Roxanne Modafferi | |
---|---|
Born | September 24, 1982 Wilmington, Delaware, United States[1] |
Other names | The Happy Warrior |
Residence | Kanagawa, Japan |
Nationality | American |
Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 3⁄4 in) |
Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
Fighting out of | Tokyo, Japan |
Team | Freelance |
Rank | brown belt in Judo |
Years active | 2003-Present (MMA) |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 24 |
Wins | 15 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 4 |
By decision | 10 |
Losses | 9 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 3 |
By decision | 5 |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Roxanne Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American female mixed martial artist.
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Modafferi's training began in taekwondo as a teenager in Pennsylvania, moving on to Mark Lawler's Kenpō Karate two years later. Full of confidence, she then began attending the Dalton Judo Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Her description of that experience was: "I thought I was all cool doing Karate, like the movie stars, but then in Judo I learned what it was like to fly." She trained for three years to gain a brown belt in the style, and then graduated from high school. Before leaving home to study at the University of Massachusetts, a fellow brown belt brought Modafferi to a Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu association in Adams, Massachusetts, where she trained intensively for three months.
Modafferi majored in Japanese Language and Literature with a minor in Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts. While at college, she found the Amherst Athletic club, where New England Submission Fighting is based. In addition, she trained at another Royce Gracie association in Hartford, Connecticut for about a year (necessitating a weekly two hour round trip), also investigating Jeremy Libiszewski's School of Self-Defence in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. During summer vacations in Boston, she trained at Joao Amaral's New England BJJ club, now associated with Brazilian Top Team. Modafferi says, "Those guys are tough as concrete is hard, and beat my weaknesses out of me when they found them." To work on her striking, she also attended the Sityodtong Muay Thai Academy's North American branch in Somerville, Massachusetts, run by Kru Mark DellaGrotte.
Modafferi spent September 2003 to June 2004, her junior year, in Tokyo, Japan. This enabled her to compete in a number of NHB and BJJ competitions. She achieved a 3-0 mixed martial arts record in the Smackgirl promotion and defeated Jennifer Howe (who, at that time, was considered to be the best female fighter in the United States, if not the world) in HOOKnSHOOT.
In Japan, she trained at the Cross Point club in Kichijouji, which taught both Muay Thai and BJJ. She hopes to one day write a book about her experiences during that time, having already contributed several articles on the topic. After graduating in May 2005, she secured a position with Berlitz, teaching English in Japan and arriving for the second time in July 2005.
Modafferi earned a win by split decision against Cassandra Rivers-Blasso at Fatal Femmes Fighting on February 2, 2007. She became K-GRACE Women's Open-Weight Tournament Champion on May 27, 2007 by defeating Hee Jin Lee, Megumi Yabushita and Marloes Coenen.[2]
Roxanne defended her FFF title against Vanessa Porto at FFF 4 - Call of the Wild on April 3, 2008. She won the fight by TKO in the third round.[3]
She signed a contract with the American Fight League[4] and was scheduled to face Tara LaRosa at the AFL's November event,[5] but fought instead at the debut Valkyrie event in Japan after the AFL's plans stalled.
Modafferi moved up a weight class and made her long-awaited Strikeforce debut in a rematch with Marloes Coenen on November 7, 2009 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers,[6] but lost the fight by armbar in the first round.[7]
On January 30, 2010, Modafferi submitted Molly Helsel in the second round at King of the Cage: Toryumon in Okinawa, Japan.[8]
Modafferi rematched Tara LaRosa at Moosin: God of Martial Arts on May 21, 2010. Strikeforce provided official permission for Modafferi to compete on the card.[9] Modafferi won the fight by Split Decision.[10]
Modafferi returned to Strikeforce to challenge Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe on July 23, 2010.[11] She lost the fight via knockout due to a slam in the third round.[12]
Modafferi was released by Strikeforce on November 12, 2010 after losing both her fights with the promotion.[13] She was scheduled to face Hitomi Akano at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight on December 30, 2010,[14] but the fight was cancelled after Modafferi suffered a stomach illness and was unable to compete.[15][16]
Modafferi faced Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 40 on February 26, 2011. The fight was Modafferi's debut at 125 pounds.[17] She was defeated by Unanimous Decision.[18]
Modafferi then faced Hitomi Akano in a bout rescheduled for Jewels 15th Ring on July 9, 2011.[19] She was defeated by Unanimous Decision.[20]
Modafferi was scheduled to face Aisling Daly at BlackEye Promotions 5 on October 1, 2011 in Fletcher, North Carolina.[21] However, Daly was forced to withdraw from the card and Modafferi faced Barb Honchak instead.[22] She was defeated by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the third round.[23]
Professional record breakdown | ||
24 matches | 15 wins | 9 losses |
By knockout | 1 | 1 |
By submission | 4 | 3 |
By decision | 10 | 5 |
Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 15–9 | Barb Honchak | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BEP 5 - Breast Cancer Beatdown | October 1, 2011 | 3 | 1:46 | Fletcher, North Carolina, United States | |
Loss | 15–8 | Hitomi Akano | Decision (unanimous) | Jewels 15th Ring | July 9, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Loss | 15–7 | Rosi Sexton | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 40 | February 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | North London, England | 125 lb debut |
Loss | 15–6 | Sarah Kaufman | KO (slam) | Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe | July 23, 2010 | 3 | 4:45 | Everett, Washington, United States | For Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship |
Win | 15–5 | Tara LaRosa | Decision (split) | Moosin: God of Martial Arts | May 21, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States | |
Win | 14–5 | Molly Helsel | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KOTC: Toryumon | January 30, 2010 | 2 | 3:18 | Okinawa, Japan | |
Loss | 13–5 | Marloes Coenen | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers | November 7, 2009 | 1 | 1:05 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
Win | 13–4 | Chisa Yonezawa | Decision (unanimous) | Valkyrie 01 | November 8, 2008 | 2 | 3:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Win | 12–4 | Vanessa Porto | TKO (knees) | Fatal Femmes Fighting 4: Call of the Wild | April 3, 2008 | 3 | 0:53 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Defended FFF Lightweight Championship |
Win | 11–4 | Marloes Coenen | Decision (split) | K-GRACE 1 | May 27, 2007 | 2 | 3:00 | Tokyo, Japan | K-GRACE Women's Openweight Tournament Final |
Win | 10–4 | Megumi Yabushita | Decision (unanimous) | K-GRACE 1 | May 27, 2007 | 2 | 3:00 | Tokyo, Japan | K-GRACE Women's Openweight Tournament Semifinal |
Win | 9–4 | Hee Jin Lee | Submission (armbar) | K-GRACE 1 | May 27, 2007 | 1 | 2:56 | Tokyo, Japan | K-GRACE Women's Openweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
Win | 8–4 | Cassandra Rivers-Blasso | Decision (split) | Fatal Femmes Fighting 1: Asian Invasion | January 17, 2007 | 5 | 2:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Won FFF Lightweight Championship |
Loss | 7–4 | Shayna Baszler | Submission (kimura) | MARS: BodogFIGHT | August 4, 2006 | 1 | 1:08 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Win | 7–3 | Megumi Yabushita | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: G Shooto 5 | May 6, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Loss | 6–3 | Tara LaRosa | Decision (unanimous) | Mix Fighting Championships: Boardwalk Blitz | March 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 6–2 | Laura D'Auguste | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 8 | March 19, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States | For ROC Women's Welterweight Championship |
Win | 6–1 | Jennifer Howe | Submission (triangle choke) | International Fighting Championships: Eve of Destruction | March 5, 2005 | 3 | 1:47 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Won IFC Women's Middleweight Championship; Won ISKA Women's World Middleweight Championship |
Loss | 5–1 | Megumi Yabushita | Decision (unanimous) | Smackgirl: World ReMix 2004 | December 19, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Shizuoka, Japan | Smackgirl World ReMix 2004 Openweight Tournament Semifinal |
Win | 5–0 | Ana Carolina | Decision (unanimous) | Smackgirl: World ReMix 2004 | December 19, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Shizuoka, Japan | Smackgirl World ReMix 2004 Openweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
Win | 4–0 | Jennifer Howe | Decision (unanimous) | HOOKnSHOOT: Evolution | November 6, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
Win | 3–0 | Natsuko Kikukawa | Decision (unanimous) | Smackgirl: F8 | May 16, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
Win | 2–0 | Keiko Tamai | Decision (unanimous) | Greatest Common Multiple: Cross Section 1 | April 18, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Japan | |
Win | 1–0 | Hikaru Shinohara | Submission (armbar) | Smackgirl: Third Season 7 | November 10, 2003 | 1 | 1:58 | Tokyo, Japan |