Widely popularized as a badass fighter, Julie Kedzie is the perfect example of the term “sugar and spice.” She would present her deadly skillset with a broad smile on her face.
As a retired martial art artist, Julie is regarded as one of the most charismatic and fan-friendly female fighters in the field. Additionally, Julie is also best known for the tough tests she has spread out for her opponents.
Today, as we discuss her exciting fight journey, we will also get through the highs and lows of her life. However, right before we dive into it, let us get through a quick dose of facts about her.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Julie Kedzie |
| Date of Birth | March 18, 1981 |
| Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nick Name | Fireball |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Age | 43 Years Old |
| Height | 5’5″ (1.65 meters) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Grey |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Dan Kedzie |
| Mother’s Name | Kathleen Burke |
| Siblings | An older sister, Jennifer (Jenny) Raff |
| Education | Indiana University University of Iowa |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Spouse | None |
| Kids | None |
| Profession | Retired Martial Arts Artist |
| Style | Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting Out Of | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Affiliations | Jackson’s Submission Fighting |
| Active Years | 2004–2013 |
| Net Worth | Around $1 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch of | Vintage MMA Gloves, Boxing Foot Protector Gear |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Body Measurements
Julie Kedzie is a fighter with an athletically toned physicality. As a fun fact, when she started on the ring, she didn’t have a diet coach to rely on, so she learned through the internet forum.
Hence, she had the basic concept of going into a 24-hour fast to lose weight. Apart from her diet regime, she has faced troublesome days working out in a male-dominated arena.
As she recalls, Julie stated that as a lone woman, often people would come up to her to try and teach her how to work out.
“That drives me bananas. I have a lot of confidence in my own abilities. ‘Oh, that’s wrong! That’s wrong’ tends to get my hackles up even more.”
-Julie Kedzie
Anyways, Julie stands at a perfected height of 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters) while weighing 135 lb (61 kg).
Julie Kedzie | Early Life
Julie Kedzie was born on March 18, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the star sign of Pisces. Furthermore, she is the second child of mother Kathleen Burke and father Dan Kedzie.
Ever since her early days in childhood, Julie has known the fighting arena and watched it close by. Her father would often enroll her in Tae Kwon Do classes alongside her elder sister, Jenny Kedzie, since the young age of five.
At her initial phase, Julie was not into sports, but she fell in love with it as time went by, and Muay Thai kickboxing became her favorite. Until the age of twelve, Julie spent her childhood in California, and later her family moved to Bloomington, Indiana.
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As a fun fact, their family had a sudden shift for her mother. Back then, her mother was pursuing a doctorate in neurobiology from Indiana University.
Growing up, Julie enrolled in Indiana University besides her sporting career. Well, she indulged herself in the course of Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. By 2019, she then graduated with Masters of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa.
Julie Kedzie | Professional Career
After shifting to Bloomington, Indiana, Julie Kedzie and her sister joined Monroe County Martial Arts. Back then, Steve and Linda Scott became their mentor. Together, they commenced learnings about jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, knife fighting, and more.
Moving on, she first watched the UFC bouts at a party during her junior high years. As she recalled, it was almost male-dominated, and she stated that it was boring. Following it, one of her friends passed her a DVD featuring female fighters.
Yes, this significant part did play a significant role in commencing her fighting career. To set matters straight, she gained a burning desire to vision herself on the ring. Therefore, before earning her degree, she followed her friend to California for training.
Later, she had planned to keep her study at bay and flourish in the fighting arena. However, her mother urged her to get her diploma.
Though she partook in the fight training throughout her college days, she only commenced taking them seriously at the end of the semester.
Early Days
Julie Kedzie is one of the few ladies of early-generation fighters who made the sport mainstream for women. Her parents wouldn’t frequently attend her bouts during her early years as they couldn’t bear watching her fight.
However, her sister made sure not to miss any of her matches. During her tenure, Showtime’s cable network became the first sired first female bout televised live.
Julie only rose to prominence all along the journey after bagging the 2005 HooknShoot women’s Grand Prix title. On November 19, 2005, she won three fights in a single night held in Evansville, Indiana.
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EliteXC and the Following
Not long after her limelight, Julie Kedzie made a breakthrough performance at EliteXC: Destiny. As the fight aired on Showtime on February 10, 2007, Julie faced the undefeated rising star, Gina Carano.
Though Julie lost the fight against Gina, she had gained much more popularity than before, and their bout bagged the Fight of the Night honors. Following it, she partook in the bout at BodogFight held in Vancouver.
Back then, she faced Kelly Kobold on August 24, 2007, and packed her victory through a unanimous decision. Moving on, she gained a contract with the American Fight League.
As soon as the contract came into her hands, they folded the promotion, and she was released from it.
Greg Jackson and MMA
Julie met Greg Jackson at the Mississippi event for the first time and commenced learning under him. Likewise, she also followed him to coach at his New Mexico gym and started living with his family.
Back then, she left everything in Indiana, her family, and her boyfriend to go on with her training. During her tenure, Julie also starred as Greg’s personal assistant.
From her recent events, Julie gained her first fight at the Jackson series against Sarah D’Alelio on September 4, 2010. However, in the end, she withdrew from the bout as she was busy filming the Ultimate Women Challenge reality show.
Unfortunately, the show never aired, and hence, some of the contestants sued the producers for not paying them too. Julie then faced Kaitlin Young during her filming days and added a defeat through a split decision within a month.
In the meantime, she also faced Sarah D’Alelio before the year ended after re-booking the match. Indeed, she seized the bout with a victory via unanimous decision.
The next year in April 2011, Julie had a rematch with Kaitlin Young at Jackson’s MMA Series. As the bout lasted for five rounds, Julie bagged the win under her name by unanimous decision.
All in all, she became Jackson’s MMA Series Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
Strikeforce
Julie Kedzie was initially scheduled to face Amanda Nunes as her foremost fight at the Strikeforce. The bout was set for June 18, 2011, in Dallas, Texas, which was later canceled due to Nunes’ injury.
Julie made her Strikeforce debut on July 30, 2011, through a match against Alexis Davis. Well, it took place at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, where she lost via unanimous decision.
Yet again, Julie was set for a match in September that year for the Strikeforce Challengers 19 card. Unfortunately, she had to withdraw from the match due to her injury, and her next match came nearly a year later.
Well, she fought against Miesha Tate on August 18, 2012. As the bout took place at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, Julie lost the match through submission in the third round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
On July 27, 2013, Julie Kedzie made her UFC debut in the match against Germaine de Randamie at UFC on Fox 8. Apparently, she had a sad debut as she lost the match by a split decision.
Following it, Julie fought against Bethe Correia in December 2013 at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot. This became her last match in the ring after she announced her retirement through Twitter.
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As sad as her retirement news, Julie also lost the match on that day in Brisbane, Australia.
Retirement
Right after her match with Bethe, Julie took her Twitter and announced her retirement from the ring. Well, in her message to fans, she stated that she had discussed with her coach making it her last match.
“I really truly want to thank all of you for being a part of my journey as a fighter. I will still be involved in MMA for the rest of my life. But now it’s time for me to accept that I can give more to the sport by stepping back and taking a role in helping to develop other fighters.”
-Julie Kedzie
When Julie Kedzie announced her retirement, she agreed that her body wasn’t the same way it used to be.
Julie Kedzie | Awards and Accomplishments
Fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Julie Kedzie is fluent in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, she stands with a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo from Monroe County Martial Arts.
Some of her accomplishments along the journey are mentioned below.
- 2005 HOOKnSHOOT Women’s Grand Prix Champion
- Extreme Grappling Open Champion
- Jackson’s MMA Series Women’s Bantamweight Champion (2011)
- 2012 WMMA Fight of the Year (BJPenn.com)
Julie Kedzie | Net Worth
Unfortunately, Julie Kedzie hasn’t revealed many details regarding her earnings and income. Hence, we can only make an approximate guess about it. At present, she is believed to have a net worth of around $1 million.
Additionally, there is also no detailed information on her property and the brand deals she has collaborated with.
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Julie Kedzie | Personal Life
Julie Kedzie has always been private about her relationships and affairs. Additionally, she hasn’t even gotten involved in any sort of scandal or relationship rumors.
In addition to that, she is currently single, and if any of her ongoing news on this part floats, we will be sure to cover it at the earliest possible time. However, Kedzie is an animal lover, and she has several dogs and cats as her pets.
Social Media
If you are interested in checking out Julie Kedzie’s personal uploads and posts, check out her social media sites. She is on Instagram as Julie Kedzie (@julesk_fighter) with 12.4k followers as of Dec 2021.
Likewise, she is on Twitter as Julie Kedzie (@Julesk_Fighter) with 45k followers as of Dec 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much is Julie Kedzie’s reach? What are Julie Kedzie’s MMA career statistics?
Kedzie has a reach of 64.5 inches (1.64 meters). With nearly a decade in the ring, Julie Kedzie had fought a total of 29 matches. Among them, she had 16 wins (3 by knockout, three by submission, and ten by decision) and 113 losses (7 by submission and six by decision).
What does Julie Kedzie’s nickname “Fireball” means?
Well, Greg Jackson had nicknamed Julie Kedzie “Fireball.” As she mentioned, Julie got the name because of her temper and not cause of her fighting skills.
