Rebecca Anne Rawlings (born 11 February 1989) is an Australian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and

bare-knuckle boxer Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...

, who currently competes in the flyweight division. She was ranked as a contender strawweight (106-115 lb) fighter according to the Unified Women's Mixed Martial Arts Rankings.

Background

Rawlings was raised in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and frequently played sports such as basketball, gymnastics and athletics during her pre-teens. As a teenager, however, Rawlings experienced rapid weight gain and suffered from a lack of motivation before turning to the sport of mixed martial arts as a way to battle her issues in 2010. This is where she met Australian professional MMA fighter Dan Hyatt, and decided that she wanted to become an MMA fighter.

Mixed martial arts career

Australian competition

Known for her aggressive fighting style, Rawlings began her mixed martial arts journey in Launceston, Tasmania in 2010 before relocating to

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

to further her opportunities and experience in early 2011. Rawlings made her professional MMA debut on 15 October 2011 at BRACE 12 in

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. Rawlings fought at

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

in her debut against Rhiannon Thompson. In what was declared "fight of the night" by the promotion, Rawlings lost her debut fight by way of a highlight reel head kick knockout. Bouncing back and publicly rallying within the Australian MMA circuit for more fight opportunities at her suited weight class, Rawlings secured consecutive submission victories over Sarah Morrison (at BRACE 14) and Daniela Marjanovic (at Australian Fighting Championship 3). Two more victories over Rachel Sheridan and Christina Tatnell propelled Rawlings to a four-fight winning streak in 2012. This streak, coupled with a noticeable lack of legitimate Australian opponents for Rawlings, caught North America's

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currentl ...

' attention in late 2012.

Invicta Fighting Championships

In November 2012, Rawlings signed a three-fight contract with

to compete in their strawweight division. She was originally scheduled to fight

Joanne Calderwood Joanne Wood (; born 23 December 1986) is a Scottish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Biography Wood first started Muay Thai ...

on the undercard of Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Gadelha on 5 January 2013, but an injury to

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...

resulted in Rawlings being pushed up to an Invicta FC Strawweight Championship fight in the main event against

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Cham ...

. Rawlings lost the fight via unanimous decision. Her first fight outside of Australia, combined with her personality, gave her a lot of coverage in the Australian media. This led Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp to say that she had never seen anything like it, and at the ''2012 Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards'' she was voted ''2012 Favourite Female Fighter'' with 265 votes by WMMA fans, 70 more than

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women� ...

. Rawlings' next fight within

was against Jasminka Cive at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on 5 April 2013. She won the fight via submission in the first round. Rawlings faced

Mizuki Inoue , nicknamed , is a Japanese female kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Inoue has fought in the kickboxing promotion J-Girls and MMA promotion Jewels. She won the 2010 Jewels -56 kg Rough Stone Grand Prix tournament at 16 years of age, becomi ...

at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on 13 July 2013. Rawlings lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter

Rawlings' Invicta FC contract was assigned to the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on 11 December 2013 after the UFC created a women's strawweight division. The promotion also announced a women's edition of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

, which would crown the first UFC women's strawweight champion. Rawlings was the seventh pick to go to coach

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwe ...

. She was initially scheduled to face

Justine Kish Svetlana Nasibulina (born 13 April 1988), known professionally by her ring name Justine Kish, is an American mixed martial artist that competes in the Flyweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2010, she has also competed in the Ult ...

in the preliminary round, however Kish hurt her knee during practice and was replaced by the previously eliminated

Tecia Torres Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...

. Rawlings went on to lose the fight in a two-round unanimous decision.

After TUF

Rawlings' first fight after The Ultimate Fighter was against

Heather Jo Clark Heather Jo Clark (born September 19, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and currently competes for Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta). Mixed mart ...

at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale on 12 December 2014. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Rawlings was expected to face

Seo Hee Ham Seo Hee Ham ( ko, 함서희 ; born ), written Ham Seo-Hee in Korean order, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. She is currently signed to ONE Championship, where she is ranked #2 in the ONE Championship Women's Ato ...

on 10 May 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 65 ''UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 65'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 10 May 2015 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. Background The event was the first that the promot ...

. However, Ham pulled out of the bout on 10 April and was replaced by Lisa Ellis. Rawlings won the fight via submission in the first round. Rawling's next fight was expected to be against

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 18 July 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

on 18 July 2015. However, on 11 July. Rawlings pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Cortney Casey-Sanchez. Rawlings next faced

Paige VanZant Paige Michelle VanZant (''née'' Sletten; married name Vanderford; born March 26, 1994), is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, author, and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, as a wres ...

on 27 August 2016 at

UFC on Fox 21 ''UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on August 27, 2016, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background This was ...

. She lost the fight via KO in the second round after being dropped by a flying head kick and a flurry of follow up punches. Rawlings next faced

in a rematch at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie on 4 February 2017. At the weigh-ins, Rawlings came in at 117.5 lbs, over the women's strawweight non-title limit of 116 lbs. As a result, Rawlings was fined 20% of her purse, which went to

and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Rawlings lost the fight by unanimous decision.

=Move up to flyweight

= Rawlings was again expected to face

in flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura on 19 November 2017. However, Calderwood was pulled out from the card due to undisclosed reason and she was replaced by

Jessica-Rose Clark Jessica-Rose Clark (born 28 November 1987) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the women’s Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Clark was born in Cairns, Australia, as the eldest of ...

. At the weigh-ins, Clark weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the flyweight upper limit of 126 pounds. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Clark forfeited 20% of her purse. Rawlings lost the fight via split decision. Rawlings faced

Ashlee Evans-Smith Ashlee Nicole Evans-Smith (born July 9, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has her own podcast called Sex & Violence with Rebel Girl. Mix ...

on 7 April 2018 at

UFC 223 ''UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship bout between i ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. After losing four fights in a row, Rawlings was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator

After going 3–0 in bare knuckle boxing, news surfaced that Rawlings had signed a contract with Bellator. She made her promotional debut against Ilara Joanne at Bellator 231 on 25 October 2019. She lost the fight by submission in the second round. Rawlings faced Elina Kallionidou on 22 February 2020 at Bellator 240. She won the bout via unanimous decision. On 10 July 2021, it was announced that she was no longer under contract with Bellator.

Bare knuckle boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

On 9 May 2018, it was reported that Rawlings was released from UFC and set to appear in Bare Knuckle FC event. She faced Alma Garcia at the inaugural event BKFC 1 held on 2 June 2018. Rawlings won the fight after Garcia refused to answer the bell after the second round. Shortly after her victory, the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame awarded her the inaugural Police Gazette Women's Featherweight World Championship. As her first title defense, Rawlings faced Britain Hart at BKFC 2 on 25 August 2018. She won the fight by split decision. On 2 February 2019 at the BKFC 4 in Cancun, Mexico, Bec Rawlings beat Cecilia Flores by unanimous decision.

Second stint in BKFC

On 22 July 2021, news surfaced that Rawlings had signed a new contract with the BKFC after going 1–1 in Bellator MMA. She was expected to make her return on 22 October 2021, but this return never came to fruition. Rawlings was then scheduled to face Britain Hart on 13 May 2022 at BKFC Fight Night: Omaha, but the bout was cancelled due to Hart having a medical emergency. The bout was then rescheduled to take place at BKFC 26: Hollywood on 24 June 2022. Rawlings lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Rawlings was previously married to Dan Hyatt. Rawlings filed for divorce in 2013. Rawlings also has an older son from a previous relationship. As of January 2014 Bec started going by her maiden name (Rawlings) and was in a relationship with fellow Australian mixed martial artist Ben Wall. The two have since separated. As of 2018, Rawlings is in a relationship with Australian professional boxer Adrian Rodriguez.

Championships and accomplishments

Bare-knuckle boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1 ...

** Police Gazette Women's Featherweight World Championship (one time) ***Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–9 , Elina Kallionidou , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 240 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–9 , Ilara Joanne , Submission (kneebar) , Bellator 231 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:35 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–7 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Sydney, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 ,

, KO (switch kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Lisa Ellis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align="center" , 5–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg , , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 5–2 , Jasminka Cive , Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 3:30 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align="center" , 4–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt , , align="center" , 5 , align="center" , 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 4–1 , Christina Nicole Tatnell , TKO (punches) , Nitro MMA: Nitro 7 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 0:37 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 3–1 , Rachel Sheridan , Decision (majority) , Valor Fight 1: Resolution , , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 3:00 , Launceston, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 2–1 , Daniela Marjanovic , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Australian Fighting Championship 3 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 0:21 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 1–1 , Sarah Morrison , Submission (armbar) , BRACE 14 , , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 1:30 , Canberra, Australia , , - , Loss , align="center" , 0–1 , Rhiannon Thompson , KO (head kick) , BRACE 12 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 2:30 , Hobart, Australia ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

Bare knuckle record

, - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Britain Hart , Decision (unanimous) , BKFC 26: Hollywood , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:00 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cecilia Flores , Decision (unanimous) , BKFC 4: USA vs. Mexico , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:00 , Cancun, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Britain Hart , Decision (split) , BKFC 2: A New Era , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alma Garcia , TKO (doctor stoppage) , BKFC 1: The Beginning , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

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References

External links

* * *
Bec Rawlings
at

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

Bec Rawlings Awakening Profile

Interview at German website Boxhaus.de
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlings, Bec 1989 births Australian female mixed martial artists Sportswomen from Queensland Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Sportspeople from Launceston, Tasmania Sportswomen from Tasmania Sportspeople from Brisbane Australian women boxers Bare-knuckle boxers Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters