Michelle “Karate Hottie” Waterson is slated as the main event for the upcoming Jackson’s MMA Series VII, scheduled to take place at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Albuquerque, NM, on January 21, 2012.

She will be facing the very tough Diana “Dynamite” Rael who recently handed the previously unbeaten Angelica Chavez her first loss at MMA Fight Pit – Genesis in August. 

Waterson (8-3, Jackson/Winkeljohn MMA) was practically raised to be a martial artist; she started learning karate at age 10, with local church instructor Charles Wood, until she earned her black belt in American Free Style Karate. 

The “Karate Hottie” has also trained in Chinese WuShu and Muay Thai, and went to Thailand with mother when she was 19. She moved back to Denver, where she became a ring girl for local fight promotions, until 2006, when she decided she wanted to fight. So, Waterson began training with UFC’s Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. 

She went from amateur to professional MMA fighter relatively quickly, after only four amateur kickboxing matches and no MMA bouts. She had a four-week camp for her professional MMA debut, which she won by decision.

Waterson made her television debut on Oxygen network special, “Fight Girls”, which aired in June 2007. She fought three more times in Colorado; then in 2008, at Cerrone’s advice, she moved to Albuquerque to begin training at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA.  With that team, she has won six of her last seven fights, her most recent fight in April 2010, winning by TKO against Masako Yoshida.

She also starred on the MTV show, Bully Beatdown Season 3, in 2010. Over the years, she has worked at Hooters and various modeling gigs. When people who asked about her professional life learned that she was also a fighter, they usually asked “why do you do that?”

Her answer – she has always been interested in martial arts, and has a dream of being an instructor, but she knew she had to be a fighter, before she could teach others to fight.

Waterson took the last year off, to have her baby and spend time with her family, but she began training again in September of last year, for a fight scheduled for November. That fight fell through, however she kept training until, a few weeks later,she was told she would headline the Jackson’s MMA Series in January 2012. 

This gave her a good 10-week camp, in which she has trained with coaches Mike Valley, Mike Winkeljohn, and Greg Jackson, as well as teammates Julie Kedzie, Heather Jo Clark, and Emily Kagan (also on the Jackson’s VII card). 

Waterson feels confident going into her fight with Rael (3-1, Serial Boxe).

“She’s aggressive, and fights with a lot of confidence, but I’ve been working a lot on my standup and my ground game,” she told US Combat Sports reporter Trula How. “If we stand up, I’m gonna catch her with some good kicks; if it goes to the ground, I’m gonna submit her.  This will be a good first fight back for me.” 

Even though it’s been more than a year and a half since her last fight, Waterson is totally confident going into this fight. 

“It’s important to be confident.  The minute that you’re not, you shouldn’t be fighting.  But as long as I train hard, pushing myself as hard as I can, I’m more than ready for this.”