The UFC's strawweight division has always been filled with talented fighters who love to put on exciting scraps. Joanna Jedrzejczyk has set the bar as queen of the division by proving that she's capable of taking on all challengers in jaw-dropping performances. However, there is one top ranked competitor knocking on the door, waiting for her opportunity.

Michelle Waterson has taken the UFC by storm with her infectious personality and effective karate-based fight style. Currently 2-0 in the UFC,  with both wins coming by way of submission, "The Karate Hottie" has not only won on the big stage but has looked great doing it.

Waterson's second fight in the UFC was against rising star Paige VanZant, in one of the most watched bouts in the division's history. Both are extremely marketable fighters and it was clear the winner of the bout would receive a little extra push from the promotion to create a star. With Waterson emerging victorious, the fruits of her labor are beginning to show as the UFC blocked off a special media event in Brooklyn during UFC 208 fight week.

"It's crazy!" Waterson told FloCombat. "You know, I'm just trying to soak it all in, take it day by day and just enjoy the process."

Currently ranked seventh in the strawweight division, there were rumors of Waterson being next in line for a title shot against Jedrzejczyk.

UFC President Dana White has recently stated the next challenger for the title will be Jessica Andrade on the heels of her victory over Angela Hill at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston.

Waterson completely understands why Jessica deserves the title shot next but feels she's close to her shot at UFC gold. While not wanting to wait to watch the division shake out, she believes another top ranked opponent comes next on the path to the title - Rose Namajunas or Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

"I match up great with both of those girls," Waterson stated. "Rose is a little bit more creative when it comes to utilizing all of the different parts of MMA."
Waterson continued, "Karolina sits down a little bit more on her punches, she's a little bit more 'clinchy.' I think either one of those fights would be lots of fun for me to go in and try to use my strategy against them."

While training and teaching cardio kickboxing once a week, there's not much time left to dedicate to one of her passions - teaching martial arts to children. Having a young daughter of her own who is growing up learning martial arts helps fuel that passion.

There is also another reason Waterson loves teaching, one that benefits her fighting career.

Related: Rose Namajunas Down to Fight Michelle Waterson

"When you teach, you have to be able to break it down very simplistically. When you break it down, you're forcing yourself to go through the steps - step by step," Waterson explained. "It forces you to  revisit the basics, which are the most important parts of any sport." 

Very much the family fighter, as displayed in her documentary "Fight Mom," Waterson is sporting a new tattoo on her right forearm, matched with her husband's left forearm, dedicated to the love they share as they prepare to celebrate nine years together.

"We always talked about it, his birthday was coming up, and instead of taking him to the movies, I took him to the tattoo shop! I made him get it first to see if it looked good!" 

While certainly enjoying the new spotlight shined upon her, the ideal time frame for Waterson's next bout would be between April or May.  Should she come away with a win, her eyes will then be set on a title shot before the end of the year.

"Everybody writes down their New Year's resolutions, and one of my New Year's resolutions was to fight for the belt in 2017, so we're gonna try and make that happen."

By Matthew Wells