# Erin Toughill

Erin Young Toughill (born June 13, 1977) is an American former professional boxer, mixed martial artist, and bare-knuckle boxer who also appeared as a Gladiator on the American Gladiators series.
She began kickboxing at the age of 18 and started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu soon after.
Under the watch of her LA Boxing trainer Sean McCully, Toughill debuted in mixed martial arts on September 27, 1999, and fought to a draw with Irma Verhoeff at World Vale Tudo Championship 9 in Aruba.
Less than a year later, she made her professional boxing debut on July 20, 2000.
Along with her MMA career, Toughill holds a professional boxing record of 7 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw and 1 no contest.
She counts IBF Super Middleweight contender Librado Andrade, a long-time sparring partner, among her close friends.

## Boxing career

Toughill has only one loss before losing her battle against Laila Ali. Her final boxing match was against Laura Ramsey, whom she defeated previously. Toughill's father died three days before her rematch to Laura Ramsey. Toughill lost the fight by TKO in the first round and retired soon after with a record of 7–3–1, 1 NC.
Toughill returned to boxing on January 27, 2019, against Maricela Cornejo losing a unanimous division. Toughill fought again on May 18, 2019, losing via TKO to Raquel Miller.

## Mixed martial arts career

After going 1–1–1 in her first three bouts, Toughill won five straight fights before losing due to illegal hits to the spine in the finals of the 2004 Smackgirl World ReMix Tournament to Megumi Yabushita. She competed once more and scored a TKO victory over Jen Case in 2006.
In 2007, Toughill retired from both boxing and MMA. Toughill came out of retirement from MMA and fought Jan Finney on November 20, 2008, at Palace Fighting Championships 11. Despite cutting over 20 pounds (9.1 kg) to make the contracted weight limit, Toughill was victorious and later went on to defeat Karen Williams and Emily Thompson in subsequent events for PFC after a fight with Adrienna Jenkins was cancelled due to injury.

### Strikeforce

Toughill was set to make her Strikeforce debut on November 7, 2009, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers in a rematch with Marloes Coenen, whom Toughill defeated in 2004. However, she later withdrew from the fight due to an undisclosed medical condition.
On March 18, 2010, Toughill announced that she was planning to leave Strikeforce. She had been scheduled to compete on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville on April 17. However, in a second posting on April 9, 2010, Toughill attributed the disagreements with Strikeforce to misunderstandings and stated that she would be staying with the promotion.
Toughill was scheduled to face Shana Olsen at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010, but the fight was cancelled due to concerns over Toughill's ability to make weight. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, Toughill's next fight will not take place in Strikeforce, but she remains a part of the promotion's roster.
Toughill was offered to face Cristiane Santos for a bout in 2010, but the fight never came into fruition.

### Post-Strikeforce

Toughill was scheduled to compete outside of Strikeforce against China's Bao Yu Dan at Martial Combat 9 on September 15, 2010, in Singapore. However, on September 13, Toughill withdrew from the fight after citing a broken clavicle.
Toughill returned to active competition after nearly two years at Freestyle Cage Fighting 46 on April 9, 2011. The fight was against Ashley Sanchez at a 160 lb (73 kg) catchweight (per Toughill's request). Toughill lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Toughill agreed to face Anna Barone at BlackEye Promotions 5 on October 1, 2011, in Fletcher, North Carolina, but withdrew from the fight after suffering a rib injury in training.

## American Gladiators

Toughill became a cast member of NBC's primetime series, American Gladiators, where she became known as Steel. One of the commentators on American Gladiators, Laila Ali, knocked her out.

## Bare-knuckle boxing career
### BYB Extreme

Toughill made her bare knuckle boxing debut with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series, losing a 5-round split decision to Jozette Cotton at BYB 6 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood on July 16, 2021.
On March 12, 2022, she defeated Sonya Dreiling via unanimous decision at BYB 9, improving her bare knuckle record to 1-1.

## Personal life

Erin married Neil Melanson, a grappling coach and lead Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Xtreme Couture, in a private ceremony on November 20, 2009. Melanson also serves as the primary grappling coach for UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, and has cornered Couture during several recent MMA fights. The couple is currently going through a divorce.
Toughill's younger sister, Megan, was killed in a car accident on September 19, 2004, which was about three weeks before her title fight with Yvonne Reis.

## Media

Toughill was featured on MSNBC's Warrior Nation as she prepared for a fight.
In 2022, Toughill launched Talk Tough with Erin Toughill, an interview-style podcast focused on bare knuckle boxing.

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 14 matches | 10 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 5 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 10-3-1 | Ashley Sanchez | Decision (unanimous) | Freestyle Cage Fighting 46 | April 9, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 10-2-1 | Emily Thompson | Decision (unanimous) | PFC 13: Validation | May 8, 2009 | 3 | 3:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 9-2-1 | Karen Williams | TKO (punches) | PFC: Best of Both Worlds | February 6, 2009 | 1 | 2:06 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 8-2-1 | Jan Finney | Decision (unanimous) | PFC 11: All In | November 20, 2008 | 3 | 3:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 7-2-1 | Jen Case | TKO (punches) | VF - Showdown at Cache Creek II | September 15, 2006 | 2 | 2:22 | Brooks, California, United States | |
| Loss | 6-2-1 | Megumi Yabushita | DQ (elbows) | Smackgirl - World ReMix 2004 | December 19, 2004 | 1 | 2:39 | Shizuoka, Japan | Open Weight Queen tournament finals. |
| Win | 6-1-1 | Marloes Coenen | KO (punch) | Smackgirl - World ReMix 2004 | December 19, 2004 | 1 | 5:00 | Shizuoka, Japan | Open Weight Queen tournament semi-finals. |
| Win | 5-1-1 | Miwako Ishihara | TKO (corner stoppage) | Smackgirl - World ReMix 2004 | December 19, 2004 | 1 | 0:27 | Shizuoka, Japan | Open Weight Queen tournament first round. |
| Win | 4-1-1 | Miwako Ishihara | Decision (unanimous) | Smackgirl - Dynamic | September 1, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Shizuoka, Japan | |
| Win | 3-1-1 | Kaoru Ito | Decision (unanimous) | W - Fusion | July 27, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 2-1-1 | Megumi Yabushita | Technical Submission (armbar) | ReMix - Golden Gate 2001 | May 3, 2001 | 2 | 3:08 | Japan | |
| Loss | 1-1-1 | Svetlana Goundarenko | Submission (scarf-hold armlock) | ReMix - World Cup 2000 | December 5, 2000 | 1 | 2:47 | Japan | Open Weight tournament semi-finals. |
| Win | 1-0-1 | Irina Rodina | Decision (split) | ReMix - World Cup 2000 | December 5, 2000 | 2 | 5:00 | Japan | Open Weight tournament quarter-finals. |
| Draw | 0-0-1 | Irma Verhoeff | Draw | World Vale Tudo Championship 9 | September 27, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | Aruba | |

## Professional boxing record

| 13 fights | 7 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 2 |
| By decision | 7 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 13 | Loss | 7–4-1 (1) | Maricela Cornejo | UD | 8 | Jan 27, 2019 | Aalon Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Loss | 7–3-1 (1) | Laura Ramsey | TKO | 1 (6), 1:28 | Aug 31, 2006 | Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. | Fight stopped after Toughill fell through ropes |
| 11 | Win | 7–2-1 (1) | Laura Ramsey | UD | 6 | Jan 27, 2006 | The Palladium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 10 | Loss | 6–2-1 (1) | Laila Ali | TKO | 3 (10), 1:54 | Jun 11, 2005 | MCI Center, Washington, DC, U.S | |
| 9 | Win | 6–1-1 (1) | Yvonne Reis | UD | 10 | Oct 22, 2004 | Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 5–1-1 (1) | Cassandra Giger | UD | 8 | Jul 31, 2004 | Sam's Town Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S | |
| 7 | Win | 4–1-1 (1) | Kuulei Kupihea | UD | 4 | Nov 14, 2003 | Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 3–1-1 (1) | Nicole Conant | UD | 4 | Jul 24, 2003 | Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Oxnard, California, U.S. | |
| 5 | NC | 2–1-1 (1) | Jackie Frazier-Lyde | NC | 3 (8) | Jun 4, 2002 | The Temple Corps, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | For WIBF Inter-Continental super middleweight title; Fight stopped after Toughill cut from accidental head clash |
| 4 | Draw | 2–1-1 | Dakota Stone | PTS | 4 | Dec 12, 2001 | Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Veronica Sanchez | MD | 4 | Oct 7, 2000 | Centennial Garden Arena, Bakersfield, California, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 1–1 | Correena Grizoffi | UD | 4 | Aug 26, 2000 | Selland Arena, Fresno, California, U.S. | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Elizabeth Rumpf | UD | 4 | Jul 20, 2000 | Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S. |

## Bare knuckle boxing record

| 2 fights | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 2 | Win | 1-1 | Sonya Dreiling | UD | 5 | March 12, 2022 | Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 1 | Loss | 0-1 | Jozette Cotton | UD | 5 | Jul 16, 2021 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | |

## Accomplishments

* Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under James Boran
* 2001 ReMix Golden Gate Japan Champion
* W-Fusion 2001 Japan Champion