Marion Reneau

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Marion Reneau is an American former mixed martial artist who fought as a bantamweight in the UFC. She was born on June 20, 1977, in Tulare, California, and grew up in Porterville. Reneau is 5'6" tall, fought at 135 pounds, and has a 68-inch reach. She holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and trains in Muay Thai. She fought out of Visalia, California, and was part of Trifecta MMA. She has a degree in sports medicine from California State University, Long Beach, where she also ran track and was named Big West Track & Field Athlete of the Year. She spent 17 years teaching physical education at Farmersville High School.

Reneau began her pro MMA career in 2010. She tried out for The Ultimate Fighter, but didn’t get on the show. After several wins, she signed with the UFC in 2014 following a submission victory at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 16.

In the UFC, Reneau defeated Alexis Dufresne by decision at UFC 182 in January 2015, a win that earned praise from Dana White. She then beat Jéssica Andrade by first‑round submission later that year, earning a Performance of the Night bonus. She lost to Holly Holm in July 2015 and then to Ashlee Evans-Smith in February 2016 in a controversial split decision.

Reneau bounced back with a win over Milana Dudieva in November 2016. A bout with Bethe Correia in March 2017 ended in a majority draw, which Reneau believed she won. She then defeated Talita Bernardo by TKO in September 2017.

In 2018 she defeated Sara McMann by submission, but she later lost to Cat Zingano and Yana Kunitskaya. A scheduled fight with Irene Aldana in 2019 was canceled when Reneau pulled out. A planned bout with Ketlen Vieira in 2020 was postponed, and she later lost to Raquel Pennington in June 2020. A rematch with Vieira was canceled due to injury, and a bout with Macy Chiasson was delayed by COVID-19 before finally taking place in March 2021, which she lost by decision.

Reneau announced her retirement after losing to Miesha Tate by TKO in the third round on July 17, 2021. It was her first time being finished in her career.

Outside the cage, Reneau lives in California, is married to Armando Perez Jr., and spent many years as a high school teacher. She remains known for her perseverance and for breaking barriers as a veteran fighter who continued to compete at a high level into her forties.