JJ Aldrich (born September 29, 1992) 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 competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division. She is currently signed with 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 ( ...

and has fought for

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 ...

. As of June 17, 2025, she is #15 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

Early life

Aldrich was born to a homeless single mother in Denver, Colorado. She grew up in

homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of service and total institution that provides temporary residence for homelessness, homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather whi ...

s with her mother and older sister, her father had gone to prison before she was born. Years later, Aldrich's mother established a childcare business which allowed the family to move out of the shelter. When JJ was nine, her mother brought the sisters to taekwondo classes at a local recreation center and by the age of thirteen JJ had already earned her black belt. Around those times, Aldrich's taekwondo teachers introduced her to the mixed martial arts gym – 303 Training Center – where she has been training to this day. Aldrich is of Irish ancestry.

Mixed martial arts career

Amateur career

In 2010 Aldrich began looking for amateur bouts, eventually capturing several amateur titles in various organizations. During her amateur career she faced future UFC athletes like

Raquel Pennington Raquel Len Pennington (born September 5, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champi ...

Kailin Curran Jaydene Kailin Asoa Curran (born April 11, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Curran was born and raised in Ewa Beach, Ha ...

and

Rachael Ostovich Rachael Ostovich (born February 25, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2014, she has competed in the UFC and Invicta Fighting Championships. After being released from the UFC, ...

Invicta

JJ Aldrich made her professional MMA career on September 6, 2014, at Invicta FC 8: Waterson vs. Tamada and she won the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30–27, 30–26). Her next fight come one year later on February 27, 2015, at Invicta FC 11: Cyborg vs. Tweet, against Jamie Moyle where she lost in round one via rear-naked choke. Aldrich was scheduled to face Daniela Kortmann on September 12, 2015, at Invicta FC 14: Evinger vs. Kianzad; however Kortmann was forced to pull from the card due to visa issue and was replaced by Rosa Acevedo. She won the fight via first-round knockout. She was awarded the ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award.

The Ultimate Fighter

JJ Aldrich was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia. In the competition, Aldrich defeated Kristi Lopez by unanimous decision in the elimination round, then lost in the quarterfinals to Tatiana Suarez in round 2 by submission via rear-naked choke.

Freestyle Cage Fighting

Aldrich faced Kathina Caton in September 2016 at Freestyle Cage Fighting 53. She won the fight in round one via technical knockout.

Return to Invicta

Aldrich faced Lynn Alvarez on November 18, 2016, at Invicta FC: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya and she defeated Alvarez via unanimous decision. She was awarded her second Invicta ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

She signed with the UFC to fight

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 ...

for UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov in Albany, New York on December 9, 2016. Aldrich was a late replacement for Lima's original opponent, Tatiana Suarez, who had to pull out of the bout due to injury. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced South Korean fighter Chan-Mi Jeon in Jeon's UFC debut for UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt in Auckland, New Zealand on June 11, 2017. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced Danielle Taylor on January 14, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced

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 August 4, 2018, at

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championshi ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Return to flyweight

Aldrich returned to flyweight to face

Maycee Barber Maycee Kaye Barber (born May 18, 1998) is an American mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 13, 2025, she is #5 in the List of curren ...

at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis on March 23, 2019. Aldrich lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. Aldrich faced

Lauren Mueller Lauren Mueller (born November 15, 1991) is an American former mixed martial artist, who fought in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor from 2015 to 2021, she competed in the UFC, Invicta FC, and Gladiator Challenge. Background M ...

on October 12, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 19 ''UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 161'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 12, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, F ...

She won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced Sabina Mazo on January 18, 2020, at

UFC 246 ''UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 18, 2020, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. She lost the fight by split decision. Aldrich faced

Cortney Casey Cortney Casey (born 5 May 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Casey is of Mexican descent. A former Division I soccer player at the Unive ...

on March 13, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 187 ''UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 187'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 45'' and ''UFC Vegas 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UF ...

. She won the fight by split decision. Aldrich was scheduled to face Tracy Cortez on August 28, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 30 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 30'' and ''UFC Vegas 35'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 28, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise ...

. However, Cortez was pulled from the fight due to injury, and she was replaced by

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 ...

. Aldrich won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich was scheduled to face

Ariane Lipski Ariane Lipski da Silva (; born 26 January 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She competed in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki#Women's flyweight championsh ...

on March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 203. However, Lipski was removed from her match for undisclosed reasons, and she was replaced by

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 won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced

Erin Blanchfield Erin Blanchfield (born May 4, 1999) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. As of May 13, 2025, she ...

on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207. She lost the bout via guillotine choke in the second round. Aldrich faced

on March 11, 2023 at

UFC Fight Night 221 ''UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 221'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 79'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 11, 2023, at The Theater at Virgin Hotel ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced Na Liang at

UFC Fight Night 225 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 225'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 83'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 26, 2023, at the Singapore ...

on August 26, 2023. She won the bout via ground and pound TKO stoppage at the end of the second round. Aldrich faced

Montana De La Rosa Montana De La Rosa (née Stewart) (born February 14, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Helena, Montana, United S ...

, replacing Stephanie Egger, at UFC Fight Night 229 on October 7, 2023. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Aldrich faced Veronica Hardy at

UFC on ESPN 56 ''UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 56'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 11, 2024, at the Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri, United State ...

on May 11, 2024. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Aldrich faced Andrea Lee on March 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Aldrich is scheduled to face Karine Silva on August 16, 2025 at

UFC 319 ''UFC 319: du Plessis vs. Chimaev'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on August 16, 2025, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background The event will mark the pro ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Invicta FC **Performance of the Night (two times)

Amateur championships

*2014 – Conflict MMA flyweight champion *2013 – Sparta Combat League (SCL) Amateur flyweight champion *2012 / 2013 – Destiny MMA Amateur flyweight champion

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, JJ 1992 births 21st-century American sportswomen American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Mixed martial artists from Colorado Living people Flyweight mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female taekwondo practitioners Martial artists from Denver American people of Irish descent Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters