michelle waterson

American mixed martial artist and model Michelle Waterson competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was previously crowned the Invicta FC Atomweight Champion.

During the early years of her career, Waterson worked as a model before attending the University of Denver. She always had a keen interest in gymnastics, going on to take karate classes before discovering mixed martial arts when she was in college. She is trained in numerous disciplines including boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2006 she was selected as a cast member for new reality TV show, Fight Girls, which followed her and other young female fighters as they competed for titles. The following year she made her MMA debut and since then has continued to make high profile appearances and win fights including the Invicta Fighting Championships in 2013 where she took home the Atomweight title. Waterson has been signed with the UFC since 2015, although her early years with the promotion were plagued by injury. Since then she has competed in numerous fights which have aired on ESPN and won the prestigious Fight of the Night title in 2020.

As well as competing in high profile mixed martial arts promotions, Waterson has also performed stunts in movies including working as Natalie Portman’s body double in Thor. She’s also appeared in MTV’s reality show The Challenge, and continues to be one of the best known figures in the world of women’s mixed martial arts.