Sijara Jihan Eubanks (; born April 27, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Eubanks was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, and graduated from the High School of Commerce. She then went to Morgan State University. She started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Lloyd Irvin in 2008 and to extend her repertoire for mixed martial arts, she later started boxing and other disciplines. She competed in jiu-jitsu, winning the Women's No-Gi Advanced Absolute division in the 2011 Grapplers Quest World Championship Finals and IBJJF World Championship as a brown belt in 2014.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
After an undefeated MMA record as an amateur, she turned professional in April 2015.
Invicta FC
Eubanks made her professional debut on April 24, 2015, against Gina Begley at Invicta FC 12. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
In her second pro bout, Eubanks faced Katlyn Chookagian at Cage Fury FC 52 on October 31, 2015. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
In her second fight for Invicta FC, Eubanks faced AmberLynn Orr on July 29, 2016, at Invicta FC 18. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
In her third fight for the promotion, Eubanks faced Aspen Ladd on January 14, 2017, at Invicta FC 21. She lost the fight by unanimous decision, bringing her record to 2-2 before joining The Ultimate Fighter.
The Ultimate Fighter
In August 2017, Eubanks was announced to be one of the fighters featured on The Ultimate Fighter 26, where the process to crown the UFC's inaugural 125-pound women's champion was to take place.
In the first round, Eubanks defeated Maia Stevenson via submission in the second round, allowing her to move on to the next stage of the competition. In the quarterfinals, Eubanks faced DeAnna Bennett and won the fight by a knockout in round one. In the semifinals, Eubanks faced Roxanne Modafferi. She won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Eubanks was scheduled to face Nicco Montaño on December 1, 2017, at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale for the inaugural UFC Women's Flyweight Championship. She was pulled from the fight for kidney failure while trying to make weight, and was replaced by Roxanne Modafferi.
Eubanks made her UFC debut against Lauren Murphy at UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes on June 1, 2018. She won the bout by unanimous decision.
Eubanks was scheduled to face Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant UFC Women's Flyweight Championship at UFC 230 on November 3, 2018. However, the fight was canceled on October 9, 2018, after the UFC announced that a fight between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis would instead main event UFC 230 and that Shevchenko would also return to her original bout for the vacant title, against Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 231. Eubanks remained on the card and faced Roxanne Modafferi. At the weigh-ins, Eubanks weighed in at 127.2 pounds, 1.2 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126 and she was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to her opponent Modafferi. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
A rematch with Aspen Ladd took place on May 18, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 152. Eubanks lost to Ladd for the second time by unanimous decision. This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award.
Eubanks faced Bethe Correia at UFC on ESPN+ 17. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Eubanks was scheduled to face Sarah Moras on April 18, 2020, at UFC 249. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and rescheduled to May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Eubanks was scheduled to face Macy Chiasson on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 176. However, Chiasson pulled out of the fight for undisclosed medical reasons and was replaced by Karol Rosa. Rosa pulled out on September 3 due to complications related to her weight cut. Eubanks competed a week later at UFC Fight Night 177 on September 12, 2020, against Julia Avila. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
As the first fight of her new contract with the UFC, Eubanks was scheduled for a quick turnaround (replacing injured Marion Reneau) and faced Ketlen Vieira on September 27, 2020, at UFC 253. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Eubanks faced Pannie Kianzad on December 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 183. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.