Karolina Kowalkiewicz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karolina Kowalkiewicz |
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| Born | October 15, 1985 Łódź, Poland |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Weight | 116 lb (53 kg; 8 st 4 lb) |
| Division | Strawweight (2014–present) Flyweight (2012–2014) |
| Reach | 64 in (163 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Łódź, Poland |
| Team | Shark Top Team Łódź |
| Trainer | Łukasz Zaborowski |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 12 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Amateur record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
Karolina Kowalkiewicz was born on October 15, 1985, in Łódź, Poland. She is a professional mixed martial artist. This means she competes in a sport that combines different fighting styles. Karolina fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This is a very famous organization for mixed martial arts. She used to be the champion in another big fighting group called KSW.
Contents
Karolina Kowalkiewicz's Fighting Journey
Starting Her Career
Karolina Kowalkiewicz started her fighting journey when she was sixteen. She began training in Krav Maga, which is a self-defense system. Later, she learned Muay Thai, a type of boxing from Thailand. She loved it so much that she decided to become a professional fighter. Before turning pro, she had two amateur fights.
Karolina had her first professional fight in Poland in May 2012. For the next three and a half years, she did not lose a single fight. She won seven matches in a row. Most of her early fights were with a Polish group called KSW. She even became the Flyweight champion there. In November 2014, she also fought in the U.S. for Invicta FC.
Joining the UFC
In late 2015, Karolina joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This is the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world. Her first UFC fight was on December 19, 2015, against Randa Markos. Karolina won this fight by a unanimous decision. This means all the judges agreed she won.
She continued to win her next two fights. On July 30, 2016, she faced Rose Namajunas at UFC 201. Karolina won this exciting fight. Her performance was so good that she earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus. This win also meant she would get to fight for the UFC Strawweight title.
Fighting for the Championship
Karolina fought for the Strawweight title on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. She faced the champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Karolina lost this championship fight by a unanimous decision.
After that, Karolina had some tough fights. She lost to Cláudia Gadelha in June 2017. But she bounced back and won her next two fights. She defeated Jodie Esquibel in October 2017 and Felice Herrig in April 2018.
Karolina then faced Jéssica Andrade in September 2018. She lost this fight by knockout in the first round. She also lost her next few fights against tough opponents like Michelle Waterson, Alexa Grasso, Yan Xiaonan, and Jessica Penne.
Recent Fights
After a break, Karolina returned to fighting in June 2022. She faced Felice Herrig again and won by submission. This win ended her losing streak. She then won her next three fights in a row. She defeated Silvana Gómez Juárez in November 2022, Vanessa Demopoulos in May 2023, and Diana Belbiţă in October 2023.
In May 2024, Karolina fought Iasmin Lucindo and lost by unanimous decision. Her most recent fight was in November 2024 against Denise Gomes, which she also lost by unanimous decision.
Achievements and Awards
Karolina Kowalkiewicz has achieved many great things in her fighting career:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
- She won a "Fight of the Night" award for her exciting match against Rose Namajunas.
- She has fought the third-highest number of times in the UFC Women's Strawweight division.
- Invicta Fighting Championships
- She also earned a "Fight of the Night" award in this organization.
- Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW)
- She was the KSW Flyweight Champion and successfully defended her title once.
- She also received a "Fight of the Night" award in KSW.
Personal Life and Challenges
In 2019, Karolina was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. This is a condition that affects the thyroid gland. To help manage it, she works with a special doctor and has changed her diet to be vegan.
In 2020, during a fight with Yan Xiaonan, Karolina got a serious eye injury. Even with the injury, she bravely kept fighting for the rest of the match. The injury was so bad that she had to stay in New Zealand for a few days. She later had surgery to put a titanium plate in her right eye. She shared that her vision was blurry and double after the injury.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 16 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 3 | 2 |
| By decision | 12 | 6 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 16–9 | Denise Gomes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates | November 9, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–8 | Iasmin Lucindo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 301 | May 4, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 16–7 | Diana Belbiţă | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green | October 7, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–7 | Vanessa Demopoulos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill | May 20, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (117.5 lb) bout; Demopoulos missed weight. |
| Win | 14–7 | Silvana Gómez Juárez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 281 | November 12, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 13–7 | Felice Herrig | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik | June 4, 2022 | 2 | 4:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–7 | Jessica Penne | Submission (armbar) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 1 | 4:32 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 12–6 | Yan Xiaonan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker | February 23, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 12–5 | Alexa Grasso | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Michelle Waterson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje | March 30, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Jéssica Andrade | KO (punch) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 1 | 1:58 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Felice Herrig | Decision (split) | UFC 223 | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Jodie Esquibel | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till | October 21, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Loss | 10–2 | Cláudia Gadelha | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 212 | June 3, 2017 | 1 | 3:03 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 205 | November 12, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | For the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Rose Namajunas | Decision (split) | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | UFC Women's Strawweight title eliminator. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–0 | Heather Jo Clark | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski | May 8, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Win | 8–0 | Randa Markos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 | December 19, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Kalindra Faria | Decision (split) | KSW 30 | February 21, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Poznań, Poland | Non-title bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Mizuki Inoue | Decision (split) | Invicta FC 9 | November 1, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | Strawweight debut. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 5–0 | Jasminka Cive | Submission (armbar) | KSW 27 | May 17, 2014 | 1 | 3:53 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Simona Soukupova | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 24 | September 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Catchweight (119 lb) bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Marta Chojnoska | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 23 | June 8, 2013 | 1 | 1:11 | Gdańsk, Poland | Won the vacant KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Paulina Bońkowska | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 21 | December 1, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | Flyweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Marzena Wojas | TKO (punches) | Extreme Fighting Sports 2 | May 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:12 | Gdynia, Poland | Catchweight (132 lb) bout. |
Amateur mixed martial arts record
| Amateur record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Amateur League MMA 18 | March 4, 2012 | 1 | 4:18 | Sochaczew, Poland |
See also
In Spanish: Karolina Kowalkiewicz para niños
