Emily Anne Whitmire (born May 24, 1991) is an American

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, incorp ...

(MMA) who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the

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 currentl ...

. She has previously competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

(UFC).

Background

The daughter of Mitch and Tiffany Whitmire, she was born and grew up in

Washougal, Washington Washougal ( ) is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,039 as of the 2020 census. History Washougal was officially incorporated on December 4, 1908. Its Mount Pleasant Grange Hall is the oldest continually u ...

. Her father – a Washington state wrestling champion – died in a car accident when she was mere months old. Her family moved to

Camas, Washington Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The east side of town borders the city of Washougal, Washington, and the west side of town borders Vancouver, Washington. Camas lies along the Washing ...

, and then to Vancouver where she graduated from Skyview High School. Emily grew up

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur a ...

horses, dreaming of racing in the

National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event. The NFR is held each year in the fi ...

. Inebriated after sneaking into a bar with a

fake ID Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those w ...

as an 18-year-old, Whitmire took a grappling match with Lisa Ellis and was inspired about the sport despite losing. After the incident, she started training in a Portland gym and taking amateur matches before being invited to train at

Xtreme Couture Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts is an American mixed martial arts training organization headed by former UFC Champion and former co-founder of Team Quest, Randy Couture. Xtreme Couture was founded with the flagship gym in Las Vegas. Since the ...

in 2017.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Whitmire started her professional MMA career in 2015 and amassed a record of 2–1 prior to participating in

The Ultimate Fighter 26 ''The Ultimate Fighter 26'' (also known as '' The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion'') is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Tryouts were announced on May ...

UFC TV mma competition series which she was subsequently signed by UFC after the show.

The Ultimate Fighter

In August 2017, it was announced that Whitmire was one of the fighters featured on ''

'', UFC TV series, where the process to crown the UFC's inaugural 125-pound women's champion will take place. In the opening round, Whitmire faced Christina Marks and she won the fight via a submission in round one. In the quarterfinals, she faced

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. A p ...

and lost the bout via technical knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Whitmire made her UFC debut on December 1, 2017 on The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale against

Gillian Robertson Gillian Elizabeth Robertson (born May 17, 1995) is a Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Robertson was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Can ...

. She lost the fight via submission in round one. Her next fight came on July 7, 2018 at

UFC 226 ''UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background The event took p ...

against

Jamie Moyle Jamie Aliss Moyle (born March 17, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division. Background Moyle started cardio kickboxing in 2008, eventually falling in love with the sport and progressing towards mixed ...

. She won the fight via a unanimous decision. On February 10, 2019, Whitmire faced Aleksandra Albu at UFC on ESPN 1. She won the fight via submission just one minute into the first round. Whitmire faced promotional newcomer

Amanda Ribas Amanda Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 15, 2022, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight ...

on June 29, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 3 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 29, 2019, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Background Th ...

. She lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Whitmire was scheduled to face

Polyana Viana Polyana Viana Mota (born 14 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Raised solely by her mother, Viana grew up in São ...

on March 7, 2020 at

UFC 248 ''UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 7, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. At the weigh-ins, Whitmire weighed in at 117.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116. She was fined 20% of her purse and her bout with

was expected to proceed as scheduled at a catchweight. Subsequently, Whitmire was hospitalized the day of the event and the fight was cancelled. The pair was rescheduled on August 29, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 175 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 ...

in a flyweight bout. Whitmire lost the fight via an armbar submission in round one. Whitmire was expected to face

Hannah Cifers Hannah Lucinda Cifers (born June 26, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Cifers made he ...

on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane. However, Cifers pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Sam Hughes. In turn, Whitmire was removed from the bout on February 14 due to undisclosed reasons, and the bout was cancelled. Whitmire was expected to face Cory McKenna at

UFC Fight Night 192 ''UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 192'', ''UFC Vegas 37'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 18, 2021 at the UFC ...

on September 18, 2021. However, McKenna was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons and she was replaced by

Hannah Goldy Hannah Eliza Goldschmidt (born May 18, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Goldy grew up in Vermont snowboarding, running track, and competing in cross ...

. Whitmire lost the fight via an armbar in round one. After the loss, Whitmire was announced to be no longer part of the UFC roster.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Whitmire was scheduled to face Hilarie Rose on January 12, 2022 at Invicta FC 45. The bout was scratched due to unknown reasons.

Fury Fighting Championships

Whitmire was scheduled to face Celine Haga on March 27, 2022 at Fury FC 59 but the bout was postponed after Whitmire suffered an injury. The bout was rescheduled to take place at Fury FC 67 on August 14, 2022 but was cancelled once again.

Mixed martial arts record

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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 Vegas ...

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Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

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New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

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St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on t ...

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Emily Ducote Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist, currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She previously competed in Invicta FC, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweigh ...

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Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma Cit ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmire, Emily Living people 1991 births Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Montana Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American women