UFC fighter celebrates birthday with incredible head kick in Nashville opener

Fatima Kline Celebrates Birthday With Huge Head Kick

The 12-fight card for UFC Nashville opened with a strawweight matchup between Fatima Kline and Melissa Martinez that saw both women step into the Octagon for the third time.

Martinez lost her undefeated record to Elise Reed in her promotional debut at UFC 279 but returned last year to defeat Alice Ardelean, while Kline made her own debut on short notice in the flyweight division against current #5-ranked contender Jasmine Jasudavicius.

"The Archangel" returned to strawweight after dropping a decision to Jasudavicius and stopped Victoria Dudakova with strikes in January, and Kline entered UFC Nashville as a massive favorite to defeat Martinez.

Competing on her birthday, the 25-year-old looked to be comfortably ahead on the judges' scorecards heading into the third round before she dropped Martinez with a perfectly-timed head kick.

Kline dove straight onto her opponent to finish things with follow-up punches, and after the referee stepped in to end the fight the rising contender was left to run off and celebrate a highlight-reel win on her birthday.

More MMA Knockout News

• Surging UFC fighter puts win streak on the line with dangerous Paris matchup

• 3 possible opponents for UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall

• 19-year-old UFC fighter set to make history with September debut

• Ex-champion's return fight reportedly targeted for Noche UFC 3

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.