Jessamyn Duke
Duke in 2016
Born
Jessamyn Laurel Duke

(1986-06-24) June 24, 1986 (age 37)
Whitesburg, Kentucky, U.S.
Ring name(s)Jessamyn Duke[1]
Billed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Billed weight135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Trained byWWE Performance Center
Santino Bros. Wrestling
DebutAugust 25, 2018
Mixed martial arts career Martial arts career
DivisionBantamweight (135 lb)
Featherweight (145 lb)
Reach73 in (190 cm)[2]
StyleMuay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Fighting out ofRichmond, Kentucky, United States
TeamGlendale Fighting Club (2013–present)
Rank  Purple belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Years active2010–2016 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total9
Wins3
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision1
Losses5
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision2
No contests1
Amateur record
Total7
Wins5
By knockout1
By submission3
By decision1
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Other information
UniversityEastern Kentucky University
Notable school(s)Whitesburg High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Jessamyn Laurel Duke (born June 24, 1986)[4] is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she worked with WWE as part of their NXT brand. She formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Invicta Fighting Championships in the women's bantamweight division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Duke started her amateur career in 2010. She fought mainly for Absolute Action MMA and Tuff-N-Uff. She obtained the amateur featherweight title in both organizations.[5][6]

In 2012, Duke moved to professional mixed martial arts and signed with Invicta FC.[7]

Invicta Fighting Championships

Duke made her professional and promotional debut against Suzie Montero on July 28, 2012, at Invicta FC 2. She won via TKO in the third round.[8]

Duke faced Marciea Allen on October 6, 2012, at Invicta FC 3. She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round.[9] This victory earned her a submission of the night bonus award, which was split between Duke and Stephanie Frausto, due to her submission victory over Amy Davis in the same event.[10]

Duke faced Miriam Nakamoto on April 5, 2013, at Invicta FC 5. The result was originally a KO victory for Nakamoto but was later overturned by the Missouri Office of Athletics to no contest due to an illegal knee.[11]

The Ultimate Fighter

In August 2013, Duke was announced as a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate.[12] She defeated Laura Howarth via submission due to a triangle choke during the entry round and was the second female pick of Team Rousey.[13]

Duke faced Raquel Pennington in the elimination round. Pennington defeated Duke via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)[14] and the performance earned both participants Fight of The Season honors.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Duke made her promotional debut against TUF 18 teammate Peggy Morgan on November 30, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. She won via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).[16]

In her second UFC fight, Duke faced Bethe Correia at UFC 172.[17] She lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 30–27).[18]

Duke faced Leslie Smith at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller on July 16, 2014.[19] She lost the fight via TKO early in the first round after taking several punches to the face and body.[20]

Duke faced Elizabeth Phillips at UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 on July 25, 2015, in a rematch of their amateur bout at RFA 2 – Yvel vs. Alexander.[21] Duke lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[22][23]

Return to Invicta FC

Following her third straight loss in the UFC, Duke re-signed with Invicta and faced Irene Aldana at Invicta FC 16 on March 11, 2016.[24] She lost the fight by a first-round technical knockout.[25]

Duke faced Cindy Dandois at Invicta FC 18 on July 29, 2016. She lost the fight by a first-round submission.[26]

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2018–2021)

Duke started her professional wrestling training at Santino Bros. Pro Wrestling School in California.[27] On May 7, 2018, WWE announced that Duke, along with Marina Shafir, had signed with WWE and reported to the Performance Center for training.[28]

On October 28 at WWE Evolution, Duke and Shafir made their WWE debuts as heels when they interfered during the NXT Women's Championship match, in which they helped Shayna Baszler win the title over Kairi Sane.[29] Duke and Shafir then aligned themselves with Baszler establishing themselves as heels in the process. They made another appearance at NXT TakeOver: WarGames when they interfered during Baszler and Sane's two out of three falls match, in which Baszler scored the first fall and the victory in the latter to retain the title.[30] On the December 19, 2018, episode of NXT Shafir and Duke made their NXT in-ring debut and lost to Io Shirai and Dakota Kai when Io pinned Shafir after a Moonsault.[31] At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, Duke and Shafir assisted Baszler in retaining the title against Bianca Belair.[32] On October 23, 2019, Duke and Shafir faced Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai in a number one contender's match for the Women's Tag Team Championship, but were defeated.[33]

After several months of inactivity, Duke returned to WWE television on August 17, 2020, reuniting with Baszler and Shafir, after Nia Jax attacked Shafir and Duke.[34] On the August 31 episode of Raw, Duke made her debut on Raw Underground, an underground fight club hosted by Shane McMahon, where she easily defeated local competitor Avery Taylor. This turned out to be her final WWE appearance.[35] Duke worked as a full-time digital content creator for WWE and UpUpDownDown brand.[36][37] On May 19, 2021, WWE announced that Duke was released from her WWE contract.[38]

Personal life

Duke is a self-described gamer.[39][40] In an interview, Ronda Rousey claimed that Duke "pays more of her bills streaming than she does from fighting".[41]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Muay Thai

Professional wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
9 matches 3 wins 5 losses
By knockout 1 2
By submission 1 1
By decision 1 2
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 3–5 (1) Cindy Dandois Submission (armbar) Invicta FC 18 July 29, 2016 1 1:33 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss 3–4 (1) Irene Aldana TKO (punches) Invicta FC 16 March 11, 2016 1 3:08 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 3–3 (1) Elizabeth Phillips Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 July 25, 2015 3 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 3–2 (1) Leslie Smith TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller July 16, 2014 1 2:24 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 3–1 (1) Bethe Correia Decision (unanimous) UFC 172 April 26, 2014 3 5:00 Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win 3–0 (1) Peggy Morgan Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale November 30, 2013 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC 2–0 (1) Miriam Nakamoto No Contest (overturned) Invicta FC 5 April 5, 2013 1 2:20 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Originally a KO victory for Nakamoto; overturned due to an illegal knee.
Win 2–0 Marciea Allen Submission (armbar) Invicta FC 3 October 6, 2012 1 4:42 Kansas City, Kansas, United States Submission of the Night.
Win 1–0 Suzie Montero TKO (elbows and punches) Invicta FC 2 July 28, 2012 3 2:32 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–1 Raquel Pennington Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate October 9, 2013 (air date) 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States TUF 18 Quarter Final round.
Win 1–0 Laura Howarth Submission (triangle choke) September 4, 2013 (air date) 1 3:50 TUF 18 elimination round.
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 5–2 Elizabeth Phillips Submission (guillotine choke) RFA 2 – Yvel vs. Alexander March 30, 2012 2 0:58 Kearney, Nebraska, United States
Loss 4–2 Amanda Bell TKO (punches) Absolute Action MMA 20: Battle Against Breast Cancer 2 November 19, 2011 3 2:35 Florence, Kentucky, United States Lost the AAMMA Amateur Featherweight Championship.[44]
Win 4–1 Autumn Richardson Decision (unanimous) Tuff-N-Uff: Future Stars of MMA July 1, 2011 3 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Featherweight Championship.
Win 3–1 Crystal Bentley Submission (rear-naked choke) Absolute Action MMA 13 May 7, 2011 2 1:29 Florence, Kentucky, United States Defended the AAMMA Amateur Featherweight Championship.
Win 2–1 Sarah Cook Submission (rear-naked choke) Absolute Action MMA 12: The Anniversary Show April 2, 2011 1 0:52 Florence, Kentucky, United States Won the AAMMA Amateur Featherweight Championship.
Loss 1–1 Ashlee Evans-Smith Decision (unanimous) Tuff-N-Uff: Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside January 7, 2011 3 2:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 1–0 Alexandria Stobbe TKO (punches) Absolute Action MMA 5: Battle Against Breast Cancer October 2, 2010 1 1:42 Florence, Kentucky, United States

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jessamyn Duke". World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Fight Card – UFC Fight Night Dillashaw vs. Barao 2". UFC.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Jessamyn Duke: official UFC fighter profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "State Of Nevada" (PDF). Boxing.nv.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "AAMMA XII: The Anniversary Show official results". Mixedmartialarts.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "The Future Stars of MMA official results". Mixedmartialarts.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  7. ^ Nathan McCarter (May 29, 2012). "MMA: Invicta Fighting Championships 2; fight card announced". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  8. ^ Brian Knapp (July 29, 2012). "Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann downs Shayna Baszler at Invicta FC 2". Sherdog. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  9. ^ Brian Knapp (October 6, 2012). "Jessica Penne triangles Naho Sugiyama captures atomweight gold at Invicta FC 3". Sherdog. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Robert Sargent (October 7, 2012). "Five fighters earn bonuses at Invicta Fighting Championships 3". MMArising.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  11. ^ Steven Marrocco (May 15, 2013). "Jessamyn Duke successfully appeals KO loss to Miriam Nakamoto at Invicta FC 5". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  12. ^ Guilherme Cruz (August 15, 2013). "TUF 18 cast revealed with male and female bantamweights". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  13. ^ Mike Bohn (September 5, 2013). "Episode No. 1 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 18: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  14. ^ Mike Bohn (October 10, 2013). "Episode No. 6 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Geno Mrosko (December 1, 2013). "Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 season bonuses: Rakoczy, Duke, Pennington, and Moras bank $25K". MMAmania.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  16. ^ Ben Fowlkes (November 30, 2013). "TUF 18 Finale results: Jessamyn Duke punches way past Peggy Morgan". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  17. ^ Foxsports (February 3, 2014). "Undefeated Women Jessamyn Duke, Bethe Correia Meet At UFC 172 In April". foxsports.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Team ME (April 27, 2014). "After Bethe Correia Defeated Jessamyn Duke At UFC 172, She Called Out Ronda Rousey By Doing This…". middleeasy.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Dave Doyle (June 10, 2014). "Jessamyn Duke, Leslie Smith will face off at Atlantic City UFC Fight Night card". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  20. ^ Gordon, Grant (June 23, 2014). "Jessamyn Duke stopped by Leslie Smith in first round". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  21. ^ "Duke to face Phillips in Chicago at UFC Fight Night – LA Times". Glendalenewspress.com. May 28, 2015. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  22. ^ Fowlkes, Ben (July 25, 2015). "UFC on FOX 16 results: Elizabeth Phillips starts quick, just hangs on against Jessamyn Duke". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  23. ^ Simon, Zane (March 11, 2016). "Despite Invicta bout, Jessamyn Duke still under UFC contract". bloodyelbow.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  24. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (March 11, 2016). "UFC bantamweight Jessamyn Duke returns to Invicta for seasoning". thescore.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  25. ^ Bush, Alfredo (March 11, 2016). "Irene Adana Regresa Con TKO En Invicta Fc 16: Resultados Preliminares". ufcespanol.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  26. ^ Alexander, Mookie (July 30, 2016). "Invicta FC 18 results and highlights: Grasso dominates Esquibel, Anderson wrecks Morgan". bloodyelbow.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (August 3, 2017). "Jessamyn Duke Starts Pro Wrestling Training". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Clapp, John (May 7, 2018). "Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, Four Horsewomen teammates of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, report to WWE PC". WWE. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  29. ^ Benigno, Anthony (October 28, 2018). "Shayna Baszler def. Kairi Sane to become the new NXT Women's Champion". WWE. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  30. ^ Trionfo, Richard (November 17, 2018). "BLACK VERSUS GARGANO: LIVE ONGOING WWE NXT TAKEOVER WAR GAMES II COVERAGE". PWInsider. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  31. ^ "WWE NXT: Dec.19, 2018 – Io Shirai & Dakota Kai def. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke". WWE. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  32. ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler def. Bianca Belair". WWE. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  33. ^ Garretson, Jordan (October 23, 2019). "Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox def. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke to earn a Women's Tag Team Championship opportunity". WWE. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  34. ^ Melok, Bobby (August 17, 2020). "Raw results: Aug. 17, 2020". WWE. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  35. ^ Khan, Steve (August 31, 2020). "WWE Raw live results: Payback fallout". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  36. ^ Lee, Joseph (January 20, 2021). "Note On Why Jessamyn Duke Was Not Featured in Dusty Tag Team Classic". 411MANIA. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021. She was a full-time game streamer when she was hired by WWE and creates digital content for the company full time now.
  37. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (January 27, 2021). "Why Jessamyn Duke Isn't in the WWE Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021. Duke hasn't wrestled since her Raw Underground appearance, but we're told she's not injured. Instead, she's been focusing on creating content for the UpUpDownDown brand.
  38. ^ Johnson, Mike (May 19, 2021). "NXT RELEASES TWO FEMALE STARS". PWInsider. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  39. ^ Stover, Al (May 9, 2014). "Jessamyn Duke reveals her gamer side". FanSided. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  40. ^ MMA Latest (June 23, 2015). "Reinvented Jessamyn Duke Ready To Return to the Octagon". MMA Latest – Bringing you worldwide MMA news. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  41. ^ Paget, Mat (February 19, 2016). "Ronda Rousey Interview: "I've Always Wanted to Be Samus"". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  42. ^ "AAMMA XIII official results". Mixedmartialarts.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  43. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 100 Female Wrestlers Results". Wrestling Travel. November 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  44. ^ Gary Thomas (November 11, 2011). ""Absolute Action MMA 20: Battle Against Breast Cancer 2" results and play-by-play". ProMMAnow.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.

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