Quick Facts
Biography
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (born 15 October 1985) is a Polish mixed martial artist. She currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion. She is ranked as the #2 strawweight in the official UFC rankings.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Kowalkiewicz began her mixed martial arts career at the age of sixteen when she began training in Krav Maga. She later trained in Muay Thai and decided to make it a career. She fought two amateur fights before turning pro.
Kowalkiewicz made her professional debut in her native Poland in May 2012. Over the next three-and-a-half years she amassed an undefeated record of 7 wins against no losses. She fought primarily for the Poland-based KSW promotion - where she was the Flyweight champion - and also made her U.S. debut for Invicta FC in November 2014.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In late October 2015, it was announced that Kowalkiewicz had signed with the UFC. She faced Randa Markos on December 19, 2015 at UFC on FOX 17. She was successful in her debut, winning the fight by unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz next faced Heather Jo Clark on May 8, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz defeated Rose Namajunas by split decision on July 30, 2016 at UFC 201 to earn the next title shot at current champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
Kowalkiewicz fought for the Strawweight title and lost to current champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision on November 12, 2016 at UFC 205.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
- KSW Flyweight Championship (One title defense)
- Fight of the Night (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 11 matches | 10 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 10–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 205 | 12 November 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 | 30 July 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Strawweight title eliminator. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–0 | Heather Jo Clark | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski | 8 May 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Win | 8–0 | Randa Markos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 | 19 December 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Strawweight debut. |
| Win | 7–0 | Kalindra Faria | Decision (split) | KSW 30: Genesis | 21 February 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Poznań, Poland | Non-title bout; Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Mizuki Inoue | Decision (split) | Invicta FC 9: Honchak vs. Hashi | 1 November 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jasminka Cive | Submission (armbar) | KSW 27: Cage Time | 17 May 2014 | 1 | 3:53 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Simona Soukupova | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 24: Clash of the Giants | 28 September 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Marta Chojnoska | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 23: Khalidov vs. Manhoef | 8 June 2013 | 1 | 1:11 | Gdańsk, Poland | Won the vacant KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Paulina Bońkowska | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 21: Ultimate Explanation | 1 December 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Marzena Wojas | TKO (punches) | Extreme Fighting Sports 2 | 18 May 2012 | 1 | 3:12 | Gdynia, Poland |
Amateur mixed martial arts record
| Amateur record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Amatorska Liga MMA 18 | March 4, 2012 | 1 | 4:18 | Sochaczew, Poland |