Elise Pone

Pone started her training in martial arts at the age of 12 in Muay Thai and catch wrestling.[4] Her instructors as a child included Bill Gebhardt of the State College Martial Arts Academy and her mother, Barbra Macus.[5] Pone now trains out of Central PA Mixed Martial Arts in State College, PA and trains under Ryan Gruhn.[6][7][8]

In December 2020 Pone signed with Invicta FC[9] and made her American debut at Invicta FC 44: Rodríguez vs. Torquato[10][11] against Chrissy Yandolli and won via TKO at 2:07 in the second round.[12] Pone secured the only TKO/KO finish of the night.[13][14]

Pone holds an overall Muay Thai/Kickboxing record of 13-1 fighting in the USKA,[15] Tournament of Champions[16] and the TBA Classic[17] Tournaments. She has won titles in C Class, B Class and A Class and is undefeated in the USKA and Tournament of Champions. Her only loss came in 2016 to Kaitlin Stein which she avenged the following year with a unanimous decision over Stein. Pone took three years off from Muay Thai competition from 2017-2021 and won the TBA Classic in 2021 with two (T)KO finishes. She was also presented with the "Best Nak Muay" award at the TBA Classic for 2021. She currently holds 5 title belts across two different weight classes and two different organizations.[18]