The UFC has had many notable women fighters emerge since the introduction of women's MMA at UFC 157. Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, and Valentina Shevchenko have all become household names in the combat sports community as the sport continues to grow in popularity.

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One of the lesser-known women fighters who realized a successful and illustrious career is Roxanne Modafferi. Modafferi has competed in several well-known MMA promotions including Invicta and the UFC. She has compiled a 26-20 record since making her professional debut and has fought the best women throughout her long and celebrated MMA career.

10 She Made Her Debut In 2003

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Modafferi has been competing in professional MMA since 2003. She made her debut at Smackgirl: Third Season 7 in Tokyo and faced Hikaru Shinohara. She defeated Shinohara by first-round submission and compiled a five-fight win streak before suffering her first professional MMA loss in December 2004.

9 Her Nickname Is The Happy Warrior

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Modafferi is well-known for her positive attitude, likable personality and a large fan following. She has consistently been named as one of the most respectful, positive, and happy individuals in combat sports. Her positive outlook and personality were on full display during her time at The Ultimate Fighter as a competitor.

She is a practitioner of respecting her opponents and presenting herself as an ambassador to the sports of mixed martial arts. As a result, she has always had a large fan following.

8 She Has A Black Belt In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

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Modafferi's strength as an MMA competitor has always been her ability to dominate her opponents on the ground. While her striking significantly improved throughout her career, her ability to control her opponents using his offensive grappling was her surest path to victory.

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She received her black belt under Mike Pyle and Evan Dunham and has trained at Syndicate MMA since 2013. She has recorded five victories by submission throughout her professional career.

7 She Competed In Two Different Seasons Of The Ultimate Fighter

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Modafferi competed in two separate seasons of TUF but did not win the finale of either season. She was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate and competed on Team Tate.

She also took part in The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion and competed on Team Gaethje. Modafferi was considered the top overall pick and a favorite to win the show. She faced Nicco Montano in the finale of the show for the inaugural women's flyweight title but lost by unanimous decision. However, the UFC still signed for a multi-fight deal where she continued to compete as a flyweight.

6 She Was Once On A Six Fight Losing Streak

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At one point in her career, Modafferi was on a six-fight losing streak between 2010 and 2013. She suffered losses to notable women fighters including Sarah Kaufman, Barb Honchak, and Raquel Pennington.

The Happy Warrior is known to never say no to fighting an opponent which resulted in her agreeing to fights that she probably should not have. She was also on a six-fight win streak between 2007 and 2008.

5 She Has Won Three Championships In Her MMA Career

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Modafferi has competed for MMA gold several times throughout her career. She has also captured three separate belts in three different organizations. She is a former FFF, FFL, and IFC champion.

4 She Has Fought In Invicta, Strikeforce, And The UFC

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Modafferi has fought in several major promotions throughout her MMA career. She fought in Strikeforce twice and faced Sarah Kaufman for the women's Strikeforce bantamweight championship.

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She spent the majority of her career fighting in Invicta and the UFC but never realized her dream of becoming a champion in those organizations.

3 She Has Fought Many Of the Best Women Fighters In The World

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Modafferi competed in professional MMA for 19 years. She has fought some of the best women fighters in the world. This list includes Jennifer Maia, Lauren Murphy, Andrea Lee, Talia Santos, Sarah Kaufman, and Marloes Coenen.

Despite not compiling the most impressive win/loss record, Modafferi's resilience and determination have been unmatched as a professional competitor.

2 She Started Her Combat Sports Journey In Striking Martial Arts

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Modafferi was first introduced to martial arts when she began taking Taekwondo lessons at the age of 13. She also dabbled in Kenpo Karate during high school. After practicing striking martial arts for several years, she began training in Judo and found her calling.

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She received her brown belt in Judo after training for three years and predominantly focused on grappling for the remainder of her career.

1 She Retired At UFC 271

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Unfortunately for fight fans, Modafferi retired at UFC 271 after suffering a third straight loss to prospective flyweight contender Casey O'Neil. Modafferi was 39 years old and ended a 19-year career after realizing years of success as a professional MMA competitor.

Although she was never considered one of the most skilled or talented fighters, Modafferi's toughness and ability to compete with the very best fighters made her a true fan favorite. She will go down as one of the most well-liked and popular fighters in women's MMA.