Bec Rawlings (born 11 February 1989) is an Australian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and bare-knuckle boxer, who currently competes in the flyweight division.

Background

Rawlings was raised in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, and frequently played sports such as basketball, gymnastics and athletics during her pre-teens. As a teenager, however, Rawlings experienced rapid weight gain and suffered from a lack of motivation before turning to the sport of mixed martial arts as a way to battle her issues in 2010. This is where she met Australian professional MMA fighter Dan Hyatt, and decided that she wanted to become an MMA fighter.

Mixed martial arts career

Australian competition

Known for her aggressive fighting style, Rawlings began her mixed martial arts journey in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

in 2010 before relocating to

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

to further her opportunities and experience in early 2011. Rawlings made her professional MMA debut on 15 October 2011 at BRACE 12 in

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent (Tasmania), River Derwent, it is the southernmo ...

. Rawlings fought at

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

in her debut against Rhiannon Thompson. In what was declared "fight of the night" by the promotion, Rawlings lost her debut fight by way of a highlight reel head kick knockout. Bouncing back and publicly rallying within the Australian MMA circuit for more fight opportunities at her suited weight class, Rawlings secured consecutive submission victories over Sarah Morrison (at BRACE 14) and Daniela Marjanovic (at

Australian Fighting Championship Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) was an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation based in Melbourne. In 2013, AFC was described as Australia's leading MMA organisation by MMA Kanvas and was part of Sherdog's list of top 50 global ...

3). Two more victories over Rachel Sheridan and Christina Tatnell propelled Rawlings to a four-fight winning streak in 2012. This streak, coupled with a noticeable lack of legitimate Australian opponents for Rawlings, caught North America's

Invicta Fighting Championships Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

' attention in late 2012.

Invicta Fighting Championships

In November 2012, Rawlings signed a three-fight contract with

to compete in their

strawweight Mini flyweight, also known as paperweight, minimumweight, strawweight, or super atomweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, boxers in the minimumweight division may weigh no more than . This is a relatively new ...

division. She was originally scheduled to fight Joanne Calderwood on the undercard of Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Gadelha on 5 January 2013, but an injury to

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight (MMA), Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha ...

resulted in Rawlings being pushed up to an Invicta FC Strawweight Championship fight in the main event against

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the fo ...

. Rawlings lost the fight via unanimous decision. Her first fight outside of Australia, combined with her personality, gave her a lot of coverage in the Australian media. This led Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp to say that she had never seen anything like it, and at the ''2012 Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards'' she was voted ''2012 Favourite Female Fighter'' with 265 votes by WMMA fans, 70 more than

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...

. Rawlings' next fight within

was against Jasminka Cive at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on 5 April 2013. She won the fight via submission in the first round. Rawlings faced

Mizuki Inoue , known mononymously as , is a Japanese female kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Inoue has fought in the kickboxing promotion J-Girls and MMA promotion Jewels. She won the 2010 Jewels -56 kg Rough Stone Grand Prix tournament at 16 years of ...

at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on 13 July 2013. Rawlings lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter

Rawlings' Invicta FC contract was assigned to the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

on 11 December 2013 after the UFC created a women's strawweight division. The promotion also announced a women's edition of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

, which would crown the first UFC women's strawweight champion. Rawlings was the seventh pick to go to coach

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwei ...

. She was initially scheduled to face

Justine Kish Svetlana Nasibulina (born 13 April 1988), known professionally by her ring name Justine Kish, is an American mixed martial artist that competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2010, she has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

in the preliminary round, however Kish hurt her knee during practice and was replaced by the previously eliminated

Tecia Torres Tecia Moncaio; born August 16, 1989, is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #13 in the UFC women's strawweight r ...

. Rawlings went on to lose the fight in a two-round unanimous decision.

After TUF

Rawlings' first fight after The Ultimate Fighter was against

Heather Jo Clark Heather Clark (born September 19, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta). Mixed martial arts career Ea ...

at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale on 12 December 2014. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Rawlings was expected to face Seo Hee Ham on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65. However, Ham pulled out of the bout on 10 April and was replaced by Lisa Ellis. Rawlings won the fight via submission in the first round. Rawling's next fight was expected to be against Joanne Calderwood at

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 18, 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

on 18 July 2015. However, on 11 July. Rawlings pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Cortney Casey-Sanchez. Rawlings next faced Paige VanZant on 27 August 2016 at

UFC on Fox 21 ''UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on August 27, 2016, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background This was t ...

. She lost the fight via KO in the second round after being dropped by a flying head kick and a flurry of follow up punches. Rawlings next faced

in a rematch at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie on 4 February 2017. At the weigh-ins, Rawlings came in at 117.5 lbs, over the women's strawweight non-title limit of 116 lbs. As a result, Rawlings was fined 20% of her purse, which went to

and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Rawlings lost the fight by unanimous decision.

=Move up to flyweight

= Rawlings was again expected to face Joanne Calderwood in flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura on 19 November 2017. However, Calderwood was pulled out from the card due to undisclosed reason and she was replaced by Jessica-Rose Clark. At the weigh-ins, Clark weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the flyweight upper limit of 126 pounds. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Clark forfeited 20% of her purse. Rawlings lost the fight via split decision. Rawlings faced

Ashlee Evans-Smith Ashlee Evans-Smith (born July 9, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She has her own podcast called Sex & Violence w ...

on 7 April 2018 at

UFC 223 ''UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship bout between ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. After losing four fights in a row, Rawlings was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator

After going 3–0 in bare knuckle boxing, news surfaced that Rawlings had signed a contract with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

. She made her promotional debut against Ilara Joanne at Bellator 231 on 25 October 2019. She lost the fight by submission in the second round. Rawlings faced

Elina Kallionidou Elina "Gunner" Kallionidou (, born Nov 18, 1998) is a Greek female mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division. Elina competed in Bellator MMA, is the Former Cage Survivor Bantamweight Champio ...

on 22 February 2020 at Bellator 240. She won the bout via unanimous decision. On 10 July 2021, it was announced that she was no longer under contract with Bellator.

Bare-knuckle boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

On 9 May 2018, it was reported that Rawlings was released from UFC and set to appear in Bare Knuckle FC event. She faced Alma Garcia at the inaugural event BKFC 1 held on 2 June 2018. Rawlings won the fight after Garcia refused to answer the bell after the second round. Shortly after her victory, the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame awarded her the inaugural Police Gazette Women's Featherweight World Championship. As her first title defense, Rawlings faced Britain Hart at BKFC 2 on 25 August 2018. She won the fight by split decision. On 2 February 2019 at the BKFC 4 in Cancun, Mexico, Bec Rawlings beat Cecilia Flores by unanimous decision.

Second stint in BKFC

On 22 July 2021, news surfaced that Rawlings had signed a new contract with the BKFC after going 1–1 in

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

. She was expected to make her return on 22 October 2021, but this return never came to fruition. Rawlings was then scheduled to face Britain Hart on 13 May 2022 at BKFC Fight Night: Omaha, but the bout was cancelled due to Hart having a medical emergency. The bout was then rescheduled to take place at BKFC 26: Hollywood on 24 June 2022. Rawlings lost the bout via unanimous decision. She challenged Christine Ferea for the BKFC Women's Flyweight Championship at BKFC 41 on 29 April 2023 and lost by technical knockout. She lost to Ferea again at BKFC 56 on 2 December 2023 by unanimous decision. Rawlings faced Taylor Starling on 25 January 2025 at BKFC Knucklemania V. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Rawlings is scheduled to face Jade Masson-Wong on 19 July 2025 at BKFC 79.

Professional boxing career

Rawlings made her professional boxing debut against Natasha Kurene on 3 December 2022, under Star Power promotion. She lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Rawlings was previously married to Dan Hyatt. Rawlings filed for divorce in 2013. Rawlings has two sons. As of January 2014 Bec started going by her maiden name (Rawlings) and was in a relationship with fellow Australian mixed martial artist Ben Wall. The two have since separated. As of 2018, Rawlings is in a relationship with Australian professional boxer Adrian Rodriguez.

Championships and accomplishments

Bare-knuckle boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The promotion was founded in April 2018, and is presided over by David Feldman. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official st ...

** Police Gazette Women's Featherweight World Championship (one time) ***Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 240 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–9 , Ilara Joanne , Submission (kneebar) , Bellator 231 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:35 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

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Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

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Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 , Paige VanZant , KO (switch kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Seo Hee Ham , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Lisa Ellis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg , , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 5–2 , Jasminka Cive , Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 3:30 ,

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, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt , , align="center" , 5 , align="center" , 5:00 ,

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, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 3–1 , Rachel Sheridan , Decision (majority) , Valor Fight 1: Resolution , , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 3:00 , Launceston, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 2–1 , Daniela Marjanovic , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Australian Fighting Championship 3 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 0:21 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align="center" , 1–1 , Sarah Morrison , Submission (armbar) , BRACE 14 , , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 1:30 ,

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align="center" , 0–1 , Rhiannon Thompson , KO (head kick) , BRACE 12 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 2:30 ,

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, Australia ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Bare knuckle record

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * *
Bec Rawlings
at

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

Bec Rawlings Awakening Profile

Interview at German website Boxhaus.de
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlings, Bec 1989 births Australian female mixed martial artists Sportswomen from Queensland Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Sportspeople from Launceston, Tasmania Sportswomen from Tasmania Martial artists from Brisbane Australian women boxers Australian bare-knuckle boxers Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters OnlyFans creators

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Australian competition

Invicta Fighting Championships

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter

After TUF

=Move up to flyweight

Bellator

Bare-knuckle boxing

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Second stint in BKFC

Professional boxing career

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Bare-knuckle boxing

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Bare knuckle record

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links