Tearful Michelle Waterson-Gomez Explains Why She Decided To Retire | The MMA Hour

Michelle Waterson-Gomez discusses her UFC 303 loss, her retirement decision, the support of fans and teammates, what she will miss, her reaction to the UFC retirement video, what’s next, if she will ever compete again, what she is most proud about in her career, her top fights, if her daughter will fight, and more.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @mmafightingonsbn
Subscribe to MMA Fighting on KZbin: goo.gl/dYpsgH
Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: Apple.co/themmahour
Subscribe to The MMA Hour on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0NUQhyU...
Subscribe to MMA Fighting feed on iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Check out our full video catalog: goo.gl/u8VvLi
Visit our playlists: goo.gl/eFhsvM
Like MMAF on Facebook: goo.gl/uhdg7Z
Follow on Twitter: goo.gl/nOATUI
Read More: www.mmafighting.com
MMA Fighting is your home for exclusive interviews, live shows, and more for one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Get latest news and more here: www.mmafighting.com

[@tyestrong5661]

What a beautiful person.

[@Sx-xy2zi]

She's kind competent and adorable

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

@@tyestrong5661 jealous of her husband for sure

[@brogers48]

Simp

[@acrisptaco8876]

She deserves to be happy. For the past couple of years shes taken some pretty tough damage and I mean that respectfully. Hope she does great things post fighting!!!

[@livelife1198]

She has that ability with her personality and fanbase. She is genuinely funny and wholesome

[@daixer3156]

Hopefully she has more self respect than other's and doesn't open a Only Fans account 🙏

[@tonypalermo5796]

She should replace Anthony Smith .

[@livelife1198]

She actually would be great on the mic not a bad suggestion

[@miasanmia2519]

She got a chance awhile back and it went terrible. There’s a reason she’s never been back on the broadcast. She makes Anthony smith look like a Emmy winner.

[@RCgotU]

Why not keep both?

[@Sx-xy2zi]

I don't think she could handle mens 205 bruh

[@daixer3156]

@@miasanmia2519 ....Emmy Whiner?

[@hatorihanzo8435]

She's a beast she always fought above her weight , she's undersized for her division. If they made an atom weight she'd slay. She's done amazing. Great career 🙏🏽

[@m-m-p5281]

She sucked her last 8 she only won 1

[@hatorihanzo8435]

@@m-m-p5281 did better then you though aye , and most her fights were close or she was still in despite being small so stop 😂

[@LouTurnbull]

Loving all of the positive comments here. Was worried there would be some toxic nonsense but for once proud of the mma community

[@SteveStone555]

Thank you Michelle!

[@brodiethegoaty849]

The thumbnail told me all I needed to know. I respect any fighter that gets in there and puts up a good fight. She'll be aight. 💜

[@nicholase6653]

A good fight???!?!?!?!?! LMFAO okay

[@luminnous9000]

​​@@nicholase6653 I think he meant in general. We all know Waterson is trash. I'm sure op knows this as well.

[@TruthSeeker-rn1tm]

The live comments section was deplorable for this interview. Michelle Waterson is literally an OG of the fight game. A beautiful and kind-hearted person. A true embodiment of a martial artist. Walking away from your life's passion is unimaginable for the average person. Michelle, we respect you, love you and are grateful for everything you've given to this sport. You're an awesome fighter and an an incredible role model to any aspiring martial artist. Wishing you every success in your next chapter, you more than deserve it.

[@rich45davis]

Thank you for inspiring women all over the world, you will be missed.

[@DjPhillipsentertainment]

I appreciate people like this

[@RurouniKenshinShinta]

She did it all, she should be happy.

[@Marc-NZ]

beaty wasnt made to be beat..but appreciated

[@robertm.1542]

Gonna miss her enjoy your family

[@jupitersworld244]

Awws baby girl don’t cry! We the people love you so much!

[@tankerock]

Most people forget she came from atomweight (105lb). She was performed very well there before moving to 115lb in UFC.

[@CCRIDER0712]

All Class

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

What a banger. I feel like her fight was the fight of the night atleast the best moment other than Alex. This should of been the first fight on the main card after others backed out.

[@simonmau9183]

Swanson vs Fili was definitely a better fight

[@topgunjoeicdbko]

@simonmau9183 yeah it was a better fight but didn't have the drama glad I watched the prelims for that

[@Turrittoman]

man, retirement interviews get me 😢

[@lebraa]

The tkz one was tough

[@ramirezeric21]

People complaining about the retirement video she probably told the ufc she was retiring and/or the ufc told her it’s a wrap most people in MMA retire or decide on the spot from the looks of it

[@AntoineFabri]

Ariel likes tears so much

[@KENKANIFF666]

been a fan since, "fight girls" with her and other top ladies like felice herrig, especially gorwing up in karate and thai boxing myself, michelle has ALWAYS been an excellent role model for combat sports, not to mention her lead side kicks.

[@DanielMartins-og2gj]

I always liked Michelle.. Since she was on bully beat down, she is a very sweet human

[@Thedogtrainingguy]

Beautiful soul, congratulations on your career. loved watching you fight.

[@user-jc9ti1lr3k]

You just can't hate on Michelle Waterson...fun fighter to watch and always game...

[@syntholshoulders1842]

Thank you ariel

[@idk-di4lo]

Bruh the thumbnail 😂😂😂

[@lebraa]

Dana loves her. She ll be fine.

[@TrackinDaMeta]

Great fighter Michelle Waterson. It was a pleasure watching you fight miss!

[@charleskidney4279]

She is one of my favourite fighters. Great personality, great fighter.

[@adams6438]

She will be in power slap soon

[@sirbrad4]

Nah she said she is "too hot for that" and BKB and her "husband would not allow it."

[@TomDrum5]

Would love to see/hear her commentate. Replace sanko

[@jonnyruiz2065]

I lived watching her fight glad she can move on with her career

[@wdilankakmw]

Shes good fighter

[@rankumr1.1]

Great person. She should do Karate Combat..... She'd do great.

[@KcLove-ut8zn]

Blessings to her

[@GQRS]

Ariel...why did you retire..? Shes on a 7 fight losing streak getting beat up bad every fight. I think thats why.

[@livelife1198]

Well the only other logical thing I could think of was why not look to keep fighting outside the premiere fighting league. Sounds insane saying logical but the competition is far more tailored to her skillset out there and she could pick fights with other vets. Retirement is what makes sense tho go have fun with the big fam

[@GQRS]

@livelife1198 ...I agree but I feel she was just to small for the division all her opponents were always way bigger than her.

[@RapYouCanUnderstand]

Was a stupid question. If youve seen her fights you know shes been cooked

[@livelife1198]

@@GQRS couple her size with her lack of gigantic pay days and I think this may not be the last we see if her. She deserves a big payday

[@sirbrad4]

She looks better without make-up, she should go to Karate Combat.

[@2003TeufelMach]

Michelle, it's sad to see you go. Loved watching you compete!

because shes long past it, normally the case but they dont admit it

[@dorin7479]

Powerslap main event Michelle Watterson vs PVZ.

[@B-RaDD]

I'd watch

[@jasoncruz582]

Go to karate combat you will do great

[@shootermcgavin6610]

Watterson is definitely a pioneer, but I believe she got away with a lot more in the company because of her looks. She would've gotten cut a while ago if it wasn't for that. Karolina her best win tho.

[@livelife1198]

I disagree with the looks aspect of her staying with the UFC. She wasn't the first female MMA fighter but she was one of the first with a fanbase and I agree with the pioneer assesment. Paige vanzant, felice h, Rachel ostovich, and plenty of other pretty faces came and went and continued in combat sports. I believe that Dana basically has a love for fighters who take every fight and are fan favourites. Paige, and the rest likely could of finished their careers in the ufc like the karate hottie, and likely would of had similar losing streaks. She was like one of the Chuck Liddell era fighters for the woman and I think that weighs into her staying in the ufc more then her looks.

[@abhishekab1]

@@livelife1198 agree with you

[@daixer3156]

@shootermcgavin6610 I agree with you!

[@livelife1198]

@@abhishekab1 she could of bumped heads and tried to leverage her looks like some of the other pretty fighters I mentioned, but she maintained a fighter attitude and didn't let her looks go to her head 💪🏼

[@traplord3608]

Smash next question

[@sirbrad4]

What really happened was Dana told her "if she loses she needs to retire or get cut."

[@BennyL508]

She’s beautiful even with black eyes lol

[@yjhova]

Damn she got pieced up

[@keving1774]

She just needs to work on her wrestling

[@JonasSmith1823]

It seems like every time I've seen waterson in last 5 years, she's beat up and crying

[@nadiaborzacchini6858]

The masked family will miss you it's y9jr ti.e to relax now y9ur good na be okay God bless you sweegheart

[@TheKing-kw6mu]

What decision. Ur 38 on a 5 fight loss streak. Its time to let it go. You'll always be a legend tho.

[@Falling_Down_D-FENS]

Not all are legends

[@TheKing-kw6mu]

@@Falling_Down_D-FENS i mean she's been around forever

[@stewie34732]

@@TheKing-kw6mutht doesn’t mean she a legend tho 😂 yal be throwing tht word out there too losely , as a fan of hers & miesha Tate , Michelle was just a good fighter , nothing more , nothing less… she don’t have a resume like Joanna or a Valentina or even miesha her self to be called a legend

[@TheKing-kw6mu]

@@stewie34732 you're right. OG is a better term. I was just being nice

[@BizzyD13]

Waterson is certainly a pioneer of women's MMA, but I think "legend" is a reach.

[@Falling_Down_D-FENS]

Looks like a bad beating 😵

[@NoGrrlLikeMe]

18-13 and lost 7 of Her Last 8 Fights. This Decision was Long Overdue.

[@livelife1198]

Woman's MMA had evolved past her now for awhile but hats off to her competing. She was one of my early fav female fighters with the likes of Gina Carano

[@NoGrrlLikeMe]

@@livelife1198 Agreed, MMA evolves so Rapidly and Michelle never Developed any new Techniques. She took way more Damage than she should of.

[@Unknown-individual]

She was 2 fights away from being Michelle Ferguson

[@dvd7826]

Michelle still got her health and UFC fighters are well underpaid good choice

[@ThumbdownMan]

No shame.

[@stevensteele7742]

Air punching all the way to only fans

[@a9029k]

You obviously don't know much about her lol

[@livelife1198]

I couldn't see her pulling the Paige vanzant, she could probably do a better podcast overall though

[@TacoGrande007]

From Karate Not Hottie to a UFC early prelim reject with 7 losses out of her last 8 fights. She was trying to break the record for the most consecutive losses.

[@vapenshred]

Even when she's all beaten up she still is pretty as hell! Good luck with the rest of your life Michelle your definitely got the heart of a champ !

[@Artofwar13225]

#momchamp LOL.

[@asianconnection7701]

UFC needs to open a 105 pound woman's weight division, WATERSON's true talent isn't being expose because she's fighting in the wrong division. MIGHTY MOUSE wouldn't be MIGHY MOUSE if there wasn't a 125 pound men division.

[@SitiNaima38]

I know nothing about trading /investment and l'm keen on getting started. What are some strategies to get started with?

[@WalterHernandez-kn6nv]

As a beginner, it's essential for you to have a mentor to keep you accountable. I'm guided by a widely known crypto consultant

[@WalterHernandez-kn6nv]

Mrs Nancy Williams Laplace

[@MichaelKennedy-gq6xp]

The first step to successful investment is figuring your goals and risk tolerance either on your own or with the help of a financial professional but it's very advisable you make use of professional

[@SitiNaima38]

Please how can I reach out to her easily?

[@WalterHernandez-kn6nv]

She's mostly on Telegrams, using the user name

[@d.a.s.3921]

Shes a solid 4

[@brogers48]

Man she was trash fighter always has been stop trying protect peoples feelings and be honest

[@johnluna7034]

u soft if u actually let the tears run down ur face

[@user-sx6vn3id7n]

Losing record with a severance package. Ariel is pathetic.

[@IsaiasMGPalafox]

Loved her from the moment I saw her on “Bully Beatdown” back in 2010. Glad she got to go out on her own terms. Happy retirement Karate Hottie. 🫶

[@livelife1198]

I think she should of tried to put together a bare knuckle fight or misfits boxing / MMA fight with Paige vanzant for big money , but hats off to her she was one of my favs

[@brianrodriguez6783]

Bully Beatdown was my first exposure to her as well.

[@Trueecliptix]

Thank god. She’s been shadow boxing and getting picked apart. Scared to death to throw a shot that might actually connect. Good time to call it quits before CTE kicks in. Best of luck outside of the cage, though.

[@limelong]

Isn't she on a 8 fight losing streak also she lost against hill, how selfless is she putting her own career over her fam, I mean it's depressing to watch.

[@Beavisation]

look like chris brown got another one

[@livelife1198]

It must be weird until she heals, there would be a few instances the husband gets an odd look or 2

[@NikomaGrob]

@@livelife1198 haha yeah that's going to be fun for a couple of days.

[@ramirezeric21]

People complaining about the retirement video she probably told the ufc she was retiring and/or the ufc told her it’s a wrap most people in MMA retire or decide on the spot from the looks of it