Michelle Waterson Gomez knew it was time.
The “Karate Beauty” announced her retirement after her loss to Gillian Robertson, bringing an end to her 17-year career at UFC 303. During Waterson-Gomez's post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the promotion played a heartwarming video on the screens at T-Mobile Arena looking back on her greatest moments inside the cage.
During the emotional conversation, Waterson Gomez said, MMA Hour She then spoke about why she decided to hang up her gloves for good.
“I've been doing martial arts for over 17 years,” Waterson-Gomez said. “My husband has sacrificed a lot for me to do it. He sacrificed his own martial arts career. My daughter has been a gym-goer since she was born. I've had to put her in a car seat to take her to the gym, sacrifice birthdays and events, and make adjustments to accommodate my schedule so that mommy could train and so that mommy could do martial arts. Now that she's getting older, I want to be there for her. I want to be there for my husband. There are a lot of things that he's doing now that I want to be a part of.”
“I'm getting older and I think you have to recognize things for what they are. As a fighter, as a competitor, if I could, I would like to continue chasing victory, chasing that incredible high that you get when you win, chasing gold medals. But I think I should have recognized where I was in my MMA career and taken the time and sacrifice I was putting into it and redirected it in a different direction where I could win in other areas of my life.”
Waterson-Gomez said she only told a few people (including close friend and teammate Holly Holm) that she was planning to retire going into her final bout because she didn't want to appear inadequately prepared for the Robertson match. She knew the Canadian would be a tough opponent and was only thinking about ending a four-match losing streak.
Although the fight didn't go Waterson vs. Gomez well, with Robertson winning by unanimous decision, the support and respect she has received since UFC 303 has been overwhelming.
“It's so fulfilling,” Waterson-Gomez said. “It's unbelievable. If you'd asked me when I was a little girl what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never would have dreamed of being a professional UFC fighter. But that's the path that led me and I'm so grateful for that. It's shaped me into the person I am today.”
“Martial arts is tough. It's relentless. You face challenges every step of the way and it can be a lonely road. You have to be very selfish to get up the ladder, but that's life. I think the reason I fell in love with martial arts is because it's a reflection of life: it's tough. You face adversity. It's expected to be tough. There should be fights, and you should be excited about those fights. You should come out of those challenges a better person.”
Waterson-Gomez never fought for a title in the UFC and her record in the organization is 6-9, which isn't exactly the best, but she has consistently fought the best to the end and earned a passionate fanbase. She made her pro debut in 2007, five years before the all-female mixed martial arts organization Invicta FC held its first show and six years before the UFC held its first women's bout.
When Waterson-Gomez began her professional career, the fame and fortune that a female fighter would enjoy was not guaranteed, but she persevered and became a mainstay of the UFC roster and one of its most respected veterans.
“I think I'm most proud of myself for believing in myself and trying,” Waterson-Gomez said. “Setting myself a goal that's really, really hard and almost out of reach and working towards it. I'm just a little karate girl from rural Colorado.” [Evans] He told me, “You don't belong here.” In truth, he didn't mean it to be mean, but more like, “I forced my way in.”
“I did point sparring karate as a kid but being a fighter is pretty far from my nature. But I wanted to know I could do it and I did and I'm really proud to have stayed at the top for so long. I've fought the best in the world and stayed in the top 10 as much as I could for the majority of my career until last year. I'm really proud to have climbed pretty high.”
