Miranda Rachelle Maverick (born July 1, 1997) 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 women's

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 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 competed in

division of the

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 ...

. As of May 20, 2025, she is #11 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

Background

Maverick was born in

Tunas, Missouri Tunas is an unincorporated area, unincorporated rural hamlet (place), hamlet in northern Dallas County, Missouri, Dallas County, Missouri, United States. It lies fourteen miles north of Buffalo, Missouri, Buffalo on Missouri Route 73, Route 73 an ...

. She grew up working on her family farm moving around many states in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

and Southern United States, earning her the strength that she is known for within the martial arts community. She started grappling when she was sixteen after encouragement by her father while watching

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 ...

fight on the television. She also joined her high school wrestling team at Buffalo High School in

Buffalo, Missouri Buffalo is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,290 at the 2020 census. Buffalo is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Buffalo was platted in 1841, ...

her senior year and competed on the men's varsity team until discovering that she would not be going to college for wrestling. She then stopped to focus on wrestling, instead turning her sights on MMA soon after she graduated high school. Despite concentrating in mixed martial arts, Maverick graduated with honors from

Drury University Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergr ...

, majoring in psychology and sociology in 2018. Maverick then relocated to Norfolk, VA to pursue a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Old Dominion University.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Maverick started her amateur career in 2015, fighting under Kansas City Fighting Alliance, ShoFight, and The Blue Corner promotions. She amassed a record of 7–1, winning the Blue Corner and Shofight flyweight championships all while 18 years old, being listed as the number one amateur woman in her region on Tapology at the time she went pro. After her final amateur win, she was soon contacted by President Shannon Knapp of

Invicta Fighting Championships

Maverick made her promotional debut on November 18, 2016, at Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya against Samantha Diaz. Samantha Diaz cut off her hair the day of weight-ins to make weight and Maverick came in over 2 pounds above the strawweight limit. Maverick won the fight via rear naked choke in round one. Her next pro fight was on March 25, 2017, at Invicta FC 22: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya II facing Kalyn Schwartz. On the weight-in Maverick missed weight by 4.5 Ibs over the upper limit of 116 Ibs. She won the fight via submission on round one. On July 15, 2017, Maverick faced Gabby Romero at Invicta FC 24: Dudieva vs. Borella. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Her next fight came on July 21, 2018, facing Brogan Walker-Sanchez at Invicta FC 30. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Maverick faced

Victoria Leonardo Victoria Leonardo Mason (born February 16, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in the Pomona section of Galloway Township, New Jersey, Leonard ...

on September 1, 2018, at Invicta FC 31: Jandiroba vs. Morandin. She defeated Leonardo via a submission. At Invicta 34 in February 2019, Maverick lost a unanimous decision to

DeAnna Bennett DeAnna Danielle Bennett (born November 18, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional since 2012, she has previously competed for Bellator MMA, Invicta Fighting Championships, and Ultimate ...

. In September, Maverick entered the Invicta Phoenix Series flyweight tournament with a chance to reestablish herself in the flyweight division. In the first round of the tournament, consisting of one 5-minute round, she defeated Victoria Leonardo via striking and clinch in a rematch via unanimous decision. Her second round match (also one 5-minute round) ended with Maverick submitting Shanna Young via rear naked choke. Maverick won the tournament by defeating DeAnna Bennett in a rematch by third round neck crank submission in the finals. Maverick defeated

Pearl Gonzalez Pearl Gonzalez (born August 12, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. She formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championships, and currently fights in the strawweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships. Background Gonza ...

at Invicta FC 39 on February 7, 2020.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Maverick was expected to make her promotional debut against

Mara Romero Borella Marachiara Romero Borella (born June 3, 1986) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Borella taught Judo and was a personal trainer be ...

on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, Maverick was forced to pull out due to injury. Maverick faced

Liana Jojua Liana Jojua (born March 22, 1995) is a Georgian mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and she was also the inaugural and former Fight N ...

on October 24, 2020, at

UFC 254 ''UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 24, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event proceeded ...

. She won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage between rounds one and two. Maverick was expected to face

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 ...

UFC 258 ''UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

on February 13, 2021. However, hours before the fight, Robertson had a non-COVID related illness and the bout was cancelled. The pair was eventually rescheduled to

UFC 260 ''UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 27, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

on March 27, 2021. Maverick won the fight via unanimous decision. Maverick faced

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 ...

on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. She lost the fight via controversial split decision. 22 out of 22 media outlets scored the bout as a win for Maverick. Maverick stepped in for an injured

to face

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 December 11, 2021, at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Replacing Mandy Böhm, Maverick faced

Sabina Mazo Sabina Mazo Isaza (born March 25, 1997) is a Colombian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight (MMA) and Bantamweight (MMA) division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a two time flyweight Legacy Fi ...

on March 12, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 203 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 203'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 61'' or ''UFC Vegas 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 12, 2022 at the UF ...

. Maverick won the fight via rear-naked choke in round two. Maverick was scheduled to face

Shanna Young Shanna Marie Leonard Young (born February 20, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). Back ...

on August 20, 2022, at

UFC 278 ''UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. However, the bout was cancelled when Young was hospitalized due to weight cutting issues. The pair was rescheduled at

UFC Fight Night 214 ''UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 214, UFC on ESPN+ 72'' and ''UFC Vegas 64'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 5, 2022 at the UFC ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Maverick faced

Jasmine Jasudavicius Jasmine Jasudavicius (born March 1, 1989) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 13, 2025, she is #6 in the UFC women's flyweight ranki ...

on June 10, 2023, at

UFC 289 ''UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 10, 2023, at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. In an upset, she lost the bout via unanimous decision. Maverick faced

Priscila Cachoeira Priscila Cachoeira Gomes da Silva (born 19 August 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal life Cachoeira had a troubled childhood growing ...

UFC 291 ''UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 29, 2023, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promot ...

on July 29, 2023, winning the bout via an armbar submission in the third round. Maverick faced Andrea Lee on February 17, 2024, at

UFC 298 ''UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States. Background The event marked the p ...

. She won the bout by unanimous decision. Maverick was scheduled to face Tracy Cortez on July 20, 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 60 ''UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 60'' and ''UFC Vegas 94'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 20, 2024, at the UFC Apex facility, in Enterprise, ...

. However, Cortez was pulled from the event to serve as a replacement fighter at the

UFC on ESPN 59 ''UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 59'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 13, 2024, at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. Backgr ...

event and was replaced by Dione Barbosa. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Maverick was re-scheduled to face Tracy Cortez on December 14, 2024 at

UFC on ESPN 63 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Buckley'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 63'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 14, 2024, at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, United States. B ...

. However, Cortez was forced to withdraw due to health issues that required her to have surgery and was replaced by former LFA Women's Flyweight Champion Jamey-Lyn Horth. Maverick won the fight by unanimous decision. Maverick faced former two-time

UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Rose Namajunas Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight ...

on June 14, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 69. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Grappling career

Maverick won a silver medal in the brown belt lightweight division of the

IBJJF No-Gi World Championship The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship is a no- gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournament hosted annually by the IBJJF commonly held at California State University in Long Beach, California. It was most recently held December 11-14, 2024 in ...

2023.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

**Tied (

) for third most wins in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (8) **Second most takedowns landed in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (23) **Third most top position time in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (38:31)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 ,

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Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Dione Barbosa , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba , , 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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Andrea Lee , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 ,

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Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

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Vancouver, British Columbia 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 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 ,

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Invicta FC 39 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maverick, Miranda 1997 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Mixed martial artists from Missouri American female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American sportswomen Sportspeople from the Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri Drury University alumni People from Dallas County, Missouri

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Invicta Fighting Championships

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Grappling career

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links