Michelle Waterson’s first UFC main event was a long time coming but her performance on the big stage in Sacramento showed that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Whilst a modelling background has seen her dubbed “The Karate Hottie” you would be very foolish to dismiss Michelle Waterson as ‘just a pretty face’.

For the Colorado Southpaw, the road to her first ever UFC main event was a long one. In recent years Waterson has juggled motherhood, modelling and professional fighting.

I didn't place but I had a blast competing. gotta give these girls all the credit in the world for putting so much time and dedication into their passion. Now I can go and put these muscle to use in the cage! Thank you @fit_stevo @onnit @americanamma @cavemancoffeeco for all the help along the way! A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Jun 29, 2014 at 12:23pm PDT

“Each day I’m waking up before I take my daughter to school so I could get the workouts in I needed to so I could show the world what I could do for the UFC.”

This pretty much sums up our relationship? my little partner in crime #ufcsacramento #teamhottie A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Nov 29, 2016 at 8:21am PST

Waterson got the fighting world’s attention when she snared the Invicta FC Atomweight championship back in 2013.

Having the belt motivates me to always strive for improvement! If I'm not training, someone else is… to kick my butt. Thanks for the pic @allelbows A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Oct 1, 2014 at 11:48am PDT

She was signed onto the UFC and was supposed to make her main event debut back at UFC 194 in November 2015.

Funny picture from the weigh ins! A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Jul 15, 2015 at 12:44pm PDT

Injury forced her to withdraw and subsequently kept her out of action for a year and a half. But it was her daughter Araya that proved to be her biggest inspiration to get back into the Octagon.

“When you become a parent, there’s something about having the responsibility of a little human being that changes your mentality about everything,” Waterson told Excelle Sports.

Ignite their fire, and keep the flame burning! A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Oct 12, 2016 at 8:07am PDT

“Before I had her, fighting was a passion of mine but there really wasn’t any sense of urgency. Now, I have more of a purpose behind fighting.”

She said she was ready! I think she'll be a natural! #karatekutie A photo posted by Michelle Waterson (@karatehottiemma) on Aug 23, 2016 at 8:22pm PDT

Thanks to the help of her pocket-sized sparring partner, Waterson made her much anticipated debut in Sacremento where she faced the highly fancied Paige VanZant. She certainly made up for lost time throwing VanZant to the canvas with three minutes on the clock.

VanZant had no answer as the 30 year old Waterson got her choking arm going and secured the submission with referee John McCarthy having to stop the action.

“She’s well known for that head and arm throw, so I wanted to see if I could throw it on her,” said Waterson.

“We know she is (very good in the scramble) so we focused on chaining submissions together and just staying calm when she scrambles because she is very good at it.”

Waterson’s comeback performance sent out a clear message to her weight division that a new contender has arrived and that it’s time for a Top 5 match-up.

by Michael T. Lynch – contributor