UFC Star Michelle Waterson Explains Why She's 'Championship Material,' How She's Staying Hydrated With BODYARMOR (Exclusive)

Michelle Waterson earned a huge win earlier this month and inches closer to her goal — becoming a UFC champion. On Sept. 12, Waterson took on Angela Hill in UFC Vegas 10 (also known as UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill), and the Waterson won via split decision. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Waterson, who believes she's ready to be the new UFC Women's Strawweight Champion.

"We were able to step up to the plate, go five rounds and just show my heart," Waterson said to exclusively to PopCulture.com. "I know that I was a little behind on the scorecard at the start of the fight, so being able to come from behind and take those last two rounds and bringing the W home, I've shown that I'm championship material." In the most recent UFC Rankings, Waterson ranks No. 8 in the strawweight division, but the win against Hill will likely move her up and allow her to take on the champion, Weili Zhang, shortly. "One fight with another title contender and winning that will put me right there in title contention," Waterson added.

Right now, Waterson is resting and recovering from the five-round bout before she gears up for her next match. And when she begins training, she will have BODYARMOR by her side. Waterson is big on staying hydrated, and drinking BODYARMOR Lyte has helped her achieve that goal during her training process.

"I always harp on how important it is for hydration. I think that it's something that's kind of overlooked," Waterson said who is a big fan of the watermelon flavor of BODYARMOR Lyte. "We talk about our food a lot in our nutrition, but we skip over the hydration part. And it's vital, especially as a fighter who cuts weight to be able to compete. And if you don't do it properly, you can definitely do some long-term damage. That's why I love BODYARMOR because in the water alone, they add the electrolytes and the PH balance to help your body keep the minerals that it needs in order to perform."

Staying healthy and hydrated is essential for Waterson, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC was one of the first sports to return during the pandemic and Waterson competed in the first event, which was UFC 249. Waterson said competing in UFC 249, which had no fans, got her prepared for her fight against Hill.

"It's a huge adjustment, but I'm glad I was able to fight before this fight because I knew what to expect going into this last fight," she said when talking about fighting in an empty arena. "I had to shift my mentality as far as where to pull my motivation from. You hear the crowd when you crack somebody with a good shot... Instead of depending on the crowd to feel me, I really depended on the sound of the octagon."