Megan Anderson (born 11 February 1990) 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, incorp ...

who competed in the Women's Featherweight 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). Anderson also competed for the all women's MMA league

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 ...

, where she won the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship.

Early life

Anderson was born and raised on the

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...

. She attended

All Saints Anglican School All Saints Anglican School ("ASAS" or "All Saints") is a private, co-educational school established in 1987 under the Aegis of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. The school is located on a 40-hectare campus in the Gold Coast Hinterland. All Sain ...

throughout her upbringing and moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

at the beginning of 2008 to join the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

upon graduation from high school. After serving two and a half years in the military, she was discharged when it was discovered she had attempted to take her own life and was subsequently hospitalised. She then returned to the Gold Coast and worked as a

receptionist A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed to ...

while getting involved in the local

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

scene. Through her boxing connections, she was introduced to mixed martial arts and began training in 2013.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In November 2013, Anderson made her professional MMA debut, losing to Zoie Shreiweis. Over the next two years, Anderson would build her record to four wins and one loss before signing to

Invicta FC

In her promotional debut in September 2015, Anderson faced

Cindy Dandois Cindy Dandois (born 26 October 1984) is a Belgian female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions in Invicta and the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also the Lightweight division in the Prof ...

at Invicta FC 14: Evinger vs. Kianzad. She lost the fight by submission (triangle choke). Anderson then proceeded to gain three wins in the promotion.

Invicta FC Featherweight Championship

On 14 January 2017, Anderson faced Charmaine Tweet for the Interim Invicta FC Featherweight Championship at Invicta FC 21. She won the fight by TKO in the second round. Anderson was later promoted from Interim to undisputed Featherweight Champion after

Cris Cyborg Cristiane Justino Venâncio (born July 9, 1985), known professionally by her ring name Cris Cyborg (and formerly by her married name Cristiane Santos), is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who as of January 2021 competes in Bellator MM ...

vacated her belt. After the UFC opted against signing Anderson, Anderson was scheduled to defend her undisputed title against Helena Kolesnyk at Invicta FC 24, on 15 July 2017, but the fight never took place as Anderson was later signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Anderson was scheduled to make her promotional debut against

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Janu ...

on 29 July 2017. However, Anderson pulled out of the bout on 27 June, citing "personal issues" as the reason. She was replaced by

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 ...

. Anderson faced

Holly Holm Holly Rene Holm (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and a former professional boxer. She was a multiple-time wor ...

on 9 June 2018 at

UFC 225 ''UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson faced

Cat Zingano Cathilee Deborah "Cat" Zingano (née Albert; born July 1, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist, currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. Zingano also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

on 29 December 2018 at

UFC 232 ''UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 29, 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout b ...

. She won the fight via technical knockout early in the first round after a kick to Zingano caused an eye injury that didn't allow her to continue. Anderson faced promotional newcomer

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 18 May 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 152 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 152'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 10'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 18, 2019 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, ...

. She lost the fight via submission in the first round. Anderson faced

Zarah Fairn Dos Santos Zarah Fairn dos Santos (born December 10, 1986) is a French female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She reached a career-best ranking of #7 at Women’s Feathe ...

on 6 October 2019 at

UFC 243 ''UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Background The event was the ...

. She won the fight via a submission in round one. Anderson faced Norma Dumont Viana on 29 February 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 169 ''UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 169'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 27'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena in ...

. She won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned her the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

''award. Anderson was scheduled to face

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 ...

on 12 December 2020 for the

UFC Women's Featherweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. However, it was announced on 9 November that Nunes pulled out due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was postponed to 2021. The pairing was rescheduled for 6 March 2021 at

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. She lost the fight via a triangle armbar in round one. The title fight was the last fight of her prevailing six-fight contract and the organisation opted not to renew it, making her a free agent. In February 2022, Anderson posted in her social media that she is no longer pursuing fights, and is not affiliated with any teams or organizations.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time) **Tied (with

) for most fights in UFC Women's Featherweight division (six) **Tied (with

) for most stoppage victories in UFC Women's Featherweight division (three) **Tied (with

and

) for most knockouts in UFC Women's Featherweight division (two) *

** Invicta FC Featherweight World Championship (one time; former) **Interim Invicta FC Featherweight World Championship (one time; former) **Performance of the Night (three times) vs.

Amanda Bell Amanda Bell (born August 3, 1988) in Oakland, California is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. She previously competed in the Bellator MMA and Invicta FC. Mixed martial arts career Early career A well ro ...

Peggy Morgan Peggy Morgan (born December 16, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division. She has fought in UFC and Invicta FC. Mixed martial arts career Ultimate Fighting Championship In August 2013, Peggy Mo ...

and Charmaine Tweet **Fight of the Night (one time) vs. Amber Leibrock

Reality show

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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Norma Dumont Norma Dumont Viana Ferreira (born October 1, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist in the Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Profes ...

, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

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Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...

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Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 ,

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Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Charmaine Tweet , TKO (punches and head kick) , Invicta FC 21: Anderson vs. Tweet , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

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, TKO (punches) , Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibel , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:09 ,

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, TKO (head kick and punches) , Invicta FC 17: Evinger vs. Schneider , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Amber Leibrock , TKO (knees and punches) , Invicta FC 15: Cyborg vs. Ibragimova , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:33 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Invicta FC 14: Evinger vs. Kianzad , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

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Logan City, Queensland Logan City is a local government area situated within the south of the Brisbane metropolitan area in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated between the City of Brisbane to the north and the City of Gold Coast to the south, the City also bor ...

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Janay Harding Janay Harding (born September 28, 1994) is a New Zealand female mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Bellator MMA. Since January 1, 2021 Sherdog has her ranked as the #7 Female Featherweight in the world. Backgr ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Megan 1990 births Mixed martial artists from the Gold Coast Living people Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Australian female mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Australian Muay Thai practitioners Female Muay Thai practitioners Australian soldiers Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu