Daniela Modad
Daniela Modad Jacome (born June 12, 1982) is an Mexican professional mixed martial arts and boxing referee. She has worked for major MMA promotions in her country such as Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico and LUX Fight League, being considered a pioneer for women in combat sports. Modad had a total of two MMA professional fights in the late 2000s, paving the way for female fighters in a male-dominated sport.
| Daniela Modad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniela Modad Jacome June 12, 1982 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico |
| Other names | Shadow |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Weight | 114 lb (52 kg; 8 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Strawweight |
| Fighting out of | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico |
| Team | Mojac Gym |
| Years active | 2008–2010 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Daniela Modad Jacome (born June 12, 1982) is an Mexican professional mixed martial arts and boxing referee. She has worked for major MMA promotions in her country such as Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico and LUX Fight League, being considered a pioneer for women in combat sports.[1][2]
Modad had a total of two MMA professional fights in the late 2000s, paving the way for female fighters in a male-dominated sport.[3][4]
Early life
[edit]Modad was born in the city of Tepic, Nayarit, although years later she and her family moved to Tijuana, Baja California. At age 25, she became interested in combat sports, specifically mixed martial arts, which at that time were only popular in the northwestern Mexican states.[1][5]
Mixed martial arts career
[edit]As fighter
[edit]In 2008, Modad made her professional fighter debut at the MMA Xtreme 21 event, where she faced another pioneer of female MMA, Annely Jiménez, but was defeated by submission in the second round.[3]
Her next fight was against Iracema Medina on May 29, 2010, at the MCF 2: Night of the Titans event of the Mexican Cage Fights promotion, which she won by submission in the first round.[3]
Due to the lack of support Modad felt to continue with her career, she decided to abruptly retire from the sport.[1]
As referee
[edit]Years after her retirement, Modad began her career as a professional referee in October 2017, working for the AZTK Fighting Championship, a regional promotion based in Tijuana, although it had a brief history, as it closed in 2019.[4]
After that, she began refereeing fights at the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico. In 2020, Modad refereed the fight between Yazmin Jauregui and Annely Jiménez (her rival from twelve years ago), for the inaugural UWC Women's Strawweight Championship.[6] It was the first title bout he refereed in her career.
Modad made her LUX Fight League debut at the LUX 018 event held on November 5, 2021. The first of the two fights he refereed was a featherweight bout between Edgar Garcia Cabello and Pablo Sanchez, which ended with Cabello winning by TKO; the second fight he refereed was between Alessandro Costa and Kike Gonzalez for the LUX Flyweight Championship, which ended with Costa retaining his title in the third round.[7]
Mixed martial arts record
[edit]| 2 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–1 | Iracema Medina | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MCF 2: Night of the Titans | May 29, 2010 | 1 | 1:43 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Annely Jiménez García | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MMA Xtreme 21 | April 19, 2008 | 2 | 0:42 | Mexico City, Mexico |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c González Oviedo, Edgar (2024-11-26). "Daniela Modad: De peleadora a referee, pionera en abrir camino para las mujeres en las MMA". TV Azteca Laguna. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ "Daniela Modad, la primera mujer réferi de box y artes marciales mixtas certificada en México". Tribuna de México. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ a b c "Daniela Modad (fighter profile)". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ a b "Daniela Modad (referee profile)". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ "Hace historia como referí de box". Infobaja.info. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ "Yazmin Jauregui vs. Annely Jimenez Garcia, UWC 24". Tapology. Retrieved 2026-04-18.
- ^ "LUX 018 - LUX Fight League 18". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-12-27.