Emily Anne Whitmire (born May 24, 1991) 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 ...

(MMA) who currently competes 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

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 ...

. She has previously competed in 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).

Background

The daughter of Mitch and Tiffany Whitmire, she was born in

Washougal, Washington Washougal ( ) is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,039 as of the 2020 census. Etymology The name Washougal originated from a Chinookan term of disputed meaning that was recorded by fur trader Alexander R ...

. Her father – a Washington state wrestling champion – died in a car accident when she was mere months old. Her family moved to Camas, Washington, and then to Vancouver where she graduated from Skyview High School. Emily grew up

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur an ...

horses, dreaming of racing in the

National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier championship rodeo of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the season for each event. The NFR is held each year in the f ...

. Inebriated after sneaking into a bar with a

fake ID Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are illegally copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceivi ...

as an 18-year-old, Whitmire took a grappling match with Lisa Ellis and was inspired by the sport despite losing. After the incident, she started training in a Portland gym and taking amateur matches before being invited to train at

Xtreme Couture Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts is an American mixed martial arts training organization headed by former Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC Champion and former co-founder of Team Quest, Randy Couture. Xtreme Couture was founded with the flags ...

in 2017.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Whitmire started her professional MMA career in 2015 and amassed a record of 2–1 prior to participating in

The Ultimate Fighter 26 ''The Ultimate Fighter 26'' (also known as '' The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion'') is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Tryouts were announced on May ...

UFC TV MMA competition series which she was subsequently signed by UFC after the show.

The Ultimate Fighter

In August 2017, it was announced that Whitmire was one of the fighters featured on ''

'', UFC TV series, where the process to crown the UFC's inaugural 125-pound women's champion will take place. In the opening round, Whitmire faced Christina Marks and she won the fight via submission in round one. In the quarterfinals, she faced

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. She ...

and lost the bout via technical knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Whitmire made her UFC debut on December 1, 2017, on The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale against

Gillian Robertson Gillian Elizabeth Robertson (born May 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #9 in the UFC wome ...

. She lost the fight via submission in round one. Her next fight came on July 7, 2018, at

UFC 226 ''UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 7, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background The event took pl ...

against Jamie Moyle. She won the fight via a unanimous decision. On February 10, 2019, Whitmire faced Aleksandra Albu at UFC on ESPN 1. She won the fight via submission just one minute into the first round. Whitmire faced promotional newcomer

Amanda Ribas Amanda Limborco Alcântara Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 11, 2025, ...

on June 29, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 3 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 29, 2019, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Background Th ...

. She lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Whitmire 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 March 7, 2020, at

UFC 248 ''UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 7, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. At the weigh-ins, Whitmire weighed in at 117.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116. She was fined 20% of her purse and her bout with

was expected to proceed as scheduled at a catchweight. Subsequently, Whitmire was hospitalized the day of the event and the fight was cancelled. The pair was rescheduled on August 29, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 175 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 ...

in a flyweight bout. Whitmire lost the fight via an armbar submission in round one. Whitmire was expected to face

Hannah Cifers Hannah Cifers (born June 26, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Cifers made her profess ...

on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane. However, Cifers pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Sam Hughes. In turn, Whitmire was removed from the bout on February 14 due to undisclosed reasons, and the bout was cancelled. Whitmire was expected to face

Cory McKenna Cory McKenna (born 11 July 1999) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who competed as a strawweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She has also competed for Cage Warriors. Early life and background Born in Wales, McKenna spent ...

at UFC Fight Night 192 on September 18, 2021. However, McKenna was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons and she was replaced by

Hannah Goldy Hannah Goldy (born May 18, 1992), is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2016, she is most notable for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Goldy grew up in Vermont s ...

. Whitmire lost the fight via an armbar in round one. After the loss, Whitmire was announced to be no longer part of the UFC roster.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Whitmire was scheduled to face Hilarie Rose on January 12, 2022 at Invicta FC 45. The bout was scratched for unknown reasons.

Fury Fighting Championships

Whitmire was scheduled to face Celine Haga on March 27, 2022 at Fury FC 59 but the bout was postponed after Whitmire suffered an injury. The bout was rescheduled to take place at Fury FC 67 on August 14, 2022 but was cancelled once again.

Mixed martial arts record

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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 ...

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Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

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New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

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St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

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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 ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmire, Emily Living people 1991 births Strawweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Montana Martial artists from Portland, Oregon Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American sportswomen