Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) is an American

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 ...

who competed in the

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 of the

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

(UFC). She previously competed in

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 ...

, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweight Champion.

Background

The daughter of John Ducote and Yvette Bradstreet, Emily was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Ducote is a Taekwondo Black Belt, first beginning her training in the art at age twelve at her grandparents' recommendation. She wrestled for

Los Gatos High School Los Gatos High School (LGHS) is a high school in Los Gatos, California. It was founded in 1908 and is part of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, which in 2021 was ranked the best high school district in California The scho ...

, ending as a runner-up in state championships in her senior year. With an aspiration to wrestle in the best college team, she moved to the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

in 2012 to study

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

. She started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2013 and was promoted to black belt in May 2022.

Mixed martial arts career

Bellator

Ducote was scheduled to make her Bellator debut against Bruna Vargas at Bellator 159 on July 22, 2016. She won the fight by a second-round rear-naked choke submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Kenya Miranda at Bellator 161 on September 16, 2016. She won the fight by a second-round armbar submission. Ducote was scheduled to face

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Global Fight League (GFL), where she competes in the flyweight division. Macfarlane previously competed in Bellator MMA, where she ...

at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016. Macfarlane won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Ducote was scheduled to face Katy Collins at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. She won the fight by a first-round rear-naked choke submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Jessica Middleton at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. She won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 29-27, 29-28, 29-28. Ducote was scheduled to face

for the inaugural

Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") was an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

at Bellator 186 on November 3, 2017. Macfarlane won the fight by a fifth-round armbar submission. Ducote was scheduled to face Kristina Williams at Bellator 196 on March 2, 2018. Williams won the fight by split decision in a fight where Ducote was dominant and most part of the media called it a controversial decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 29-28 for Williams, while the third judge scored the fight 30-27 for Ducote. Ducote was scheduled to face Veta Arteaga at Bellator 202 on July 13, 2018. Arteaga won the fight by unanimous decision, extending Ducote's losing streak to three fights. After she was released by Bellator, Ducote moved down to strawweight for her next bout against Kathryn Paprocki at Xtreme Fight Night 356 on February 1, 2019. She won the fight by a third-round rear-naked choke submission.

Invicta FC

Ducote was scheduled to make her promotional debut against Janaisa Morandin at Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote on August 9, 2019. Morandin weighed in three pounds over the strawweight limit, at 119 lbs. Ducote won the fight by a first-round knockout. In her second promotional appearance, Ducote was scheduled to face

Kanako Murata Kanako Murata (村田夏南子, born August 10, 1993) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and former wrestler, who competes in the Strawweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2016, Murata has competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship in the main event of Invicta FC 38: Murata vs. Ducote on November 1, 2019. Murata won the fight by split decision, with two judges scoring the bout 48-47 and 49-46 in her favor. The third judge scored the fight 48-47 for Ducote. Ducote was scheduled to face

Juliana Lima Juliana de Lima Carneiro (born March 15, 1982) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. She has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Invicta Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts career Early care ...

in the main event of Invicta FC 40: Ducote vs. Lima on July 2, 2020. She won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding her a 29-28 scorecard. Ducote was scheduled to face

Montserrat Ruiz Avelina Montserrat Conejo Ruiz (born February 3, 1993) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background At the age of 16, Ruiz started practicing Olympic wr ...

at Invicta FC 43: King vs. Harrison on November 20, 2020. The fight was later cancelled due to “enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols”. Ducote was scheduled to face Liz Tracy at Invicta FC on AXS TV: Rodríguez vs. Torquato on May 21, 2021. The fight was later cancelled.

Invicta FC Strawweight Champion

Ducote faced

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 ...

veteran Danielle Taylor for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at Invicta FC 44: A New Era on August 27, 2021. Her bout with Taylor headlined the first pay-per-view in Invicta FC history. Ducote won the fight by a first-round knockout. She first stopped Taylor in her tracks with a right straight, before flooring her with a head kick. In her first title defence, Ducote faced

Alesha Zappitella Alesha Zappitella (born February 28, 1995) is an American 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 ...

on May 11, 2022 at Invicta FC 47. She won the bout after doctor's stopped the bout after the second round due to a cut on Alesha's eyelid.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2022, Ducote signed with the

. Ducote made her promotional debut, replacing

Brianna Fortino Anicia Brianna Fortino (; born August 4, 1993) is a former mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter from the United States, who used to compete in the strawweight division for UFC. Background Fortino grew up in Gilroy, California, with her mother ...

, against

Jessica Penne Jessica Penne (born January 30, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne competed in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. She also c ...

on July 16, 2022 at

UFC on ABC 3 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 large ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Ducote faced

Angela Hill Angela Patrice Hill (born January 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was formerly signed with the Invicta Fighting Championships, where ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. B ...

. She lost the bout via unanimous decision. Ducote was scheduled to face

Polyana Viana Polyana Viana Mota (born 14 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Raised solely by her mother, Viana grew up ...

on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 45. However, the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 223 on May 20, 2023. In turn, Viana withdrew from the bout due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by former LFA Women's Strawweight Champion

Lupita Godinez María Guadalupe Godínez González (born September 6, 1993), also known as Lupita Godínez or by her nickname Loopy, is a Mexican and Canadian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ul ...

at a catchweight of 120 pounds. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Ducote faced

Ashley Yoder Ashley Yoder (born October 20, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and competes in Strawweight division. A professional since 2008, Yoder is most known for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Biography Yoder was born on ...

on October 14, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 230. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Ducote faced

Vanessa Demopoulos Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos (born September 22, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Cleveland, Ohio, her parents and paternal ...

on May 18, 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 241 ''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 241'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 99'' and ''UFC Vegas 92'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 18, 2024, at the UFC A ...

. She lost the fight by split decision. On July 30, 2024, it was reported that Ducote was removed from the UFC roster.

Post-UFC Career

Ducote made her return to Invicta in the main event of Invicta FC 58 against Yulia Ostroverkhova on November 6, 2024. She would win the fight via submission in the second round with an armbar. https://combatpress.com/2024/11/invicta-fc-58-results-ducote-marks-return-with-slick-submission/

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Invicta FC Strawweight Championship (One time) *** One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–9 , Thaiane Souza , KO (punch) , Invicta FC 61 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–9 , Yulia Ostroverkhova , Submission (armbar) , Invicta FC 58 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:53 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–9 ,

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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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–8 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Invicta FC 47 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 , Danielle Taylor , KO (punch and head kick) , Invicta FC 44 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 9–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 40 , , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 8–6 ,

, Decision (split) , Invicta FC 38 , , style="text-align:center;", 5 , style="text-align:center;", 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 8–5 , Janaisa Morandin , KO (punches) , Invicta FC 36 , , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 4:03 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 7–5 , Kathryn Paprocki , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Fight Night 356 , , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 3:31 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 6–5 , Veta Arteaga , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 202 , , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 5:00 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 6–3 ,

, Submission (triangle armbar) , Bellator 186 , , style="text-align:center;", 5 , style="text-align:center;", 3:42 ,

University Park, Pennsylvania Penn State University Park, also referred to as University Park, is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in both State College and College Township, both in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post off ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 6–2 , Jessica Middleton , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 181 , , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 5–2 , Katy Collins , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 174 , , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 4:53 ,

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 167 , , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 4–1 , Kenya Miranda , Submission (armbar) , Bellator 161 , , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", 4:37 ,

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a suburb of Austin, Texas, Austin in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately northwest of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 77,595, and in 2022 ...

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Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

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Emily Whitmire Emily Anne Whitmire (born May 24, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Invicta FC. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background The daugh ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducote, Emily 1994 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female Muay Thai practitioners American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female taekwondo practitioners 21st-century American sportswomen