UFC strawweight Michelle Waterson will be featured as a cover athlete for ESPN The Magazine’s BODY Issue, hitting newsstands July 7.
She is the latest in a long line of mixed martial arts stars to be featured in the issue, alongside the likes of Jon Jones, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, and Conor McGregor.
Modeling is nothing new to Waterson, who edged into her fighting career by first being a ring girl, although she is a lifelong martial artist.
“I got the opportunity to be a ring girl, and it was something fun to do and make some extra cash. I remember watching these MMA fights and saying, ‘Hey, I think I’d rather be inside the Octagon than out’.”
A former Invicta FC atomweight champion, Waterson’s last trip to the Octagon was a loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC on FOX 24 in April. She doesn’t yet have another bout scheduled.
(Photo courtesy ESPN The Magazine, photo by Mark Seliger)
