Kate Jackson

Kate Jackson is a British retired mixed martial artist, most notable for fighting for Bellator MMA, where she challenged for the promotion's flyweight championship, and on The Ultimate Fighter 23, losing to eventual TUF 23 winner Tatiana Suarez.

Background Having done karate since 2001 and judo from 2002 since the age of 15, Jackson kept going with whatever martial arts she could find at university, be it traditional jiujitsu, kickboxing and occasional BJJ classes. She found an MMA gym, Koncept, in Newquay Cornwall in 2008, and that’s when her interest and future career in MMA started.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Jackson made her MMA debut on 10 May 2009, earning a TKO victory over Kate Rennie. She would win four of her first five professional fights, before suffering her second career loss against future UFC women's strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The Ultimate Fighter 23 Competing at strawweight, Jackson appeared on the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2016, where she was a member of Team Gadelha, coached by Claudia Gadelha. In an interesting coincidence, the coach of the opposing team was Joanna Jedrzejczyk, against whom Jackson had previously competed.

Jackson defeated Irene Cabello by TKO to gain entry into the TUF house. She defeated Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision to advance to the semifinal round. There, Jackson was defeated by Tatiana Suarez by submission.

Bellator MMA

Following her stint on The Ultimate Fighter 23, Jackson returned to the regional scene in her native England for a single fight before being signed by Bellator MMA in 2017 to compete in their women's flyweight division. She won her promotional debut at Bellator 182, defeating Colleen Schneider.

In her second fight for the promotion, Jackson faced Valerie Letourneau at Bellator 191 in December 2017. She lost the fight by a unanimous decision.

In her third fight for the promotion, Jackson faced an undefeated Russian prospect, Anastasia Yankova at Bellator 200 on 25 May 2018. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Jackson next fought Lena Ovchynnikova at Bellator 223 on 22 June 2019. She won the fight by TKO in the first round.

On the strength of her two fight win streak, Jackson was selected as the next title challenger for the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship against champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. The fight was the main event of Bellator 236 in Honolulu, Hawaii on 21 December 2019. Jackson lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Jackson faced Denise Kielholtz at Bellator 247 on 1 October 2020. She lost the bout via knockout just 43 seconds into the first round.

Jackson faced Elina Kallionidou on May 13, 2022 at Bellator 281. She lost the bout via TKO stoppage due to ground and pound at the end of the second round.

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Elina Kallionidou TKO (punches) Bellator 281

London, England Loss

Denise Kielholtz KO (punches) Bellator 247

Milan, Italy Loss

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Decision (unanimous) Bellator 236

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Win

Lena Ovchynnikova TKO (doctor stoppage) Bellator 223

London, England Win

Anastasia Yankova Decision (unanimous) Bellator 200

London, England Loss

Valerie Letourneau Decision (unanimous) Bellator 191

Newcastle, England Win

Colleen Schneider TKO (knee injury) Bellator 182

Verona, New York, United States Win

Bryony Tyrell TKO (punches) British Challenge MMA 18

Essex, England Win

Linn Wennergren Decision (split) LFN 13

Lappeenranta, Finland Win

Eeva Siiskonen Submission (guillotine choke) LFN 12

Lappeenranta, Finland Win

Paulina Bonkowska TKO (knees and punches) Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 72

Newport, Wales Draw

Vuokko Katainen Draw (split) LFN 10

Lappeenranta, Finland Loss

Joanna Jedrzejczyk TKO (retirement) PLMMA 17 Extra: Warmia Heroes

Olsztyn, Poland Win

Chloe Hinchliffe Decision (unanimous) Tear Up 9

Bristol, England Win

Paula Ralph TKO (punches) Tear Up 8

Bristol, England Loss

Hanna Sillen Decision (unanimous) The Zone FC 9: Unbreakable

Gothenburg, Sweden Win

Fay Ridgeway Decision (unanimous) Head to Head: The Big Guns

Somerset, England Win

Kate Rennie TKO (punches) HOP 11: Taking Over

Newport, England Loss

Tatiana Suarez Submission (guillotine choke)

(airdate)

Win

Ashley Yoder Decision (unanimous) (airdate)

Win

Irene Cabello TKO (punches) (airdate)