5 Things You Might Not Know About Alyse Anderson

Alyse Anderson made an uneven first impression and now takes aim at the second chance.

The 27-year-old Michigan native will draw her next assignment in One Championship when she toes the line against Asha Roka as part of the One Championship 157 undercard on Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Anderson enters the cage with a 5-2 record that includes three finishes. However, she finds herself on the rebound after a unanimous decision loss to Itsuki Hirata in her promotional debut at One Championship “Empower” on Sept. 3.

As Anderson approaches her three-round clash with India’s Roka at 115 pounds, here are five things you might not know about her:

1. The rough-and-tumble upper Midwest gave way to her rise.

Anderson was born in Mason, Michigan, a city of roughly 9,000 people situated 100 miles west of Detroit and 225 miles east of Chicago. It his home to the Dart Container Corporation, the largest manufacturer of foam cups and containers in the world.

2. Some minor league seasoning was to her benefit.

Now operating out of the famed American Top Team camp in Coconut Creek, Florida, Anderson went a perfect 6-0 as an amateur and won championships in two weight classes—she struck gold in the atomweight and strawweight divisions—for the Michigan-based Total Warrior Combat organization.

3. She wore the prospect label proudly.

Anderson made her professional debut at the age of 20 when she put away Chrissie Daniels with knees and punches in the first round of their TWC 28 pairing in November 2015. She then proceeded to race out to a 3-0 start to her career.

4. She found a proper springboard.

The “Lil’ Savage” enjoyed a pre-One Championship cup of coffee in the Invicta Fighting Championships promotion, where she went 2-1 across three appearances between Aug. 31, 2017 and Aug. 9, 2019. Anderson’s victories over Stephanie Alba and Katie Saull were offset by a split decision defeat to Shino VanHoose.

5. She stared down grave challenges outside the cage.

Anderson spent five years as an emergency medical technician at a short-staffed hospital in Michigan, where she also worked in the COVID unit during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has killed over one million Americans and counting.