Liana Jojua

Last updated
Liana Jojua
Born (1995-03-22) March 22, 1995 (age 30)
Tbilisi, Georgia
Other namesShe Wolf
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight129 lb (59 kg; 9 st 3 lb)
Division Flyweight
Bantamweight
Reach62 in (157 cm) [1]
Style Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kudo
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Grozny, Russia
TeamAkhmat Fighting Club
Syndicate MMA (2021–present) [2]
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total14
Wins8
By knockout2
By submission5
By decision1
Losses6
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision3
Other information
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.

Contents

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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

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

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

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

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

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
14 matches8 wins6 losses
By knockout22
By submission51
By decision13
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win8–6Jaqueline FerreiraTKO (punches)GFC 29December 14, 202412:24 Tbilisi, Georgia
Loss7–6Dariya ZheleznyakovaDecision (unanimous)Ares FC 6May 20, 202235:00 Paris, FranceReturn to Bantamweight.
Loss7–5 Cortney Casey Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez November 13, 202135:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesCatchweight (128.5 lb) bout; Jojua missed weight.
Loss7–4 Miranda Maverick TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 254 October 24, 202015:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win7–3 Diana Belbiţă Submission (armbar) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige July 16, 202012:47 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesFlyweight debut.
Loss6–3 Sarah Moras TKO (punches) UFC 242 September 7, 201932:26 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesCatchweight (138 lb) bout; Moras missed weight.
Win6–2 Marina Mokhnatkina Decision (majority) Fight Nights Global 83: Alibekov vs. Aliev February 22, 201855:00 Moscow, RussiaWon the inaugural FNG Women's Bantamweight Championship.
Win5–2Viktoriya ShalimovaSubmission (heel hook)Emir FC: Selection 1December 29, 201710:28 Moscow, Russia
Win4–2Karina VasilenkoSubmission (armbar) Fight Nights Global 71: Mineev vs. Michailidis July 29, 201714:15 Moscow, Russia
Win3–2Tao LiSubmission (armbar) Kunlun Fight MMA 7 December 15, 201613:14 Beijing, ChinaReturn to Bantamweight.
Win2–2Valeria PakSubmission (armbar)SLMMA 7: Ivanov vs. KarapetyanNovember 6, 20162N/A Moscow, RussiaFeatherweight debut.
Loss1–2Liang NaSubmission (rear-naked choke)WLF E.P.I.C. 7August 20, 20162N/A Zhengzhou, China
Loss1–1Zamzagul FayzallanovaDecision (split)Alash Pride: Atyrau the BeautifulJanuary 16, 201635:00 Atyrau, KazakhstanCatchweight (143 lb)
Win1–0Tatyana PevnevaTKO (punches)Octagon Fighting Sensation 5October 3, 201513:07 Yaroslavl, RussiaCatchweight (137 lb)

[20]

See also

References

  1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  2. McKenzie Pavacich (November 12, 2021). "Full Steam Ahead For Liana Jojua". Ultimate Fighting Championship .
  3. Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  4. "Liana Jojua faces Sarah Moras at UFC 242". AsianMMA. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
  5. Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  6. "UFC 242 weigh-in results: All fights official despite one miss". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
  7. 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.
  8. Staff (2020-06-15). "UFC Fight Island 1 Results: Liana Jojua Armbars Diana Belbita in First Round". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  9. Staff (2020-09-07). "Liana Jojua vs. Miranda Maverick added to UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-09-07.(in Dutch)
  10. Anderson, Jay (2020-10-24). "UFC 254 Results: Miranda Maverick Smashes Liana Jojua in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  11. Nolan King (2021-07-09). "UFC books Cortney Casey vs. Liana Jojua for Aug. 21 event". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  12. 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.
  13. "Fight Announcement: Cortney Casey vs Liana Jojua on Nov 13". The AllStar. 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  14. 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.
  15. Behunin, Alex (2021-11-13). "UFC Vegas 42: Cortney Casey Snaps Two-Fight Skid, Beats Liana Jojua". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  16. 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.
  17. Angelini, Olivier (2022-05-20). "ARES 6 – Résultats des combats". Boxemag.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  18. Staff (2020-06-15). "Liana Jojua". UFC.com. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  19. Staff (2019-06-15). "Welcome to the UFC: Liana Jojuad". CageSide Press. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  20. Sherdog.com. "Liana Jojua". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.