKO
Melissa Mullins vs Darya Zheleznyakova feels like déjà vu with a fresh coat of hype. Darya’s got the hands — clean boxing, solid pop, tight combinations — but we’ve already seen what happens when she’s across from someone who can drag her into the deep end. That someone is Melissa Mullins, and my pick is Mullins to do it again, same as the first time.
Darya’s boxing might be her advantage on paper, but the problem is… fights don’t play out on paper. They play out in chaos, and Mullins lives in chaos. She’s gritty, she’s relentless, and she doesn’t care if she eats a shot on the way in because she knows once she gets her hands on you, the fight starts going her way. That first takedown comes, and suddenly Darya’s combos don’t matter anymore. That clean striking? Doesn’t mean a thing when you’re flat on your back with Mullins pressing her forearm into your jaw.
Mullins brings the kind of pressure that breaks fighters who rely on range and rhythm. She doesn’t give you time to feel comfortable. She comes out fast, hunts the hips, and once she gets to a dominant position, her jiu jitsu takes over. She doesn’t rush submissions — she beats you up, forces mistakes, and makes you give her what she wants. And she’s not just technically sharp — she’s mean with it. The longer the fight goes, the nastier she gets. That “Dawg” label isn’t just talk, it’s how she fights.
And Darya? She’s tough, but she hasn’t shown she can solve that grappling puzzle — especially against someone who doesn’t just wrestle but smothers and punishes. She doesn’t have the hips to stay upright for 15 minutes, and once Mullins starts chaining takedowns and turning every round into a war of attrition, that boxing edge gets neutralized. Darya can win a clean striking match. But this fight won’t be clean — not with Mullins in there.