Picking up another impressive first-round victory, Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson stopped Japanese veteran Masako Yoshida in the first round of their fight tonight at Crowbar MMA: “Spring Brawl.” The win was Waterson’s second in a row since a loss to former SNMMA champ Elena “Babydoll” Reid just over one year ago.

Waterson, who recently dropped down in weight from 115 pounds, handed Yoshida just the second TKO loss of her 38-fight career. Waterson has now won five of her last six fights, with all coming by stoppage.

Waterson (8-3-0), whose background lies primarily in karate and Muay Thai, had won five times by submission leading into her bout with Yoshida (16-17-5), but showed tonight that her striking remains sharp. Controlling much of the 108-pound contest, Waterson used varied strikes to keep Yoshida on the defensive. Late in the first round, Waterson dropped Yoshida and followed with a series of unanswered punches that prompted the referee to stop the fight.

Result: Michelle Waterson defeats Masako Yoshida by TKO (Punches) at 4:17 of round one. She improves to 8-3-0 with the win.

Waterson, who trains with the famed Jackson’s MMA camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico alongside an ever-expanding team of talented female fighters, has now won seven times by knockout or submission. The photogenic rising star was dominated by Reid last year, but remains undefeated since moving down in weight. With 105-pound challengers limited in North America, Waterson may be forced to travel to Japan for future bouts, but the win over Yoshida will send a message to other fighters in the division.