Danielle Taylor

Danielle Taylor (born October 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. She was the Strawweight King of the Cage (KOTC) champion (2 times), competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's strawweight division

MMA background Taylor started training in boxing, when she first got on with the Sheriff's Department in 2010, as she believed she needed to know some self-defense for her job. After struggling to find boxing matches to compete, she moved her focus to MMA, and she began to add wrestling and jiu-jitsu into her training. She was encouraged by her coach to try on MMA competitions and fell in love with the sport, where she fought a total of 5 amateur fights with record of 4 wins and 1 loss, paving the path to her MMA career and soon later she joined Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2016.

Despite her small stature, 5 feet 0 inches, she has above average power for the strawweight division. She has the ability to power in with a right hand knockout punch, where she would face fighters who have reach and height over her that can control her from outside and on the clinch.

She does conditioning at Chain Fitness and trains striking at Saekson Muay Thai under Julio Trana.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

2013–2014

She had five amateur fights in both strawweight and flyweight divisions, from May 2013 to January 2014, under KOTC and Tuff-Nuff promotions, with four wins against Lena Hellqvist, Chelsea Lewis, Rachael Smith and Samantha Hester, and one loss to Wendy Julian.

In her second bout with UFC she gained a win over South Korea fighter Seo Hee Ham (16-8MMA, 1-3 UFC), at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson on 26 November 2016 at Melbourne, Australia, with a split-decision (28-29, 30–27, 30–27). She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Taylor faced Zhang Weili on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On August 30, Taylor was released from the UFC.

Post-UFC career After the release from the UFC, Taylor signed with Invicta FC. She made her promotional debut against Montserrat Ruiz at Invicta FC 33 on December 15, 2018. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

She then entered the Invicta Phoenix Series 1 Strawweight tournament, facing Juliana Lima in the quarterfinals. She lost the bout via split decision and was eliminated from the tournament.

In late 2020, Taylor signed with Xtreme Fighting Championships and made her promotional debut against Jessica Aguilar at XFC 43 on November 11, 2020, winning by split decision.

Taylor faced Emily Ducote for the vacant Invicta FC Strawweight Championship at Invicta FC 44: A New Era on August 27, 2021. Her bout with Ducote headlined the first pay-per-view in Invicta FC history. Taylor lost the fight by a first-round knockout. She was first stopped in her tracks with a right straight, before being floored with a head kick.

Taylor faced Liz Tracy at Invicta FC 46 on March 9, 2022. At the weigh-ins, Liz Tracy missed weight for her bout, weighing in at 117.8 pounds, 1.8 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Tracy were fined 25 percent of their purses, which went to Taylor. She lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Taylor faced Jéssica Delboni on May 3, 2023, at Invicta FC 53: DeCoursey vs. Dos Santos. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

King of the Cage (KOTC) KOTC Strawweight Champion (2 times)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Jéssica Delboni Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 53

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Caroline Gallardo Decision (split) Combate Global: Romero vs. Ayala

Miami, Florida, United States Loss

Liz Tracy Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 46

Kansas City, Kansas, United States Loss

Emily Ducote KO (punch & head kick) Invicta FC 44: A New Era

Kansas City, Kansas, United States Win

Jessica Aguilar Decision (split) XFC 43

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Loss

Juliana Lima Decision (split) Invicta Phoenix Series 1

Kansas City, Kansas, United States Invicta FC Strawweight Tournament Quarterfinal Win

Montserrat Ruiz Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 33: Frey vs. Grusander II

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Loss

Zhang Weili Decision (unanimous) UFC 227

Los Angeles, California, United States Loss

JJ Aldrich Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi

St. Louis, Missouri, United States Win

Jessica Penne Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Seo Hee Ham Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson

Melbourne, Australia Loss

Maryna Moroz Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Win

Jamie Colleen TKO (punches) KOTC: Night of Champions

Ontario, California, United States Win

Calie Cutler TKO (punches) KOTC: Sinister Intentions

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Jamie Colleen KO (punch) KOTC: Bitter Rivals

Ontario, California, United States Win

Glena Avila Decision (split) KOTC: Short Fuse

Worley, Idaho, United States Win

Maria Andaverde Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Battle For The Belt

Highland, California, United States Win

Nikki Lowe Submission (armbar) KOTC: Point of Impact

Highland, California, United States Win

Jillian Lybarger TKO (punches) KOTC: Alliance

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States Win

Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Beaten Path

Highland, California, United States