Michelle Waterson-Gomez (born January 6, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, and former model who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Between 2013 and 2014, she was ranked the No. 1 women's atomweight fighter in the world. As of January 23, 2024, she is #14 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.

Early life

Born in Colorado Springs and raised in Aurora, Waterson is of

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

and

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

descent: her father is American and mother Thai. She began her modeling career in 2004 after she graduated from

Aurora Central High School Aurora Central High School is a high school in Aurora, Colorado. It was originally named Aurora High School and was the first high school in Aurora Public Schools. When Hinkley High School was built in 1963, this school was renamed to its prese ...

. She then attended the University of Denver, also working as a waitress at Hooters, until she realized she wanted to pursue a career in fighting.

Early martial arts career

Her early interest in gymnastics, and inability to pay for classes, led her to

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

at the age of ten. Waterson holds a

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

in American freestyle karate and has also trained in

wushu Wushu may refer to: Martial arts * Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China * Wushu (sport), a modern exhibition of traditional Chinese martial arts * Wushu stances, five key stances utilized in both contemporary wushu and traditio ...

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

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 ...

, boxing, and wrestling. Waterson rose to fame as a contestant on the Muay Thai-themed '' Fight Girls'' reality show on the Oxygen television network. She was also featured as one of the fighters in the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...

reality show '' Bully Beatdown''.

Mixed martial arts career

Waterson made her MMA debut on February 16, 2007, at Ring of Fire 28: Evolution against Andrea Miller, winning the fight by unanimous decision. She made her debut without having any amateur fights. She faced Freestyle Cage Fighting champion

Lynn Alvarez Lynn Alvarez (born September 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division for Invicta FC and has competed for Bellator. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 , JJ Aldrich , ...

at Ring of Fire 31: Undisputed on December 1, 2007, but lost by submission in the first round. Waterson 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 Tyra Parker at Strikeforce: Payback on October 3, 2008. She won the fight by rear naked choke submission in the first round. Waterson faced Karina Taylor at Duke City MMA Series 1 on March 1, 2009. She won the fight by armbar submission in the first round. There was some controversy with this fight because Taylor did not tap out to the armbar. On April 11, 2009, Waterson fought former WIBA and IFBA Flyweight Boxing Champion

Elena Reid Elena A. Reid (born November 1, 1981) is an American former boxer and mixed martial artist. She is a former WIBA and IFBA Flyweight Champion. Early life Reid was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1981. Reid attended St. Mary's High School (Phoenix, ...

at Apache Gold: Extreme Beatdown. Reid won the fight by TKO in the second round. Waterson faced the debuting Rosary Califano at EB - Beatdown at 4 Bears 6 and won by submission due to a flying armbar in just 15 seconds. She faced Masako Yoshida at Crowbar MMA: Spring Brawl on April 24, 2010. Waterson won the fight by TKO in the first round. Waterson returned to MMA on January 21, 2012. She faced Diana Rael at Jackson's MMA Series 7 and won the fight by rear-naked choke in the first round.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Waterson faced

Lacey Schuckman Lacey Schuckman is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has fought in Invicta FC and Strikeforce. Mixed martial arts record , - , Win , align=center, 12–10 , Rosa Acevedo , Decision (unanimous ...

at Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama on October 6, 2012. After three back and forth rounds, Waterson defeated Schuckman via split decision. The bout was named Fight of the Night. Waterson challenged for the Invicta FC Atomweight Championship when she faced Jessica Penne in the main event of Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on April 5, 2013. Waterson won the fight via armbar submission in the fourth round to become the Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. On September 6, 2014, Waterson successfully defended her championship against Yasuko Tamada in the main event of Invicta FC 8 via TKO in the third round. Waterson next headlined Invicta FC 10 on December 5, 2014, in Houston against Brazilian Hérica Tibúrcio. She lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On April 28, 2015, it was reported that Waterson had officially signed with the UFC and was expected to compete in the Women's Strawweight division. Waterson made her promotional debut against Angela Magaña on July 12, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. She won the fight via submission in the third round. Waterson was next expected to meet Tecia Torres at UFC 194. However, she was forced to pull out of the bout on November 24, 2015, citing a knee injury. After over a year-and-a-half away from the sport due to injuries, Waterson returned in December 2016 to face Paige VanZant in the main event at UFC on Fox 22. She won the fight via technical submission due to a rear naked choke in the first round. The win also earned Waterson her first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Waterson fought

Rose Namajunas Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist. She is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the women's strawweight division and is the former two-time UFC Women's Strawweig ...

on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. She lost via rear naked choke. Waterson faced Tecia Torres on December 2, 2017, at UFC 218. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Waterson faced Cortney Casey at UFC on Fox 29 on April 14, 2018. She won the fight via split decision. Waterson next faced Felice Herrig on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson fought Karolina Kowalkiewicz at

UFC on ESPN 2 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 30, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Backgr ...

on March 30, 2019. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson faced

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (; born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai kickboxer. She has been called the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, including by Daniel Cormier, who cred ...

on October 12, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 161 ''UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 161'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 12, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, F ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson was scheduled to face Carla Esparza on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020 at UFC 249. She lost the fight via split decision. Waterson was scheduled to meet Angela Hill on August 22, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 15. However, due to some personal reasons on Waterson's side, the bout was moved three weeks later to

UFC Fight Night 177 ''UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 177'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 35'' and ''UFC Vegas 10'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 12, 2020 at the UF ...

. She won the fight via split decision. This fight earned her the '' Fight of the Night'' award. After the fight, Waterson was awarded her BJJ brown belt in the octagon from her coach, Gracie Barra's Rafael 'Barata' Freitas. Waterson was scheduled to face Amanda Ribas on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257. However, Waterson pulled out of the bout in early December due to undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by Marina Rodriguez. In May 2021, Waterson clarified that the reason for withdrawal was the loss of two grandparents. Waterson faced Marina Rodriguez in a flyweight bout on May 8, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 24 ''UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 24'' and ''UFC Vegas 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 8, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson was scheduled to face Amanda Ribas on March 26, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 205. However, the bout was postponed to UFC 274 on May 7, 2022 due to Waterson sustaining an undisclosed injury. Waterson faced Amanda Lemos on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3. She lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round. Waterson faced Luana Pinheiro on April 8, 2023 at UFC 287. She lost the close bout via split decision. Waterson faced Marina Rodriguez in a rematch on September 23, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 228 ''UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 228'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 86'' and ''UFC Vegas 79'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 23, 2023, at the UF ...

. She lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. Waterson is scheduled to face Gillian Robertson on June 1, 2024, at

UFC 302 ''UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 1, 2024, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The event marked the ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Invicta Fighting Championships ** Invicta FC Atomweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense **Fight of the Night (Two times) *Women's MMA Awards **2013 Atomweight of the Year **2013 Fight of the Year vs. Jessica Penne on April 5 **2014 Fight of the Year vs. Hérica Tibúrcio on December 5 *AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards **2013 Atomweight of the Year **2014 Atomweight of the Year *FightBooth.com **2014 Most Vulgar Display of Power Award (Beatdown of the Year) vs. Yasuko Tamada * Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) *

MMAjunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Ma ...

**2020 September Fight of the Month

Personal life

Waterson is married to former U.S. Armed Forces amateur boxing champion Joshua Gomez. On September 16, 2010, Waterson announced that she was pregnant with her first child and recently engaged. She gave birth to a daughter on March 18, 2011. Waterson got her "Karate Hottie" nickname while a spokesmodel for a bikini website.

Media appearances

In 2008,

Knockouts Knockouts and Knockouts Haircuts for Men are the trade names of a privately held American salon chain (international as of early 2011), Knockouts LLC, based in Irving, Texas. Knockouts are full-service grooming salons with a boxing (and mixed m ...

released a calendar featuring her. She is featured in the music video for

Head Crusher "Head Crusher" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on July 7, 2009, as the first single from their studio album ''Endgame''. According to Roadrunner Records official website, a download of "Head Crusher" was available ...

, the first single from the Endgame album by the American Metal band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

. Waterson performed some stunts in the Marvel movie, '' Thor'', for Natalie Portman. On June 24, 2014, she appeared on '' American Ninja Warrior'' but failed to qualify when she fell on the first obstacle. She was also featured on '' Bully Beatdown''. She was the central character of the 2016 documentary Fight Mom. In 2017, Waterson competed on the special mini-series for the

reality show '' The Challenge'' titled '' Champs vs. Stars''. That same year, she was featured in The Body Issue.

Selected filmography

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–12 , Marina Rodriguez , TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–11 , Luana Pinheiro , Decision (split) , UFC 287 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Miami, Florida, United States , - , Loss , align=center, 18–10 , Amanda Lemos , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:48 , Elmont, New York, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–9 , Marina Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8 , Angela Hill , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Carla Esparza , Decision (split) , UFC 249 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Jacksonville, Florida, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Tampa, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Karolina Kowalkiewicz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Felice Herrig , , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 229 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Cortney Casey , Decision (split) , UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 , Tecia Torres , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 218 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Detroit, Michigan, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:47 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Paige VanZant , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 , Sacramento, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Angela Magaña , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:38 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Hérica Tibúrcio , Submission (guillotine choke) , Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Yasuko Tamada , TKO (knee and punch) , Invicta FC 8: Waterson vs. Tamada , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Jessica Penne , Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Decision (split) , Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Diana Rael , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Jackson's MMA Series 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Masako Yoshida , TKO (punches) , Crowbar MMA: Spring Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Rosary Califano , Submission (flying armbar) , EB - Beatdown at 4 Bears 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 , New Town, North Dakota, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , Apache Gold: Extreme Beatdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 , Phoenix, Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Karina Taylor , Technical Submission (armbar) , Duke City MMA Series 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Tyra Parker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Payback , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Krystal Macatol , Submission (armbar) , SCA: Bike n Brawl 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Thricia Poovey , TKO (corner stoppage) , KOTC: Badlands , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Ring of Fire 31: Undisputed , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Jaime Cook , Submission (armbar) , Ring of Fire 30: Domination , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Alicia Gumm , Decision (unanimous) , RMBB: Battle of the Arts , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Andrea Miller , Decision (unanimous) , Ring of Fire 28: Evolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , -

Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#fbb;" , 2008-03-22 , , Loss , , align=left, Catia Vitoria , , XFA 1, , Las Vegas, Nevada, USA , , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterson-Gomez, Michelle 1986 births American female karateka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American wushu practitioners American sportspeople of Thai descent Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing wushu Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American models Living people Female models from Colorado Sportspeople from Colorado Sportspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado Sportspeople from Aurora, Colorado Atomweight mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Participants in American reality television series Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American women