She may not be a household name just yet, but Fatima Kline is quickly turning heads in the UFC strawweight division. With a nickname like The Archangel and a fight style built on grit and skill, she’s not just another prospect; she’s a star in the making.

As she prepares to face Melissa Martinez at a UFC Fight Night event on July 12 in Nashville, curiosity around Kline’s background, from her ethnicity to her faith, is starting to match her rising profile inside the Octagon. So, let’s dive into the life of The Archangel and find out what her story is, where she comes from, and what she believes in.

What is Fatima Kline’s ethnicity, nationality, and background?

Born in Holbrook, New York, Fatima Michele Kline is American by nationality. She fights out of Hyde Park, a small town in upstate New York. Her name, her discipline, and her journey hint at a multicultural upbringing, but her ethnic background hasn’t been publicly confirmed.

She started training at just 10 years old. The reason? Self-defense. From the mats of Long Island to the bright lights of the UFC, that early start shaped her fight IQ. Along the way, she collected accolades. As an amateur, she won the Golden Gloves and Junior Olympics. In the grappling world, she has earned a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In her UFC.com Q&A, she shared that her inspiration to follow a path into the Octagon was former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas. According to Kline, “Growing up, Rose Namajunas, because I loved her demeanor inside and outside of the cage.  Her unorthodox style is also something I like.”

Before she began fighting professionally, she worked with her father in a commercial flooring gig and, surprisingly, also worked at a grocery store as a butcher!

In fact, in another interview with UFC.com, she confessed that her nickname could have been different as she explained, “Yeah. I used to be a butcher at the grocery store I worked at, and I loved doing that. That was actually pretty fun, and I feel like I got to learn so much, but I felt like ‘Archangel’ might’ve suited me a little bit better. I know a couple of people have ‘The Butcher’ as a nickname, so I was like, I want something unique to me.”

Instead, she chose something that better represented her values and her fighting spirit as we shift our focus to her religious beliefs.

Which religion does Fatima Kline follow?

Faith is central to Fatima Kline’s identity. Her Instagram profile features “Exodus 14:14” at the top, indicating her faith in Christianity as her driving force. The verse reads, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Even her nickname is a nod to her beliefs, as she shared in the UFC.com Q&A, “The Archangel – comes out of the Bible; it represents a warrior of Christ.”

That spiritual strength translates to how she carries herself inside and outside the cage. As she shared in her Q&A, her love for the outdoors, family time, and building Legos may seem soft, but behind that calm demeanor lies a woman of conviction.

Now, with her faith guiding her and her skills sharpened, she’ll be gearing up for the UFC event in Nashville. There, she’ll stand across from Mexico’s Melissa Martinez in a battle that could push her one step closer to solidifying her contender status in the division!