The “Karate Hottie” believes now is the time to cash-in following her submission win over Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 22 this past weekend.
Waterson, in an interview with The MMA Hour, named several of the strawweight divisions elite – including the champion – as potential fights next.
“I really respect Rose (Namajunas), I think she’s a great person,” Waterson said. “I think it would be an awesome matchup. (Daniel Cormier) was wanting me to call out Carla (Esparza). Even Karolina (Kowalkiewicz), that’s what (Dominick) Cruz wanted. Those three.
“Even Joanna (Jedrzejczyk), I would love to fight Joanna. Any of those names really sound like interesting fights to me. We’ll just have to kinda see what we can do as far as negotiating those fights and where each one of those will take us.”
The fight with VanZant came after a 17-month layoff for Waterson, a former Invicta FC atomweight champion. She also discussed her pay, which shocked many when it was revealed by the California Athletic Commission at $15,000 to show and another $15,000 to win.
“It is a little embarrassing,” Waterson said. “But we’re going to fix it. I hope so. I hope they know what they have in me, because I’m not going out there just to cruise. I’m here for the UFC, to represent the UFC in the best light that I can, and hopefully they see the value in that.”
Michelle Waterson understands the game of MMA.
The “Karate Hottie” believes now is the time to cash-in following her submission win over Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 22 this past weekend.
Waterson, in an interview with The MMA Hour, named several of the strawweight divisions elite – including the champion – as potential fights next.
“I really respect Rose (Namajunas), I think she’s a great person,” Waterson said. “I think it would be an awesome matchup. (Daniel Cormier) was wanting me to call out Carla (Esparza). Even Karolina (Kowalkiewicz), that’s what (Dominick) Cruz wanted. Those three.
“Even Joanna (Jedrzejczyk), I would love to fight Joanna. Any of those names really sound like interesting fights to me. We’ll just have to kinda see what we can do as far as negotiating those fights and where each one of those will take us.”
The fight with VanZant came after a 17-month layoff for Waterson, a former Invicta FC atomweight champion. She also discussed her pay, which shocked many when it was revealed by the California Athletic Commission at $15,000 to show and another $15,000 to win.
“It is a little embarrassing,” Waterson said. “But we’re going to fix it. I hope so. I hope they know what they have in me, because I’m not going out there just to cruise. I’m here for the UFC, to represent the UFC in the best light that I can, and hopefully they see the value in that.”
The most stacked card in history is here. Blowing previous mega-cards UFC 200 and UFC 202 out of the water in terms of potential excitement, high-level competition, big names, and high stakes, UFC 205 will be the promotion’s inaugural foray into New York City. The blockbuster event will emanate Saturday November 12, 2016, from Madison Square
Blowing previous mega-cards UFC 200 and UFC 202 out of the water in terms of potential excitement, high-level competition, big names, and high stakes, UFC 205 will be the promotion’s inaugural foray into New York City. The blockbuster event will emanate Saturday November 12, 2016, from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
The headliner will see the biggest draw in the sport today, Conor McGregor, seeking to make history. The current undisputed featherweight champion, the ‘Notorious’ one will attempt to dethrone current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. If he is successful, he will become the first simultaneous two-division title-holder in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The hard-nosed Alvarez will be making his first defense of the title in the money fight of his choosing. He last appeared in July, when he ripped the belt from Rafael dos Anjos.
The main card also features two other title fights. First, Joanna J?drzejczyk will look to defend her title for a fourth time when she goes toe to toe with fellow Polish striker Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Then welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley will square off with consensus number one contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
The rest of the main draw will see New York native Chris Weidman lock horns with Cuban wrestling dynamo Yoel Romero and former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate warring with Raquel Pennington.
Read on for a breakdown of every scrap on the main card.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her strawweight title on Saturday at UFC 205 vs. top contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Jedrzejczyk has held the title since a 2015 second round finish of Carla Esparza, scoring three successful title defenses over Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau and Claudia Gadelha.
Despite being 12-0 and having a perfect run on her resume, Jedrzejczyk changed training camps ahead of UFC 205.
“Last year was crazy for the rest of the champions. Me and Demetrious (Johnson) were the only ones defending our belts,” she said. “I had to change something and I went to (American Top Team). I have good coaches. There are so many athletes that I can train with. I’m going to be different in this fight.”
Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fallen into that trap of lacking motivation, saying that remaining champion is all she cares about.
“So many people said there’s a big gap between me, Claudia and everyone else, but I don’t think so,” she said. “This belt is staying with me. When I train, there’s no excuses.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her strawweight title on Saturday at UFC 205 vs. top contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Jedrzejczyk has held the title since a 2015 second round finish of Carla Esparza, scoring three successful title defenses over Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau and Claudia Gadelha.
Despite being 12-0 and having a perfect run on her resume, Jedrzejczyk changed training camps ahead of UFC 205.
“Last year was crazy for the rest of the champions. Me and Demetrious (Johnson) were the only ones defending our belts,” she said. “I had to change something and I went to (American Top Team). I have good coaches. There are so many athletes that I can train with. I’m going to be different in this fight.”
Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fallen into that trap of lacking motivation, saying that remaining champion is all she cares about.
“So many people said there’s a big gap between me, Claudia and everyone else, but I don’t think so,” she said. “This belt is staying with me. When I train, there’s no excuses.”
The UFC is heading to Madison Square Garden for the first time in its storied career, when UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor goes one-on-one with 155-pound champ Eddie Alvarez in attempt to become the first dual-weight champ in promotion history. During the stunning UFC 204 pay-per-view (PPV) event last night (October 8, 2016), the UFC
The UFC is heading to Madison Square Garden for the first time in its storied career, when UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor goes one-on-one with 155-pound champ Eddie Alvarez in attempt to become the first dual-weight champ in promotion history.
During the stunning UFC 204 pay-per-view (PPV) event last night (October 8, 2016), the UFC unveiled an amazing promo in anticipation of the UFC’s first stop to ‘The Grand Apple’, featuring stars who will be competing on the card such as Joanna J?drzejczyk, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, Tyron Woodley, Eddie Alvarez, and ‘The Notorious One’ himself, Conor McGregor.
Claudia Gadelha will no longer be representing the Nova Uniao gym. According to a report from Combate, the former strawweight title challenger was upset with head-coach Andre Pederneiras following her unsuccessful attempt at challenging for the title when she suffered a unanimous decision loss to current champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk earlier this year. Gadelha was reportedly upset
Claudia Gadelha will no longer be representing the Nova Uniao gym.
According to a report from Combate, the former strawweight title challenger was upset with head-coach Andre Pederneiras following her unsuccessful attempt at challenging for the title when she suffered a unanimous decision loss to current champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk earlier this year.
Gadelha was reportedly upset with the way her training camp for the title bout was handled within the camp, and was vocal about her concerns which sparked anger from the gym’s head-coach Pederneiras and led to a verbal argument between the two over the phone.
Due to the friction between the two Brazilians, Gadelha made the decision to start her own gym, Claudia Gadelha’s MMA & BJJ Academy, which is located in Pennsylvania.
For her next contest (which has yet to be scheduled), however, Gadelha will be training at original Nova Uniao branch gym Kimura Nova Uniao in Natal, Brazil. There she will join fellow combatants Renan Barao and Jussier Formiga under the tutelage of head coach Jair Lourenco.
With just hours until her strawweight clash with Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201 tonight (July 30, 2016), No. 3-ranked ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas is ready to go out and make a statement en route to another shot at 115-pound gold. In a recent interview with FOX Sports, Namajunas took the opportunity to respond to current champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s […]
With just hours until her strawweight clash with Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201 tonight (July 30, 2016), No. 3-ranked ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas is ready to go out and make a statement en route to another shot at 115-pound gold.
In a recent interview with FOX Sports, Namajunas took the opportunity to respond to current champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s recent callout to the entire division she currently rules, asking who’s next for the Polish knockout artist:
“She has the right to say something like that. She’s earned the right to be where she’s at and for nobody to really feel like there’s a challenger,” Namajunas said.
“At the same time, it kind of makes me happy because I know that I’m coming and I know she smells me coming, too. It ain’t that far behind.”
‘Thug’ isn’t mad about the champion’s brash comments, and believes that nobody in the 115-pound division is ready for Jedrzejczyk the way she is:
“For me, it’s like the truth don’t get me mad. It’s like who is ready for her. Obviously, me having this fight right now is not just because I want to stay active, I do want the experience, but I’m right (expletive) there.
I don’t think anybody else is ready for her the way that I am.
For me, I was just thrown into a title fight when I was 22 years old. So I really didn’t know (expletive) back then versus where I’m at now,” Namajunas said.
Namajunas believes she has all the skill and passion in the world necessary to thrive in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), and says that the only thing she can’t get enough of now is experience inside the Octagon:
“At this point in my life, this is the only thing that matters to me,” Namajunas said. “I have the most passion ever. So skill and passion has never been something that’s a problem, it’s just experience. I feel that’s always been something I could use more of.
Joanna says who’s ready for her — after this fight, I will say I will be ready to fight for the belt that same night on July 30.
I’m really looking forward to that. I feel like I’m just so happy to be part of this journey and fortunate to be in the position I’m in.
I’m happy that the UFC is giving me this matchup because it kind of fits well with the way Joanna fights. She’s a striker, and you don’t see Karolina going to the ground either,” Namajunas said.
A bout between ‘JJ’ and Namajunas is possibly the biggest matchup to be made in the women’s strawweight division today, and if ‘Thug’ is successful against Kowalkiewicz come tomorrow night, the dominoes might just fall into place to make the fantasy spectacle a reality:
“Everything’s falling into place.”
“I rise to the occasion,” Namajunas said. “I feel like the higher caliber opponent I have, the more it brings out of me.”
Namajunas and Kowalkiewicz are set to meet in the co-main event of UFC 201 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, and the winner will have an inside track to a title shot against the dominant champ.
A bout between ‘JJ’ and Namajunas is possibly the biggest matchup to be made in the women’s strawweight division today, and if ‘Thug’ is successful against Kowalkiewicz come tomorrow night, the dominoes might just fall into place to make the fantasy spectacle a reality: