Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) 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, incorpo ...

, currently competing in the strawweight division of 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). She previously competed in

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 ...

, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. As of December 6, 2022, she is #14 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.

Background

The daughter of John Ducote and Yvette Bradstreet, Emily was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Ducote is a Taekwondo Black Belt, first beginning her training in the art at age twelve at her grandparents' recommendation. She wrestled for

Los Gatos High School Los Gatos High School (LGHS) is a high school in Los Gatos, California. It was founded in 1908 and is part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, which in 2021 was ranked the best high school district in Caliifornia The sch ...

, ending as a runner-up in state championships in her senior year. With an aspiration to wrestle in the best college team, she moved to the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...

in 2012 to study

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human heal ...

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

. She started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2013 and was promoted to black belt in May 2022.

Mixed martial arts career

Bellator

Ducote was scheduled to make her Bellator debut against Bruna Vargas at Bellator 159 on July 22, 2016. She won the fight by a second-round rear-naked choke submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Kenya Miranda at Bellator 161 on September 16, 2016. She won the fight by a second-round armbar submission. Ducote was scheduled to face

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the flyweight division of Bellator MMA. She is the inaugural and former Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion. As of December ...

at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016. Macfarlane won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Ducote was scheduled to face Katy Collins at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. She won the fight by a first-round rear-naked choke submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Jessica Middleton at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. She won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 29-27, 29-28, 29-28. Ducote was scheduled to face

for the inaugural

Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

at Bellator 186 on November 3, 2017. Macfarlane won the fight by a fifth-round armbar submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Kristina Williams at Bellator 196 on March 2, 2018. Williams won the fight by split decision in a fight where Ducote was dominant and most part of the media called it a controversial decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 29-28 for Williams, while the third judge scored the fight 30-27 for Ducote. Ducote was scheduled to face Veta Arteaga at Bellator 202 on July 13, 2018. Arteaga won the fight by unanimous decision, extending Ducote's losing streak to three fights. After she was released by Bellator, Ducote moved down to strawweight for her next bout against Kathryn Paprocki at Xtreme Fight Night 356 on February 1, 2019. She won the fight by a third-round rear-naked choke submission.

Invicta FC

Ducote was scheduled to make her promotional debut against Janaisa Morandin at Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote on August 9, 2019. Morandin weighed in three pounds over the strawweight limit, at 119 lbs. Ducote won the fight by a first-round knockout. In her second promotional appearance, Ducote was scheduled to face

Kanako Murata Kanako Murata (村田夏南子, born August 10, 1993) is a Japanese female mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2016, Murata has also co ...

for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship in the main event of Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote on November 1, 2019. Murata won the fight by split decision, with two judges scoring the bout 48-47 and 49-46 in her favor. The third judge scored the fight 48-47 for Ducote. Ducote was scheduled to face

Juliana Lima Juliana de Lima Carneiro (born March 15, 1982) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. She has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Invicta Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts career Early caree ...

in the main event of Invicta FC 40: Ducote vs. Lima on July 2, 2020. She won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding her a 29-28 scorecard. Ducote was scheduled to face

Montserrat Ruiz Avelina Montserrat Conejo Ruiz (born February 3, 1993) is a Mexican female mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background At the age of 16, Ruiz started practicing Olympic wrestlin ...

at Invicta FC 43: King vs. Harrison on November 20, 2020. The fight was later cancelled due to “enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols”. Ducote was scheduled to face Liz Tracy at Invicta FC on AXS TV: Rodríguez vs. Torquato on May 21, 2021. The fight was later cancelled.

Invicta FC Strawweight Champion

Ducote faced UFC veteran Danielle Taylor for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at Invicta FC 44: A New Era on August 27, 2021. Her bout with Taylor headlined the first pay-per-view in Invicta FC history. Ducote won the fight by a first-round knockout. She first stopped Taylor in her tracks with a right straight, before flooring her with a head kick. In her first title defence, Ducote faced

Alesha Zappitella Alesha Zappitella (born February 28, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to the Invicta Fighting Championships, where she is a former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Background Growing up in Ohio, Alesha started w ...

on May 11, 2022 at Invicta FC 47. She won the bout after doctor's stopped the bout after the second round due to a cut on Alesha's eyelid.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2022, Ducote signed with the UFC. Ducote made her promotional debut, replacing

Brianna Fortino Anicia Brianna Fortino (née Van Buren, born August 4, 1993) is a mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter from the United States, competing in the strawweight division for UFC. She is a former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. As of April 25, 2022, ...

, against

Jessica Penne Jessica Marie Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Ch ...

on July 16, 2022 at

UFC on ABC 3 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 ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Ducote faced

Angela Hill Angela Patrice Hill (born January 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She was formerly signed with the Invicta Fighting Championships, of which she was the strawweight champion. She is also ...

on December 3, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 42. She lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Invicta FC Strawweight Championship (One time) *** One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

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Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

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Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

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Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

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Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

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Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (33. ...

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University Park, Pennsylvania University Park (also referred to as Penn State University Park) is the name given to the Pennsylvania State University's main campus located in both State College and College Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post office was ...

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Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European set ...

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

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Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in 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 City-Shawnee Combined Statistical ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducote, Emily 1994 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American Muay Thai practitioners Female Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American women American female taekwondo practitioners