Asian American Female MMA Battles: Waterson vs. Tamada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWKVXed0zg

So my favorite ring-girl-turned-cage-fighter Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson is up to battle Yasuko Tamada from Japan in all women’s pro-MMA promotion Invicta FC 8 tonight, Saturday Sept 6 at Kansas City.

Waterson is 5′ 3″ with a pro MMA record of 11 wins and 3 losses. Tamada is 5′ with a pro MMA record of 15 wins and 8 losses. Waterson was originally a striker, coming from a karate and muay thai background, but she wins many of her bouts submitting her opponent on the ground. Tamada comes off as a well-rounded fighter as well, having a grappling background but demonstrating a lot of stand up in this fight on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d80BQyO76WU

Waterson has the advantage in height and weight, but Tamada does look like she has a decent reach and is the more experienced fighter of the two, so everyone who tunes in the UFC Fight Pass tonight will likely be treated to a great fight as Tamada tries to snag the Atomweight Championship from Waterson.

Another fight on the card featuring a female Asian American MMA fighter is Jodie Esquibel against Jinh Yu Frey. Esquibel has got a pro record of 3 wins and 1 loss, while Frey’s record is 2 wins and 0 losses, though Frey is well known for her viral knock-out video in which she breaks her hand putting her opponent to sleep in the cage.

With all these female fighters of Asian descent making noise in the MMA world, I hope we’re making a significant dent in the “helpless Asian girl” stereotype. Nothing helpless about a girl willing to test her metal in the cage.