Michelle Waterson’s Husband, Kids and Family: Everything About UFC Star ‘Karate Hottie’s Personal Life

Ever since her win at The Ultimate Fighter 21 finale in 2015, Michelle Waterson-Gomez has been a fan favorite. Dubbed ‘The Karate Hottie,’ the strawweight starlet was one of the more promising fighters on the female roster of the UFC. However, her eight-year-long UFC career has been more of a bumpy ride compared to her pre-UFC stints. As she prepares to lace up the gloves once more this weekend at UFC Fight Night 228 (UFC Vegas 79), let us take a look at Waterson-Gomez’s UFC run so far, what is at stake for her this Saturday, and how she finds her motivation to keep going.

‘Karate Hottie’ tasted defeat in all of her last three bouts. Incidentally, this losing streak started off with a loss against Marina Rodriguez. Her next outing at UFC Vegas 79 will also present the same, Marina Rodriguez before her once again, offering a chance at redemption. Hence, it’s quite understandable that the Jacksonwink MMA representative might be under immense pressure. However, Waterson-Gomez has the mental support that she requires to invoke her dedication and get back to the winning column. Reports say currently she is a married individual with a family of 3 that also includes a caring husband. So let’s take a look at Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s personal life and other non-UFC affairs today.

Who is Michelle Waterson’s husband?

Although Gomez has been spotted with her husband in public on a number of occasions, the 37-year-old doesn’t really talk much about her spouse. However, we do have a number of reports detailing who her husband is. The UFC star’s husband is Joshua Gomez.

Michelle made an Instagram post marking the couple’s tenth marriage anniversary on 15 July, 2022. It makes the fact evident that they probably tied the knot somewhere within the month of July 2012. Joshua is a U.S. Armed Forces Amateur Boxing Champion. Michelle herself detailed his sense of sacrificing for his loved ones in the teaser of her documentary, ‘FIGHT MOM’. She revealed how Joshua never pursued his passion of becoming a professional career in boxing despite possessing superb prowess in the sport.

Instead, he chose a supporting role and helped Michelle to continue her journey in the UFC. In today’s era of breakups and divorces, most fans might agree that it’s hard to find a relationship like Michelle and Joshua. They always have each other’s back.

How many kids does Michelle Waterson have?

Most fans might have already witnessed the cameras focussing on a tiny girl cheering Michelle during her fights. Well, it’s none other than her own daughter. Reports say that the couple had their only daughter to date in the year 2011. They also say that the couple named her Araya.

With both her parents having profound combat sports backgrounds, little Araya often accompanies her mother to her training sessions. The ‘FIGHT MOM’ teaser about ‘Karate Hottie’s’ personal life also showcases Araya holding the pads for her mum’s training.

Apart from this, she also adorns a number of snaps on her mother’s Instagram profile. Well, looking at little Araya’s interest in her mum’s training schedules and fights, a lot of fans might predict that she will follow in her mum’s footsteps and step into the world of combat sports.

When Michelle Waterson nearly knocked her husband out

Joshua’s supporting nature was also showcased when he accompanied ‘Karate Hottie’ to the open workout sessions of her UFC Fight Night 161 bout against the former UFC strawweight champ, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

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But this session became memorable to a lot of fans due to a special reason. In front of her husband Joshua Gomez, she demonstrated how to execute the devastating strike known as the “Uchi Mawashi Geri”. She got closer and closer to Joshua, while performing each round of the dangerous strike. This also enthralled the crowd present at the spot.

Luckily, she managed to complete the seventh round of the kick without touching Joshua. However, in the eighth round, she sensed that she had closed up too much with Joshua and transformed the kick into a kiss on his cheek. The crowd burst into a roar after ‘Karate Hottie’s wholesome act.

Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s documentary

Michelle Waterson-Gomez has set an example of how a woman can be equally successful in their personal as well as professional lives. She made it to the UFC in 2015, when she already was a mom with her daughter Araya, just four years old. Most fans might agree that Michelle, making her way into the UFC despite being the mum of a 4-year-old is really something commendable.

The UFC’s official site also published a report about her silver-screen appearance. Their report mentioned, “The film follows Waterson and her family – husband Joshua Gomez and daughter Araya – as they navigate life at home and in the training room”. Have you watched ‘FIGHT MOM’ that came out in 2016?

Michelle Waterson net worth

As already mentioned, Waterson made her entry into the UFC in the year 2015. Thus, she is in the eighth year of her UFC career and currently has fought 13 times in it. Hence, it’s quite expected that she has made a healthy amount of money just from her UFC income.

Reports say that her net worth in 2023 lies somewhere close to $850,000. But, ‘the 37-year-old’  also has a lot of other sources of income like brand endorsements that have also formed a significant part of her net worth.

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Do you think she will be able to get back to the winning books defeating her known rival, Marina Rodriguez, in their UFC Vegas encounter on 23 September 2023?