Former UFC star Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s fighting retirement might be short-lived after receiving an intriguing comeback offer.
Women’s MMA pioneer Michelle Waterson-Gomez opted to hang up the gloves following a loss to Gillian Robertson at UFC 303 last year. The elite striker lost five consecutive fights on her way out of the UFC, including stoppage defeats to Amanda Lemos and Marina Rodriguez.
Waterson-Gomez was once considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in women’s MMA, after victories against the likes of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Paige VanZant, and Angela Hill. Despite her accolades, she opted to walk away from fighting to pursue other career avenues.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesMichelle Waterson-Gomez admits to ‘tempting’ comeback in new arena
Fast forward to 2025, and Waterson-Gomez is a common presence on UFC pre and post-fight show broadcasts. While she’s transitioned seamlessly to the broadcast desk, she still has the competitive fire she showcased in her career, and an opportunity recently presented itself to return to fighting.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Waterson-Gomez shared a recent discussion with former UFC champ Bas Rutten that has her on the cusp of a potential comeback.
“It’s always tempting,” Waterson-Gomez said. “I did some in ring announcing for Karate Combat and I’m talking to Bas [Rutten] and he’s like, ‘You should get into it, this is perfect for you, this is your wheelhouse!’ It’s definitely tempting. The competitor in me and the fighter in me is like I wonder.
“But I have realized as well, all these other things I’m trying to get into, being an analyst for the UFC, getting into the acting world, it takes just as much dedication, and if I want to make a run at it, I have to be able to dedicate myself to those things as well.”
Waterson-Gomez went on to open up on some of the struggles she’s suffered through since retiring.
“You become a fighter, you become a warrior and when you step away from it, you miss it. You go through withdrawals. You go through depression. There’s so many things you go through,” Waterson-Gomez revealed. “But luckily, I have an amazing husband, an amazing family and supportive team behind me to help me move to the next chapter and put as much energy into all the other endeavors that I’m doing as much as I was in fighting.”
Waterson-Gomez featured as a post-fight interviewer at several Karate Combat events earlier this year. If she opts to return to fighting in the KC pit, she’ll become the latest UFC veteran to make the switch, joining the likes of Luke Rockhold and Sam Alvey.
Waterson-Gomez began training karate when she was 10 years old, a discipline which led her to some of her biggest UFC victories.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez was one of several UFC fan favorites to hang up the gloves over the last year
At the time of her retirement, Waterson-Gomez was one of several prominent veterans to drop the gloves in the Octagon in 2024. Dustin Poirier joined Waterson-Gomez and others in the retirement realm after his loss at UFC 318 last month.
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith announced his retirement following a loss to Mingyang Zhang at UFC Kansas City. Smith has since joined Waterson-Gomez and other top UFC minds as a television analyst.
If Waterson-Gomez wants to return to fighting, it sounds like she has a logical option in Karate Combat. Time will tell if the temptation to return will lead Waterson-Gomez back to competition.