Jessica-Rose Clark (born 28 November 1987) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the women’s Bantamweight division. She formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Clark was born in

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, Australia, as the eldest of nine children. Her ailing single mother took care of the children while living on the road in a van and communities. Jessica-Rose attended regular school for the first time in the fifth grade when the family settled in

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

. She attended university after graduating from high school, but dropped out during the first semester. After dropping out, she found kickboxing and gradually started training mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Clark made her professional MMA debut in December 2012 in her native Australia. She fought six times over the next two years for various regional promotions, amassing a record of 5 wins and 1 loss.

Invicta FC

After taking nearly a year off from the sport, Clark made her debut with Invicta FC in July 2015. She faced

Pannie Kianzad Pannie Pantea Kianzad (born December 8, 1991, in Ahvaz, Iran) is an Iranian-born Swedish mixed martial artist. She is currently signed by Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Women's Bantamweight division, having previously fought in Invicta FC ...

at Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin and lost the bout via unanimous decision. Clark returned to the promotion in November 2016 to face Pam Sorenson at Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya. She lost the bout via split decision. Clark was scheduled to face Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 26 in December 2017; however, she was removed from the card when she was tabbed by the UFC as a replacement.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Clark made her UFC debut against

Bec Rawlings Rebecca Anne Rawlings (born 11 February 1989) is an Australian mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, who currently competes in the flyweight division. She was ranked as a contender strawweight (106-115 lb) fighter according to the ...

in a flyweight bout, replacing

Joanne Calderwood Joanne Wood (; born 23 December 1986) is a Scottish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competed in the Flyweight (MMA), Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Biography Wood first sta ...

at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura on 19 November 2017. At the weigh-ins, Clark weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the flyweight upper limit of 126 pounds. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Clark forfeited 20% of her purse to Rawlings. Clark won the fight via split decision. Clark faced Paige VanZant on 14 January 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Clark faced Jessica Eye on 23 June 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 132 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 132'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 23, 2018, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Back ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Clark was expected to face Andrea Lee on 15 December 2018 at

UFC on Fox 31 ''UFC on Fox: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 31'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 15, 2018 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Backgr ...

. However, Clark was forced out of the bout as she was hospitalized due to weight cutting issues and deemed medically unfit to compete by UFC physicians. As a result, the bout was cancelled. Clark was scheduled to face Talita Bernardo on 11 May 2019 at

UFC 237 ''UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 11, 2019, at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was originally expected to be held ...

. However, it was reported on 3 April 2019 that Clark had pulled out of the bout, citing injury.

Return to bantamweight

Clark faced

on 9 November 2019 at

UFC on ESPN+ 21 UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar (also known as UFC Fight Night: Zabit vs. Kattar, UFC Fight Night 163 and UFC on ESPN+ 21) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 9, 201 ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Clark faced Sarah Alpar on 19 September 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 178 ''UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 178'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 36'' and ''UFC Vegas 11'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 19, 2020 at th ...

She won the fight via a technical knockout in round three. In the fight she tore her Anterior cruciate ligament, which prevented her from fighting until mid 2021. After recovering from the surgery, Clark returned after a year to face

Joselyne Edwards Joselyne Edwards Laboriel (born September 29, 1995) is a Panamanian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Edwards started boxing when she was 13 years old, and after four ...

UFC Fight Night 196 ''UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 196'', ''UFC Vegas 41'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 54'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 23, 2021 at the UFC ...

on 23 October 2021. Clark won the fight via unanimous decision. Clark faced

Stephanie Egger Stephanie Egger (born August 12, 1988) is a Swiss female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Egger is a judo black belt, having won the 2010 European U23 Championships ...

on 19 February 2022, at UFC Fight Night 201. She lost the fight via an armbar submission in the first round. Clark faced Julija Stoliarenko on 2 July 2022, at

UFC 276 ''UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 2, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. She lost the bout via armbar submission less than one minute into round one, dislocating her elbow. Clark faced Tainara Lisboa on 13 May 2023, at

UFC on ABC 4 ''UFC on ABC: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 13, 2023, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Backgro ...

. She lost the bout via rear‐naked choke in third round. The fight was the final fight on her contract and she was not offered a new contract.

Championships and accomplishments

* WCK Muay Thai Champion *Unarmed Combat Unleashed **UCU Women's Bantamweight Championship (one time; only; former) *Xtreme Fighting Championships **XFC Australia Bantamweight Championship (one time; former) *Roshambo MMA **Roshambo Women's Bantamweight Championship (one time; only; former)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–9 (1) , Tainara Lisboa , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ABC: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:20 , Charlotte, North Carolina, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–8 (1) , Julija Stoliarenko , Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 (1) ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Sarah Alpar , TKO (punch and knee) , UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:21 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Moscow, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 (1) , Jessica Eye , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kallang, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 (1) , Paige VanZant , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 (1) , Carina Damm , Decision (split) , Titan FC 45: Araujo vs. Capitulino , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 (1) ,

Sarah Kaufman Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman (born September 20, 1985) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the women's bantamweight division where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Kaufman was the inaugural Strike ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Battlefield Fighting Championships , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Seoul, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 (1) , Pam Sorenson , Decision (split) , Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 6–2 (1) , Janay Harding , Decision (unanimous) , Eternal MMA 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Gold Coast, Australia , , - , NC , align=center, 5–2 (1) ,

Emiko Raika Emiko Raika (来家恵美子, born January 24, 1975 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese female professional boxer and mixed martial artist. Although more Japanese women have taken up traditionally male sports such as karate, kickboxing and wrestling ...

, NC (overturned) , TTF Challenge 05 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Rhiannon Thompson , Decision (unanimous) , Roshambo MMA 3 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Kate Da Silva , TKO (punches) , XFC Australia 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:07 , Brisbane, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Zoie Shreiweis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Unarmed Combat Unleashed 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Kyra Purcell , Decision (unanimous) , Fightworld Cup 16 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Nerang, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Arlene Blencowe , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Nitro MMA 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:38 , Logan City, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mae-Lin Leow , TKO (punches) , Brace for War MMA 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:17 ,

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 ...

, Australia ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Jessica-Rose 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Cairns Sportswomen from Queensland Martial artists from Sydney Sportswomen from New South Wales Australian female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters