Rivalries: Michelle Waterson

Michelle Waterson was always far more than just a pretty face.

The Jackson-Wink MMA export has excelled across multiple weight classes and organizations, tested her skills against many of her contemporaries and established herself as a fixture in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Watterson currently finds herself in the midst of a minor tailspin, having lost three of her past four bouts. The 35-year-old Aurora, Colorado, native last appeared in the UFC on ESPN 24 headliner, where she wound up on the wrong side of a five-round unanimous decision against the once-beaten Marina Rodriguez in May.

Ahead of Waterson’s forthcoming showdown with Amanda Ribas at a UFC Fight Night event on March 26 in Columbus, Ohio, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape her career:

Jessica Penne

“The Karate Hottie” put away Penne with an armbar and captured the undisputed Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight crown in the fourth round of their Invicta 5 main event on April 5, 2013 at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City Missouri. Waterson brought it to a close 2:31 into Round 4, striking gold for the first time as a professional. She largely controlled the first two rounds with efficient standup, stellar topside grappling and airtight takedown defense. However, Penne shifted gears in the third. She executed a takedown inside the first 30 seconds, moved to side control and achieved full mount, piling up points with ground-and-pound along the way. The Alliance MMA mainstay eventually isolated a limb and nearly caught Waterson in an armbar. It was a dominant five-minute stretch for Penne. Waterson spent much of Round 4 defending takedowns while shielding herself in the clinch. Penne ultimately lured her back to the ground, but in her haste to secure a dominant position, she left herself open for a counterattack. Waterson surprised her with an armbar from the bottom, activated her hips and prompted the tapout.

Herica Tiburcio

The diminutive but determined Brazilian submitted Waterson with a guillotine choke and laid claim to the Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight title in the third round of their Invicta 10 headliner on Dec. 5, 2014 at the Arena Theatre in Houston. Tiburcio drew the curtain 64 seconds into Round 3. She brought the fight to Waterson and engaged her on the ground, where she successfully navigated the incumbent champion’s treacherous guard. “The Karate Hottie” attempted several armbars, none of which were successful. The tide began to turn in the challenger’s favor late in the first round, where the 21-year-old Tiburcio swept into top position and cut through the Jackson-Wink MMA representative’s defenses with a savage standing-to-ground right hand. The blow resulted in significant damage to Waterson’s left eye. The Brazilian carried the newfound momentum through the second round. Early in Round 3, Tiburcio countered a Waterson kick with a takedown and ensnared her in the choke during the subsequent transition. A reluctant tapout came next, the Invicta championship changing hands in stunning fashion. It was Waterson’s final appearance with the company.

Paige VanZant

Waterson stole whatever hype that was left surrounding “12 Gauge” and made her move in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division, as she put the Team Alpha Male standout to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC on Fox 22 main event on Dec. 17, 2016 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. VanZant blacked out 3:21 into Round 1. The former Invicta champion kept VanZant at bay with sidekicks to the body and sneaky right hooks before engaging her in the clinch. From there, Waterson executed an exquisite head-and-arm throw, immediately advanced to the back and secured position with a body triangle. VanZant struggled to free herself from the choke that followed, but her efforts proved unsuccessful and referee John McCarthy was forced to swoop in for the rescue when her arms went limp.

Rose Namajunas

“Thug Rose” disposed of Waterson with a rear-naked in the second round of their UFC on Fox 24 co-feature on April 15, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Namajunas finished it 2:47 into Round 2. She countered a successful but ill-advised head-and-arm thrown from Waterson in the first round by transitioning to the back and threading her hooks before ultimately settling in full guard. Elbow-laced ground-and-pound followed, setting the stage for what was to come. Namajunas slammed home a head kick early in the middle stanza, jumped into side control and pounded away with hammerfists and elbows. Waterson withstood the initial onslaught but exposed her back in the transition. Soon after, the choke was in place, and “The Karate Hottie” was forced to tap following a brief struggle. It marked Waterson’s first setback inside the Octagon.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight titleholder outstruck Waterson across five largely one-sided rounds and captured a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 161 main event on Oct. 12, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Scores were 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46, all for Jedrzejczyk. Waterson, who entered the cage on a three-fight winning streak, was game but lacked the weaponry necessary to deal with the American Top Team star. Jedrzejczyk tore into her with a consistent stream of leg kicks, flexed her superiority in the standup exchanges with crisp combinations and mauled the Jackson-Wink MMA product in the clinch, where she uncorked knees to the body and short elbows to the head. Jedrzejczyk had two brushes with peril and weathered them both, as Waterson climbed to her back, set her hooks and hunted rear-naked chokes in the third and fifth rounds. The Polish muay Thai stylist remained calm under duress, worked to free herself and eventually moved to more manageable positions, her big-fight experience paying dividends.