# Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Karolina Kowalkiewicz (born October 15, 1985) is a Polish mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Kowalkiewicz began her mixed martial arts career at the age of sixteen when she began training in Krav Maga. She later trained in Muay Thai and decided to make it a career. She fought two amateur fights before turning pro.
Kowalkiewicz made her professional debut in her native Poland in May 2012. Over the next three-and-a-half years she amassed an undefeated record of seven wins against no losses. She fought primarily for the Poland-based KSW promotion - where she was the Flyweight champion - and also made her U.S. debut for Invicta FC in November 2014.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

In late October 2015, it was announced that Kowalkiewicz had signed with the UFC. She faced Randa Markos on December 19, 2015 at UFC on FOX 17. She was successful in her debut, winning the fight by unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz next faced Heather Jo Clark on May 8, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz defeated Rose Namajunas by split decision on July 30, 2016 at UFC 201 to earn the next title shot at then-champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. This performance earned her a Fight of the Night bonus.
Kowalkiewicz fought for the Strawweight title and lost to champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision on November 12, 2016 at UFC 205.
Kowalkiewicz faced Cláudia Gadelha on June 3, 2017 in the co-main event at UFC 212. She lost the fight via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.
Kowalkiewicz faced Jodie Esquibel on October 21, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Felice Herrig on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223. She won the fight by split decision.
Kowalkiewicz fought Jéssica Andrade on September 8, 2018 at UFC 228. She lost the fight by knockout in the first round.
Kowalkiewicz faced Michelle Waterson at UFC on ESPN 2 on March 30, 2019. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Alexa Grasso on June 8, 2019 at UFC 238. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Yan Xiaonan on February 23, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 168. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Jessica Penne on August 7, 2021 at UFC 265. She lost the fight via an armbar in round one.
After a one-year hiatus, Kowalkiewicz faced Felice Herrig on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207. Kowalkiewicz snapped a 5 bout losing streak, submitting Herrig via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Kowalkiewicz faced Silvana Gómez Juárez on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Vanessa Demopoulos on May 13, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 223. At the weigh-ins, Demopoulos weighed in at 117.5 pounds, one and half pounds over the women's strawweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceed at catchweight and Demopoulos was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to Kowalkiewicz. Kowalkiewicz won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Diana Belbiţă at UFC Fight Night 229 on October 7, 2023. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 301 on May 4, 2024. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Kowalkiewicz faced Denise Gomes on November 9, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 247. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Rose Namajunas
** Third most bouts in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (17)
* Invicta Fighting Championships
** Fight of the Night (One time)
* Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
** KSW Flyweight Championship (One title defense)
** Fight of the Night (One time)

## Personal life

In 2019, Kowalkiewicz was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. To cope with the symptoms Kowalkiewicz now works with an endocrinologist and has adopted a vegan diet.
In 2020, during the match with Yan Xiaonan she got a severe eye injury in the first round, yet she fought the remaining rounds with the injury. Her injuries were so severe that she couldn't return home from New Zealand, forced to wear an eye patch and stay for a few days. On Instagram she commented on the injury: "First time in my life after a fight, I cannot say I'm okay. Like you see, at the beginning of the first round, I have broken small bone here. I couldn't see nothing. My vision was double and everything was like in the fog." She later had surgery which involved the insertion of a titanium plate in her right eye.

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 25 matches | 16 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 3 | 2 |
| By decision | 12 | 6 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 16–9 | Denise Gomes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates | November 9, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–8 | Iasmin Lucindo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 301 | May 4, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 16–7 | Diana Belbiţă | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green | October 7, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–7 | Vanessa Demopoulos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill | May 20, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (117.5 lb) bout; Demopoulos missed weight. |
| Win | 14–7 | Silvana Gómez Juárez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 281 | November 12, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 13–7 | Felice Herrig | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik | June 4, 2022 | 2 | 4:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–7 | Jessica Penne | Submission (armbar) | UFC 265 | August 7, 2021 | 1 | 4:32 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 12–6 | Yan Xiaonan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker | February 23, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 12–5 | Alexa Grasso | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Michelle Waterson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje | March 30, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Jéssica Andrade | KO (punch) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 1 | 1:58 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Felice Herrig | Decision (split) | UFC 223 | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Jodie Esquibel | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till | October 21, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Loss | 10–2 | Cláudia Gadelha | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 212 | June 3, 2017 | 1 | 3:03 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 205 | November 12, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | For the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Rose Namajunas | Decision (split) | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | UFC Women's Strawweight title eliminator. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–0 | Heather Jo Clark | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski | May 8, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Win | 8–0 | Randa Markos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 | December 19, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Kalindra Faria | Decision (split) | KSW 30 | February 21, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Poznań, Poland | Non-title bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Mizuki Inoue | Decision (split) | Invicta FC 9 | November 1, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | Strawweight debut. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 5–0 | Jasminka Cive | Submission (armbar) | KSW 27 | May 17, 2014 | 1 | 3:53 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Simona Soukupova | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 24 | September 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Catchweight (119 lb) bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Marta Chojnoska | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 23 | June 8, 2013 | 1 | 1:11 | Gdańsk, Poland | Won the vacant KSW Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Paulina Bońkowska | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 21 | December 1, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | Flyweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Marzena Wojas | TKO (punches) | Extreme Fighting Sports 2 | May 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:12 | Gdynia, Poland | Catchweight (132 lb) bout. |

### Amateur mixed martial arts record

| Amateur record breakdown | Amateur record breakdown | |
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 0–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Amateur League MMA 18 | March 4, 2012 | 1 | 4:18 | Sochaczew, Poland | |