Julie Kedzie (born March 18, 1981) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

. She is a third degree black belt in

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

and specializes in

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

. Kedzie was Greg Jackson's personal assistant at Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts. Kedzie has been working for

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 ...

as a fight commentator and interviewer. In December 2013, Kedzie became the new matchmaker for Invicta FC.

Early life

Kedzie was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois and moved to Bloomington, Indiana when she was twelve so her mother could pursue a doctorate in neurobiology from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. Her sister is the geneticist

Jennifer Raff Jennifer Anne Raff (born 1979, née Kedzie) is an American geneticist and an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas. She specializes in anthropological genetics relating to the initial peopling of the Americas and subsequ ...

. She and her sister were enrolled in Tae Kwon Do by her father when Julie was five years old. She studied under Steve and Linda Scott at Monroe County Martial Arts. She later returned to teach a one-time mixed martial arts class. She has a Bachelor of Arts in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

from

. She graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 2019.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kedzie rose to prominence in

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

on November 19, 2005, when she won the one-night

HOOKnSHOOT HOOKnSHOOT was a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Evansville, Indiana, United States. It was one of the earliest MMA promotions in the United States, and one of the first organisations in the United States to allow Women's MMA. Hist ...

Women's Grand Prix in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

EliteXC

On February 10, 2007, Kedzie faced undefeated rising star

Gina Carano Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of wome ...

in a featured bout at EliteXC: Destiny, which aired live on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

. She was defeated by Carano, but the fight received Fight of the Night honours.

Independent promotions

Following the

Elite XC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decembe ...

fight, Kedzie defeated Kelly Kobold at BodogFight - Vancouver on August 24, 2007. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Kedzie later signed a contract with the American Fight League, but the promotion folded and Kedzie was released from her contract.

Jackson's MMA Series

Kedzie was scheduled to face

Sarah D'Alelio Sarah D'Alelio (born December 13, 1980) is a professional mixed martial artist. She competed in the 135-pound women's bantamweight division for Invicta Fighting Championships and has also fought for Strikeforce. Mixed martial arts career Jacks ...

at Jackson's MMA Series 2 on September 4, 2010, but the fight was canceled after Kedzie signed on to take part in the filming of the ''Ultimate Women Challenge'' reality show. The show never made it to air, and 7 contestants sued the producers, claiming they were never paid. During the filming of the Ultimate Women Challenge, Kedzie faced

Kaitlin Young Kaitlin Young (born September 15, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, Young has also competed for EliteXC, Invicta Fighting Championships, a ...

on September 24, 2010. She was defeated by split decision. Kedzie's fight with

was then rebooked for Jackson's MMA Series 3 on December 18, 2010 in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. She defeated D'Alelio via unanimous decision. She then faced Kaitlin Young in a five-round title rematch at Jackson's MMA Series 4 on April 9, 2011. Kedzie defeated Young by unanimous decision to become Jackson's MMA Series Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Strikeforce

Kedzie was scheduled to fight

Amanda Nunes Amanda Lourenço Nunes (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women's Bantamw ...

at the Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event on June 18, 2011, in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. The bout, however, was cancelled after Nunes sustained a foot injury. Kedzie made her

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

debut against Alexis Davis on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in

Hoffman Estates, Illinois Hoffman Estates is a village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, with a small section in Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village now serves a ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kedzie was expected to face

Germaine de Randamie Germaine Martha de Randamie (born April 24, 1984) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. Undefeated in sanctioned kickboxing bouts, she competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and was the first UFC Women's Featherwe ...

as part of the Strikeforce Challengers 19 card on September 23, 2011, but withdrew due to injury. Kedzie faced Miesha Tate at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman on August 18, 2012. She was defeated by submission due to an armbar in the third round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kedzie's

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 ...

debut was against

UFC on Fox 8 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 27, 2013, at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event was broadcast live on FX and Fox. Background The main event was a UFC ...

on July 27, 2013. She lost the fight by split decision. Kedzie faced Bethe Correia at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot on December 7, 2013. She lost the fight via split decision and subsequently announced her retirement from mixed martial arts competition via Twitter. Kedzie announced that she is officially retired on April 24, 2021 via Twitter.

Mixed martial arts record

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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Ultimate Women Challenge Ultimate Women Challenge was an unaired show featuring 16 female fighters who would win a prize of $50,000. During the filming of the Ultimate Women Challenge, Kaitlin Young faced Julie Kedzie on September 24, 2010. She defeated Kedzie by split d ...

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St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...

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Sarah Schneider Sarah Schneider (born September 10, 1983) is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She got her start in entertainment as a writer and actress for the comedy website CollegeHumor before becoming a writer for the television sketch comedy ser ...

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Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 ,

Tonya Evinger Tonya Evinger (born June 4, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Evinger has previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), EliteXC, Raging Wolf and Invicta Fighting Champi ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

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Jan Finney Jan Finney (born April 18, 1980) is an American female mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the 135-pound bantamweight division. Early life Finney played softball at Kenton Ridge High School and Urbana University. Mixed martial arts ...

, TKO (punches) , HOOKnSHOOT: MW Tournament , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:44 ,

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, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 ,

Julia Berezikova Julia Berezikova ( rus, Юлия Березикова, Julija Berezikova; born ) is a Russian female mixed martial artist and boxer. In February, 2014 she was the #7-ranked 125-pound female fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's MM ...

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St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. Baszler is a former two-time and longest ...

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Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

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, United States ,

HOOKnSHOOT - 2005 Women's Grand Prix Bracket

This tournament was held on November 19, 2005.

Accomplishments

* 2005 HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix Champion * Extreme Grappling Open Champion * Jackson's MMA Series Women's Bantamweight Champion (2011) *BJPenn.com **2012 WMMA Fight of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on August 18

References

External links

Julie Kedzie Awakening Profile
* *
Fightergirls.com profile

Julie Kedzie's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kedzie, Julie 1981 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Indiana University alumni Living people Sportspeople from Bloomington, Indiana American female mixed martial artists American female taekwondo practitioners Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American women Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters