5 Things You Might Not Know About Pannie Kianzad

Pannie Kianzad still operates in relative anonymity despite being ranked among the Top 15 women’s bantamweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The 5-foot-7 Nikolai Koubti disciple will try to rebound from her most recent setback when she toes the line against Lina Lansberg in a UFC on ESPN 34 rematch this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kianzad has rattled off four wins across her past five outings. She last competed at UFC Fight Night 192, where she wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Raquel Pennington on Sept. 18. The well-traveled 30-year-old met Lansberg once previously, losing via third-round technical knockout at a regional event nine-plus years ago.

As Kianzad prepares for her second encounter with the Swede, here are five things you might not know about her:

1. She wound up far away from where she started.

Kianzad was born on Dec. 8, 1991 in Ahvaz, Iran—nearly 3,300 miles away from where she currently trains at the Arte Suave academy in Copenhagen, Denmark.

2. Her highs have been exhilarating.

“Banzai” remains one of only two women who have captured the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship bantamweight crown. Rosi Sexton was the other. Kianzad laid claim to the organization’s vacant 135-pound title when she outpointed Eeva Siiskonen across five rounds at Cage Warriors 74 on Nov. 15, 2014, then vacated it to sign with Invicta Fighting Championships in 2015.

3. She chose a road most traveled.

Kianzad was a finalist on Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2018. She was awarded a unanimous verdict over Katharina Lehner in the quarterfinals and took a unanimous decision from Julija Stoliarenko in the semis before submitting to a second-round rear-naked choke from Macy Chiasson at “The Ultimate Fighter 28” Finale on Nov. 30, 2018. While Kianzad failed to nail down a contract with the UFC, she nevertheless joined the promotion on a full-time basis less than a year later.

4. Attrition seems to suit her.

The Arte Suave representative has gone the distance in each of her past six UFC appearances and carries a 4-2 record in those bouts. Wins over Jessica-Rose Clark, Bethe Correia, Sijara Eubanks and Alexis Davis have been tempered by losses to Julia Avila and the aforementioned Pennington.

5. Frequent-flier miles have begun to accumulate.

Kianzad has fought on three separate continents and in eight different countries as a professional mixed martial artist. Her talents have taken her to Estonia, Sweden, Russia, Jordan, England, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.