Julia Budd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Julia Budd |
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| Born | July 4, 1983 Roberts Creek, British Columbia, Canada |
| Other names | The Jewel |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Division | Lightweight Featherweight |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada |
| Team | Gibson Kickboxing & Pankration |
| Trainer | Lance Gibson |
| Years active | 2010–present (MMA) |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Wins | |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 10 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
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last updated on: January 1, 2014
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Julia Budd (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian mixed martial artist and kickboxer. She competes in the featherweight division. Julia was the very first Bellator Women's Featherweight World Champion. She has also fought in other big organizations like Strikeforce, Invicta Fighting Championships, and Professional Fighters League (PFL).
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Training for Martial Arts
Julia Budd trained in Muay Thai for many years. Muay Thai is a type of boxing from Thailand that uses fists, elbows, knees, and shins. She was the only woman to beat American fighter Gina Carano in a Muay Thai match. Julia's second and last loss in kickboxing was to Germaine de Randamie. After that, Julia decided to switch to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Her kickboxing record was 10 wins and 2 losses.
Julia started training in MMA at the end of 2008. She later got a chance to fight Germaine de Randamie again, but this time in MMA. Julia won that fight in 2011 by a unanimous decision, which means all the judges agreed she won. Julia trains at the Gibson Kickboxing & Pankration Academy.
Julia's Mixed Martial Arts Career
Julia Budd had her first MMA fight on October 22, 2010, at Strikeforce Challengers 11. She won by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. A TKO happens when the referee stops the fight because one fighter can't defend themselves anymore.
In her next fight, on January 7, 2011, Julia was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in just 14 seconds.
On June 24, 2011, Julia faced Germaine de Randamie again in an MMA fight. Julia won this rematch by unanimous decision.
Julia's last fight in Strikeforce was on November 18, 2011. She lost to Ronda Rousey by submission. A submission is when a fighter uses a hold to make their opponent give up.
Fighting in Invicta FC
In 2012, Julia Budd joined Invicta Fighting Championships. Her first fight there was on July 28, 2012, against Elina Nilsson. Julia won by TKO in the first round.
Julia fought again at Invicta FC on October 6, 2012. She was supposed to fight Elaina Maxwell, but Maxwell got hurt. So, Julia fought Danielle West instead and won by TKO in the first round.
On April 5, 2013, Julia was set to fight Ediane Gomes. But plans changed, and she ended up fighting Mollie Estes. Julia won this fight by submission in the third round.
Julia was scheduled to fight Ediane Gomes again on July 13, 2013. However, Julia got a neck injury and had to pull out of the fight.
On December 7, 2013, Julia fought Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 7. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Becoming a Bellator Champion
In August 2014, Julia Budd signed with Bellator, another big MMA organization.
She was supposed to fight Talita Nogueira on February 13, 2015, but Talita got injured. Julia then fought Gabrielle Holloway and won by unanimous decision.
Julia was set to fight Marloes Coenen for the very first Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship. But Julia got injured, so the title fight was postponed.
On October 21, 2016, Julia fought Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 162. Julia won the fight by majority decision. A majority decision means two judges scored the fight for her, and one judge scored it as a draw.
Julia finally faced Marloes Coenen for the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship on March 3, 2017, at Bellator 174. She won the fight in the fourth round by strikes after getting into a dominant position called full mount. This made her the first-ever Bellator Women's Featherweight World Champion!
In her first title defense, Julia fought Arlene Blencowe again on December 1, 2017. She won by split decision. A split decision means the judges were divided, with two scoring for her and one for her opponent.
Julia defended her title a second time on July 13, 2018, against Talita Nogueira. She won by TKO in the third round.
In April 2019, Julia signed a new contract with Bellator. On July 12, 2019, she fought Olga Rubin. Julia won in the first round by TKO after a body kick and then ground and pound. Ground and pound is when a fighter hits their opponent while they are on the ground.
In her fourth title defense, Julia faced Cris Cyborg on January 25, 2020. She lost the fight by technical knockout in the fourth round, losing her championship title.
Julia fought Jessy Miele on August 21, 2020, and won by unanimous decision.
Her last fight in Bellator was on April 16, 2021, against Dayana Silva. Julia won by split decision. After this fight, her contract with Bellator ended.
Joining Professional Fighters League
On September 29, 2021, Julia Budd signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She had her first PFL fight on October 27, 2021, against Kaitlin Young. Julia won by unanimous decision.
PFL 2022 Season
On May 6, 2022, Julia was set to fight Genah Fabian. However, Fabian weighed too much for the fight. Because of this, Julia automatically got a "walkover win," meaning she won without even fighting. Even though Julia lost the actual fight by unanimous decision, she still got the win in the standings due to Fabian's mistake.
Julia was supposed to fight Kayla Harrison on July 1, 2022, but Julia had to pull out due to an injury.
On November 25, 2022, Julia fought Aspen Ladd and lost by split decision.
PFL 2023 Season
Julia started her 2023 PFL season on April 7, 2023, against Larissa Pacheco. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.
On June 16, 2023, Julia faced Martina Jindrová and won by unanimous decision.
Julia was scheduled to fight Kayla Harrison again on November 24, 2023. However, Julia was removed from the fight because she did not meet her contract requirements. She was then released from the PFL.
Global Fight League
Julia was scheduled to fight Holly Holm in a new organization called Global Fight League (GFL) on May 24, 2025. However, the first GFL events were postponed.
About Julia's Life
Julia Budd is married to Lance Gibson, who was also an MMA fighter. She is also the step-mother of Lance Gibson Jr., who is a Bellator lightweight fighter.
Julia's Achievements
- Bellator MMA
- Bellator Women's Featherweight World Champion (one time; first champion; former champion)
- She successfully defended her title three times.
- Most victories in Bellator Women's Featherweight division history (9 wins)
- Bellator Women's Featherweight World Champion (one time; first champion; former champion)
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 23 matches | 17 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 10 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 17–6 | Martina Jindrová | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 5 (2023) | June 16, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 16–6 | Larissa Pacheco | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 2 (2023) | April 7, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5 | Aspen Ladd | Decision (split) | PFL 10 (2022) | November 25, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | Returned to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 16–4 | Genah Fabian | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 3 (2022) | May 6, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Arlington, Texas, United States | Catchweight (160.8 lb) bout; Fabian missed weight. |
| Win | 16–3 | Kaitlin Young | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 10 (2021) | October 27, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 15–3 | Dayana Silva | Decision (split) | Bellator 257 | April 16, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Jessy Miele | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 244 | August 21, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Catchweight (147 lbs) bout; Miele missed weight. |
| Loss | 13–3 | Cris Cyborg | TKO (punches) | Bellator 238 | January 25, 2020 | 4 | 1:14 | Inglewood, California, United States | Lost the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. |
| Win | 13–2 | Olga Rubin | TKO (body kick and punches) | Bellator 224 | July 12, 2019 | 1 | 2:14 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Defended the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. |
| Win | 12–2 | Talita Nogueira | TKO (punches) | Bellator 202 | July 13, 2018 | 3 | 4:07 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Defended the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. |
| Win | 11–2 | Arlene Blencowe | Decision (split) | Bellator 189 | December 1, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Defended the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. |
| Win | 10–2 | Marloes Coenen | TKO (punches) | Bellator 174 | March 3, 2017 | 4 | 2:42 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Won the inaugural Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship. |
| Win | 9–2 | Arlene Blencowe | Decision (majority) | Bellator 162 | October 21, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 8–2 | Roberta Rovel | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 146 | November 20, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Gabrielle Holloway | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 133 | February 13, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Charmaine Tweet | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC: Honchak vs. Smith | December 7, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Mollie Estes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Invicta FC: Penne vs. Waterson | April 5, 2013 | 3 | 1:04 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 4–2 | Danielle West | TKO (elbows and punches) | Invicta FC: Penne vs. Sugiyama | October 6, 2012 | 1 | 2:32 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 3–2 | Elina Nilsson | TKO (punches and elbows) | Invicta FC: Baszler vs. McMann | July 28, 2012 | 1 | 3:49 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Ronda Rousey | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers | November 18, 2011 | 1 | 0:39 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Germaine de Randamie | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry | June 24, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Kent, Washington, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Amanda Nunes | KO (punches) | Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine | January 7, 2011 | 1 | 0:14 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Shana Nelson | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker | October 22, 2010 | 2 | 2:51 | Fresno, California, United States |
Kickboxing Record
| 10 wins (4 KOs), 2 losses, 0 draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-03 | Loss |  Germaine de Randamie |
Next Generation Warriors | Utrecht, Netherlands | TKO (punches) | 1 | 1:57 | 10–2 |
| 2007-00-00 | Win |  Nop |
Bangla Boxing Stadium | Phuket, Thailand | KO (knee) | 1 | 10–1 | |
| 2007-05-12 | Win |  Natalie Fuz |
Shindo Kumate 12 | Tampa, Florida, US | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | 9–1 |
| 2006-12-08 | Win | Chrisanne Roseliep |
Shindo Kumate | Tampa, Florida, US | Decision (split) | 3 | 3:00 | 8–1 |
| 0000-00-00 | Win |  Kayla Drane |
TKO | 4 | 7–1 | |||
| 2006-04-00 | Win | Lindsay Ball |
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Decision (split) | 6–1 | |||
| 2005-06-04 | Win | Keri Scarr |
King of Gladiators | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Decision | 5–1 | ||
| 2005-03-00 | Win | Gina Carano |
Decision | 4–1 | ||||
| 0000-00-00 | Win | Jodi Hensel |
Decision | 3–1 | ||||
| 0000-00-00 | Win | Vanessa Parente |
TKO | 4 | 2–1 | |||
| 0000-00-00 | Win | Brenna Shaw |
KO | 2 | 1–1 | |||
| 0000-00-00 | Loss | Danielle Quee |
0–1 | |||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||
See Also
- List of female kickboxers
- List of female mixed martial artists
