Born on November 28, 1987, in Cairns, Australia, Jessica-Rose Clark is an Australian mixed martial artist competing in the women’s Bantamweight division.
Eldest of nine children, Clark’s ailing single mother raised them while living on the road in a van and communities.
Overcame challenging circumstances to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
Attended university after high school but dropped out during the first semester. Discovered kickboxing after dropping out and gradually transitioned to mixed martial arts.
Made her professional MMA debut in December 2012 in Australia, competing for various regional promotions.
Joined Invicta FC in July 2015, facing Pannie Kianzad at Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin, but lost via unanimous decision.
Around the same time Jess embarked on her tattoo journey marking the start of an era.
Returned in November 2016 against Pam Sorenson at Invicta FC 20: Evinger vs. Kunitskaya, losing via split decision.
Jessica-Rose Clark had a close call in a domestic incident with a previous partner. The media reported in 2016 that Clark was assaulted over ‘bringing home wrong noodles’.
According to a report by Daily Telegraph Australia, Wallace then demanded his fiance to return their engagement ring and threatened to break her fingers if she didn’t.
Enraged by all this, Jess started packing her stuff but was attacked by Wallace, who punched her before applying a submission on her. She used her skills to save herself from Wallace. She powered out of the submission before knocking him out, and calling the police.
Her former fiance became somewhat of a meme himself prior to the incident. He tried to intimidate his opponent during the weigh-ins for a Nitro MMA event, only to subsequently get knocked out and become a viral meme.
Scheduled to face Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 26 in December 2017 but was removed when the UFC tabbed her as a replacement.
Made UFC debut on 19 November 2017, replacing Joanne Calderwood against Bec Rawlings in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.
Weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the flyweight limit, resulting in a catchweight bout. Won the fight via split decision, forfeiting 20% of her purse to Rawlings.
Defeated Paige VanZant on 14 January 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi via unanimous decision.
Lost to Jessica Eye on 23 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132 via unanimous decision.
According to her own account she hit a real low point prior to the event and was having trouble drinking. Apparently, Rose Clark was working as a club promoter in the off hours further exacerbating her issues.
Bout against Andrea Lee on 15 December 2018 was canceled due to weight cutting issues and hospitalization.
Despite a long MMA career Jessica Rose Clark was only a blue belt in 2019.
But the triumph would be short lived. After going 2-3 in her last 5 UFC outings the promotion decided to cut her in 2023 after a submission loss to Tamara Lisaboa.
Former UFC star Jessica-Rose Clark, a fan favorite, has announced her marriage to fellow martial artist Freddy Pedrique earlier this week. To the grappling fans, Freddy Pedrique is known as a Craig Jones’ sidekick on the infamous El Segundo podcast.
Clark, 36, shared the news on social media, describing Pedrique as the “kindest, sweetest, dorkiest, most compassionate man” she has ever met. The two followed up the announcement with a joint guest spot on the El Segundo podcast.
Rose Clark is reportedly in a long distance marriage with Freddy who is a Texas resident.
Rose Clark had briefely had a Muay Thai return on the books but her opponent pulled out. She is interested in a Paige Vanzant rematch and is still actively training combat sports.
