Michelle Waterson's aspiration to be the new face of mixed martial arts might just have to wait.
In a report by MMAFighting.com, the Invicta FC atomweight champion aptly nicknamed "Karate Hottie" was handily defeated by her younger, less experienced opponent, 21-year old Herica Tiburcio during the company's tenth fight card held in Houston, Texas.
Waterson's claim to fame was her exciting stand-up striking style combined with her magnetic good looks. Trained by Mike Winklejohn, who is considered to be one of the best striking coaches in the mixed martial arts game, "Karate Hottie" did prove herself to be worthy of the spotlight, as she won her Invicta Atomweight title in 2013 against current Ultimate Fighter contestant Jessica Penne.
However, Tiburcio proved to be a way tougher challenger, as she was able to inflict more damage from the get-go. The Brazilian 105-pound contender even gave Waterson a black eye as early as the first round, and continued the punishment to the second round, before attempting the first submission hold, an armbar.
Not to be outdone, Waterson fought off gallantly and was able to survive to the third round. Unfortunately for her, Tiburcio kept her scrappy ways, and continued to be on the attack, until finally finding the perfect opportunity to lock in an arm-in guillotine choke and finish the fight at the 1:04 mark of the round.
Prior to the fight, "Karate Hottie" was on a hot streak, winning six straight fights since 2010. Tiburcio, on the other hand, has been on a three-fight winning streak, with all of her fights happening in her home country of Brazil.
With the victory, Herica Tiburcio improves to a record of 9-2, with seven victories by submission. Meanwhile, Michelle Waterson drops to a record of 12-4, with ten victories by stoppage.
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