Michelle Waterson, or “Karate Hottie” as she’s more often referred to, is definitely well-known for her striking ability, but she’s a fantastic grappler too with half of her victories coming by way of submission. She faced a tough test against Angela Hill at UFC Vegas 10 and managed to emerge victorious in a stellar five-round match that was close from start to finish. She got the split decision nod that could see her enter the Strawweight division’s top 5 for the first time in little while, but she was also awarded with her BJJ Brown belt from Gracie Barra’s Rafael “Barata” Freitas.
She’s most definitely in good hands as Barata is a two-time medalist at the IBJJF no gi World Championships and has won it both as a brown belt and in the Master’s division. Alongside him, she also has Israel “Izzy” Martinez as her wrestling coach and the legendary Greg Jackson to help put it all together when the time comes. It was the combination of these men in her corner and her own phenomenal talent that led to her winning the Invicta FC Atomweight Championship before making the jump to the UFC.
At the age of 34, Michelle Waterson is definitely at the tail-end of her illustrious MMA career but there’s plenty of time left for one more run at the Strawweight title, currently held by the fearsome Weili Zhang. She also has a few more obstacles in her way before that can happen though, with some of the top talents in women’s MMA standing in her way like former champions Joanna Jedrzejcyk, Jessica Andrade, and Rose Namajunas.
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