Leah Letson (born August 21, 1992) is a retired American female

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 ...

who competed in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

divisions 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 ...

. She reached a career-best ranking of #9 at Women's Featherweight on

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on thi ...

on January 7, 2017.

Early life and career

Leah Letson was born on 21 August 1992 in Wisconsin, United States. Letson started martial arts at 5, earning her 2nd degree Karate black belt at age 11, and her 3rd Degree

Taekwondo ''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 ...

black belt at 14. Letson moved to Milwaukee to attend the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

where she started kickboxing, then on the advice of her coaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). While at UWM Letson enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2012 and after completing basic training she started training

MMA 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

. On November 9, 2013, she won her first MMA amateur fight, a year later she had her first pro fight.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After losing her debut via split decision against Chrsitina Jobe at KOTC: Industrial Strength on November 22, 2014, Letson won her next 4 bouts, knocking out Shaena Cox in the second round, defeating Allanna Jones via unanimous decision, stopping Sarah Payan via TKO in the first round, culminating with a victory at Invicta FC 21, where Letson faced

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 ...

veteran Elizabeth Phillips, knocking her out with a headkick in the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2018, Letson was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters. She was the fourth pick for Team Whittaker. Letson won the quarterfinal bout against

Bea Malecki Bea Malecki (born August 23, 1991) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2017, she is most notable for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Malecki's parents ...

by unanimous decision. In the semi-finals, Letson faced

Macy Chiasson Macy Chiasson (born July 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Women's Featherweight winner of '' The Ultimate Fighter 28'' and currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

. She lost the bout by way of knockout in round one. In January 2018 the UFC offered her a contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Letson made her UFC debut at the Ultimate Fighter finale, beating

Julija Stoliarenko Julija Stoliarenko (born 8 April 1993) is a Lithuanian mixed martial arts and Lethwei fighter. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2012, she is the former Invicta FC Ban ...

via split decision. Letson was scheduled to face

Sarah Moras Sarah Ashley Moras (born 30 April 1988) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. Moras fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and she was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Te ...

on May 4, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 151 ''UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 151'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 9'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 4, 2019 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontari ...

. However, Letson was removed from the fight in early April for an unspecified medical issue and replaced by

. Letson faced

Felicia Spencer Felicia Dawn Spencer (born November 20, 1990) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist. She is the former Invicta FC Featherweight champion and formally competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background S ...

on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. She lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Letson was scheduled to face UFC newcomer

Chelsea Chandler Chelsea Chandler (born January 29, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist and competes in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2018, she has also previously competed for Invicta Fighting Champ ...

on October 1, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan in a women's bantamweight bout. However, Letson pulled out in late August due to personal reasons and was replaced by

. On January 9, 2023, Letson announced she was retiring from MMA due to losing love for the sport and its taxing nature.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 ,

, TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:25 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Elizabeth Phillips , KO (head kick) , Invicta FC 21: Anderson vs. Tweet , January 14, 2017 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Sarah Payant , TKO (punches) , Premier FC 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 , Springfield, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Allanna Jones , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Blood Enemies , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Shaena Cox , KO (punch) , Pure FC 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:50 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Christina Jobe , Decision (split) , KOTC: Industrial Strength , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Carlton, Minnesota, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, KO (knees to the body) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Personal life

In 2016 Letson graduated with degrees in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and in

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

with a minor in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Letson, Leah Living people American female mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters American female taekwondo practitioners American female karateka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Sportspeople from Wisconsin 1992 births