Michelle Waterson will be joining the ranks of the UFC in short order.
The news came just after midnight Eastern Tuesday. Ariel Helwani confirmed the news on UFC Tonight. The former Invicta FC atomweight champion will debut this coming summer, but no opponent or specific date has been announced.
“The Karate Hottie” holds a professional MMA record of 12-4.
Waterson stunned the mixed martial arts world with a stunning upset over Jessica Penne for the Invicta FC atomweight championship.
It was a 2013 Fight of the Year contender. Waterson entered being known primarily as a striker, and was more than a 3:1 underdog on several books. She beat Penne at her own game by securing an armbar in the fourth round.
Waterson would defend the title against Yasuko Tamada in September of 2014. It was a dominant performance that resulted in a third-round TKO stoppage.
The former champion lost her belt this past December to Herica Tiburcio in much the same fashion she won it: via a submission upset. Tiburcio, making her 105-pound debut, out-muscled Waterson. Tiburcio controlled the grappling. In the third round she got a deep guillotine and Waterson was forced to tap.
Waterson joins the growing ranks of 115-pounds in the UFC. It will be no easy task to prove she belongs after her most recent defeat, but she is one of the most marketable fighters in the division. She speaks eloquently and has an exciting fight style that endears her to audiences.
It will be an uphill battle as an undersized member of the division with no historic success in the weight class.
Regardless, there is no shortage of compelling matchups for Waterson to take. The longtime MMA veteran’s debut will be highly anticipated when the UFC officially sets the date.
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