| Tara LaRosa | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 1978 Woodstown, New Jersey, United States[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) |
| Style | Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Team | Philadelphia Fight Factory |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 22 |
| Wins | 20 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Tara LaRosa (born January 8, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist who previously fought in BodogFight.
She was the first and final BodogFight Women's Bantamweight Champion. She later defeated HOOKnSHOOT 125-Pound Champion Cody Welchin in a non-title bout at a HOOKnSHOOT/BodogFight co-sponsored event.
LaRosa also holds wins over other top mixed martial arts fighters such as Amanda Buckner and Kelly Kobold. She signed with the American Fight League, but the promotion folded before its first event.[2]
LaRosa is currently the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com,[3] the #1-ranked female fighter at 125 pounds according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings,[4] and is also ranked as the #2 Women's MMA Fighter of all-time according to Fightmatrix.com.[5]
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LaRosa grew up in Woodstown, New Jersey. She attended the now defunct St. James Catholic High School.[6] A love of Jean Claude van Damme and Chuck Norris action films inspired her to enroll in Judo. She soon moved into mixed martial arts training and trained with Royce Gracie.[6]
LaRosa faced Alisa Cantwell at XFO 4 on December 3, 2004. She won the fight by armbar submission.[7]
She faced Hitomi Akano at MFC: USA vs. Russia 3 on June 3, 2006. She won the fight by unanimous decision.[8]
LaRosa faced Julia Berezikova at BodogFight - USA vs. Russia on December 2, 2006. She won the fight by armbar submission in the second round.[9]
She faced Kelly Kobold at BodogFight - Alvarez vs. Lee on July 14, 2007 for the BodogFight women's 135-pound championship. She won the fight via armbar submission in the fourth round.[10]
LaRosa faced Alexis Davis at Extreme Challenge: The War at the Shore on January 23, 2009. She won by TKO when the doctor stopped the fight in the third round.[11]
LaRosa rematched Roxanne Modafferi at Moosin: God of Martial Arts on May 21, 2010.[12] She was defeated by Split Decision.[13]
LaRosa faced Takayo Hashi at DaMMAge Fight League 1 on November 24, 2010 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[14] She defeated Hashi by Unanimous Decision after five rounds to become the first DaMMAge Fight League Women's 125 lbs Champion.[15]
LaRosa most recently faced Carina Damm at Shark Fights 14 on March 11, 2011 in Lubbock, Texas.[16] She won the fight via submission in the second round.[17]
Tara's boyfriend, SFC Adrian M Elizalde was killed on August 23, 2007 when an IED hit his truck in Iraq.[18]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 22 matches | 20 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 11 | 0 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 20-2 | Carina Damm | Submission (inverted heel hook) | Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort | March 11, 2011 | 2 | 0:28 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 19-2 | Takayo Hashi | Decision (unanimous) | DaMMAge Fight League - The Big Bang | November 24, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Became first DaMMAge Fight League Women's 125 lbs Champion |
| Loss | 18-2 | Roxanne Modafferi | Decision (split) | Moosin: God of Martial Arts | May 21, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States | Fight was at 130 lbs. Catchweight |
| Win | 18-1 | Valerie Coolbaugh | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Extreme Force: "Locked In The Cage 1" | November 20, 2009 | 1 | 3:58 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 17-1 | Sally Krumdiack | Submission (kimura) | Extreme Challenge: "Mayhem At The Marina" | March 28, 2009 | 3 | 1:45 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 16-1 | Alexis Davis | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Extreme Challenge: "The War at the Shore" | January 23, 2009 | 3 | 4:23 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 15-1 | Cody Welchin | Submission (triangle armbar) | HOOKnSHOOT - BodogFight 2007 Women's Grand Prix | November 24, 2007 | 2 | 2:57 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | Non-Title Superfight |
| Win | 14-1 | Kelly Kobold | Submission (armbar) | BodogFight - Alvarez vs Lee | July 14, 2007 | 4 | 2:50 | Trenton, New Jersey, United States | Won BodogFight Women's Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 13-1 | Shayna Baszler | TKO (punches) | BodogFight - Costa Rica | February 18, 2007 | 2 | 3:15 | Costa Rica | |
| Win | 12-1 | Julia Berezikova | Submission (armbar) | BodogFight - USA vs. Russia | December 2, 2006 | 2 | 1:28 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 11-1 | Amanda Buckner | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BodogFight - To The Brink Of War | August 22, 2006 | 3 | 4:31 | Costa Rica | |
| Win | 10-1 | Julie Kedzie | Decision (unanimous) | Ultimate Cage Wars | July 8, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Chelan, Washington, United States | Won UCW Women's Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 9-1 | Hitomi Akano | Decision (unanimous) | Mix Fight Championship: USA vs. Russia 3 | June 3, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 8-1 | Roxanne Modafferi | Decision (unanimous) | Mix Fight Championship: Boardwalk Blitz | March 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 7-1 | Kumiko Maekawa | Decision (unanimous) | Smackgirl: Lightweight Anniversary | November 29, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 6-1 | Megumi Yabushita | Decision (majority) | G-Shooto 02 | March 12, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 5-1 | Alisa Cantwell | Submission (armbar) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 4 | December 3, 2004 | 1 | 2:45 | McHenry, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 4-1 | Linda Langerak | Submission (armbar) | HOOKnSHOOT: "Evolution" | November 6, 2004 | 2 | 2:29 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Loss | 3-1 | Jennifer Howe | TKO (punches) | HOOKnSHOOT - Absolute Fighting Championships 3 | May 24, 2003 | 1 | 2:18 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 3-0 | Ginele Marquez | Submission (armbar) | Tennessee Shooto - Judgment | March 22, 2003 | 1 | 4:10 | Clarksville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 2-0 | Angela Wilson | TKO (punches) | HOOKnSHOOT: "New Wind" | September 7, 2002 | 1 | 4:51 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Shelby Walker | Submission (punches) | HOOKnSHOOT: "Revolution" | April 13, 2002 | 1 | 2:43 | Evansville, Indiana, United States |