Liana Jojua
| Liana Jojua | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1995 Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Other names | She Wolf |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Weight | 129 lb (59 kg; 9 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Flyweight Bantamweight |
| Reach | 62 in (157 cm)[1] |
| Style | Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kudo |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Grozny, Russia |
| Team | Akhmat Fighting Club Syndicate MMA (2021–present)[2] |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Liana Jojua (born March 22, 1995) is a Georgian mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and she was also the inaugural and former Fight Nights Global Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Mixed martial arts career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Jojua's interest in MMA started after watching Gina Carano's fights as a 16-year-old. Coming from a background in Muay Thai, she made her MMA debut in September 2015. After winning her initial fight, she went on a two-fight skid in 2016, but Jojua hit her stride and went on a five-fight win streak which culminated in her winning the FNG Women's Bantamweight Championship against Marina Mokhnatkina.[3]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
[edit]Jojua faced Sarah Moras on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242.[4][5] At the weigh-ins, Moras weighed in at 138 lbs, 2 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136 lbs. Moras was fined 20% of her fight purse to Jojua, and the bout proceeded at catchweight.[6] Jojua lost the fight via TKO in the third round.[7]
Move down to flyweight
[edit]Jojua faced Diana Belbiţă at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige on July 16, 2020. She won the fight via armbar in first round.[8]
Jojua faced Miranda Maverick on October 24, 2020 at UFC 254.[9] She lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[10]
Jojua was expected to face Cortney Casey on August 21, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 29.[11] However, Jojua was forced out of the fight due to visa issues.[12] The matchup was rescheduled at UFC Fight Night 197 on November 13, 2021.[13] At the weigh-ins, Jojua weighed in at 128.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Jojua fined 30% of her purse, which went to her opponent Casey.[14] Jojua lost the bout via unanimous decision.[15]
After the loss, it was announced that Jojua was released from UFC.[16]
Post UFC
[edit]Jojua made her first appearance post UFC release and faced Dariya Zheleznyakova on May 20, 2022 at Ares FC 6. She lost by the way of unanimous decision.[17]
Personal life
[edit]She is a teacher and graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical University. She also has a secondary musical education in vocals and piano.[18]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- Fight Nights Global
- FNG Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time; inaugural)[19]
Mixed martial arts record
[edit]| 13 matches | 7 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–6 | Dariya Zheleznyakova | Decision (unanimous) | Ares FC 6 | May 20, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Loss | 7–5 | Cortney Casey | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (128.5 lb) bout; Jojua missed weight. |
| Loss | 7–4 | Miranda Maverick | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 254 | October 24, 2020 | 1 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 7–3 | Diana Belbiţă | Submission (armbar) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige | July 16, 2020 | 1 | 2:47 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Flyweight debut. |
| Loss | 6–3 | Sarah Moras | TKO (punches) | UFC 242 | September 7, 2019 | 3 | 2:26 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (138 lb) bout; Moras missed weight. |
| Win | 6–2 | Marina Mokhnatkina | Decision (majority) | Fight Nights Global 83: Alibekov vs. Aliev | February 22, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | Won the inaugural FNG Women's Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–2 | Viktoriya Shalimova | Submission (heel hook) | Emir FC: Selection 1 | December 29, 2017 | 1 | 0:28 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 4–2 | Karina Vasilenko | Submission (armbar) | Fight Nights Global 71: Mineev vs. Michailidis | July 29, 2017 | 1 | 4:15 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 3–2 | Tao Li | Submission (armbar) | Kunlun Fight MMA 7 | December 15, 2016 | 1 | 3:14 | Beijing, China | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 2–2 | Valeria Pak | Submission (armbar) | SLMMA 7: Ivanov vs. Karapetyan | November 6, 2016 | 2 | N/A | Moscow, Russia | Featherweight debut. |
| Loss | 1–2 | Na Liang | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WLF E.P.I.C. 7 | August 20, 2016 | 2 | N/A | Zhengzhou, China | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Zamzagul Fayzallanova | Decision (split) | Alash Pride: Atyrau the Beautiful | January 16, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atyrau, Kazakhstan | Catchweight (143 lb) |
| Win | 1–0 | Tatyana Pevneva | TKO (punches) | Octagon Fighting Sensation 5 | October 3, 2015 | 1 | 3:07 | Yaroslavl, Russia | Catchweight (137 lb) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ McKenzie Pavacich (November 12, 2021). "Full Steam Ahead For Liana Jojua". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- ^ Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ "Liana Jojua faces Sarah Moras at UFC 242". AsianMMA. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
- ^ Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ "UFC 242 weigh-in results: All fights official despite one miss". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-09-07). "UFC 242 Results: Sarah Moras Returns to Win Column With Dominant Finish of Liana Jojua". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ Staff (2020-06-15). "UFC Fight Island 1 Results: Liana Jojua Armbars Diana Belbita in First Round". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Staff (2020-09-07). "Liana Jojua vs. Miranda Maverick added to UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-09-07. (in Dutch)
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2020-10-24). "UFC 254 Results: Miranda Maverick Smashes Liana Jojua in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- ^ Nolan King (2021-07-09). "UFC books Cortney Casey vs. Liana Jojua for Aug. 21 event". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ Heck, Mike (2021-08-12). "Visa issues scratch Liana Jojua from UFC Vegas 34, Cortney Casey targets future matchup". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
- ^ "Fight Announcement: Cortney Casey vs Liana Jojua on Nov 13". The AllStar. 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2021-11-12). "UFC Vegas 42 weigh-in results: Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez on point for main event, two others miss". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-11-13). "UFC Vegas 42: Cortney Casey Snaps Two-Fight Skid, Beats Liana Jojua". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2021-11-17). "Liana Jojua no longer on UFC roster after weight miss, loss to Cortney Casey". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
- ^ Angelini, Olivier (2022-05-20). "ARES 6 – Résultats des combats". Boxemag.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ Staff (2020-06-15). "Liana Jojua". UFC.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Liana Jojua". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.