Michelle Eileen Waterson (born January 6, 1986) 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, incorp ...

and model who competes in 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 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 August 23, 2022, she is #11 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.

Early life

Born in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

and raised in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, 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 presen ...

. She then attended the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

until she realized she wanted to pursue a career in fighting.

Early martial arts career

Her early interest in

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

, 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 in American Freestyle Karate and has also trained in Wushu,

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 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 ...

and

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. Waterson rose to fame as a contestant on the Muay Thai-themed ''

Fight Girls ''Fight Girls'' is an Oxygen original reality television series that spun off from a 2006 special which documented seven female fighters' attempts at winning a championship. The initial special aired on August 7, 2006 and the series premiered J ...

'' reality show on the

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

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 ''Bully Beatdown'' is an American reality television series created by Mark Burnett which aired on MTV. In each episode, show host Jason "Mayhem" Miller challenged bullies to fight against a professional mixed martial artist for a chance to win ...

''.

Professional mixed martial arts career

Waterson made her

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 ...

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 The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

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 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 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 Cha ...

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 is a Japanese female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. She previously fought as a flyweight in the Valkyrie promotion and was the only Valkyrie Flyweight Champion. She later fought for Jewels and last competed for Deep. Tamada was once ranked a ...

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 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 ...

and was expected to compete in the Women's Strawweight division. Waterson made her promotional debut against

Angela Magaña Angela Magaña (born August 2, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is also known for competing on The Ultimate Fighter 20 for Team Melende ...

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 Tecia Lyn Torres Moncaio (born August 16, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, she is #8 in the UFC women's straww ...

UFC 194 ''UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally scheduled to take place on Dece ...

. 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 Paige Michelle VanZant (''née'' Sletten; married name Vanderford; born March 26, 1994), is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, author, and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, as a wres ...

in the main event at

UFC on Fox 22 ''UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 22'') was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on December 17, 2016, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Background After pr ...

. 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 on April 15, 2017, at

UFC on Fox 24 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 15, 2017, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Background The event was the f ...

. She lost via rear naked choke. Waterson faced Tecia Torres on December 2, 2017, at

UFC 218 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 lost the fight by unanimous decision. Waterson faced

Cortney Casey Cortney Ann Casey (born 5 May 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Casey is of Mexican descent. A former Divisi ...

UFC on Fox 29 ''UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on FOX 29'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 14, 2018, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Background After pr ...

on April 14, 2018. She won the fight via split decision. Waterson next faced

Felice Herrig Felice Nicole Herrig (born September 18, 1984) is an American retired kickboxer, Muay Thai fighter, and mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the strawweight division. Background Herrig was born in Buf ...

on October 6, 2018, at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United St ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson fought

Karolina Kowalkiewicz Karolina Kowalkiewicz (born 15 October 1985) is a Polish mixed martial artist. She currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion. Mixed martial arts career Early career Kowalki ...

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. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson was scheduled to face

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Cham ...

on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the event was eventually postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020 at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. She lost the fight via split decision. Waterson was scheduled to meet

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 August 22, 2020 at

UFC on ESPN 15 ''UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 15'' and ''UFC Vegas 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 22, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. However, due to some personal reasons on Waterson's side, the bout was moved three weeks later to UFC Fight Night 177. 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 Amanda Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 15, 2022, she is #9 in the UFC women's strawweight ...

on January 24, 2021 at

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

. However, Waterson pulled out of the bout in early December due to undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by

Marina Rodriguez Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (born April 29, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is #5 in the UFC women's stra ...

. In May 2021, Waterson clarified that the reason for withdrawal was the loss of two grandparents. Waterson faced

on May 8, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 24. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Waterson was scheduled to face

on March 26, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 205 ''UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 205'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 63'' or ''UFC Vegas 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 23, 2022, at the UF ...

. However, the bout was postponed to

UFC 274 ''UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The event was originally linke ...

on May 7, 2022 due to Waterson sustaining an undisclosed injury. Waterson faced

Amanda Lemos Amanda Oliveira de Lemos (born May 22, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of November 8, 2022, she is #3 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, and as o ...

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 lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

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 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.

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.

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 ...

(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 The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

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 after she went to a Hooters calendar shoot.

Media appearances

In 2008, Knockouts released a calendar featuring her. She is featured in the music video for Head Crusher, the first single from the

Endgame Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to: Film * ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film) * ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film * ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...

album by the American

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

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 ...

. On June 24, 2014, she appeared on ''

American Ninja Warrior 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, p ...

'' but failed to qualify when she fell on the first obstacle. She was also featured on ''

''. 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 ''The Body Issue'' is an edition of '' ESPN The Magazine'' that features dozens of athletes in nude and semi-nude photographs, which is intended to rival the annual Swimsuit Issue from ''Sports Illustrated''. The first issue debuted on October 19 ...

. Waterson also performed some stunts in the Marvel movie, ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

'', for Natalie Portman.

Selected filmography

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–10 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:48 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 ,

, 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 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 , Rose Namajunas , 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 ,

, Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, 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 ,

, TKO (knee and punches) , Invicta FC 8: Waterson vs. Tamada , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Lacey Schuckman , 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 ...

, 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 New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , Apache Gold: Extreme Beatdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Karina Taylor , Technical Submission (armbar) , Duke City MMA Series 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

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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 ...

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Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

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Kickboxing record

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Las Vegas, Nevada, USA The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterson, 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 The Challenge (TV series) contestants Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American women

Early life

Early martial arts career

Professional mixed martial arts career

Invicta Fighting Championships

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Personal life

Media appearances

Selected filmography

Mixed martial arts record

Kickboxing record

See also

References

External links