Erin Toughill


Erin Young Toughill is an American professional boxer and former mixed martial artist who also appeared as a Gladiator on the American Gladiators series.
She began kickboxing at the age of 18 and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu soon after.
Under the watch of her LA Boxing trainer Sean McCully, Toughill debuted in mixed martial arts on September 27, 1999 and fought to a draw with Irma Verhoeff at World Vale Tudo Championship 9 in Aruba.
Less than a year later, she made her professional boxing debut on July 20, 2000.
Along with her MMA career, Toughill holds a professional boxing record of 7 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw and 1 no contest.
She counts IBF Super Middleweight contender Librado Andrade, a long-time sparring partner, among her close friends.

Boxing career

Toughill has only one loss before losing her battle against Laila Ali. Her final boxing match was against Laura Ramsey, whom she defeated previously. Toughill's father died three days before her rematch to Laura Ramsey. Toughill lost the fight by TKO in the first round and retired soon after with a record of 7-3-1, 1 NC.
Toughill returned to boxing on January 27, 2019 against Maricela Cornejo losing a unanimous division. Toughill fought again on May 18, 2019 losing via KO to Raquel Miller.

Mixed martial arts career

After going 1-1-1 in her first three bouts, Toughill won five straight fights before losing in the finals of the 2004 Smackgirl World ReMix Tournament to Megumi Yabushita. She competed once more and scored a TKO victory over Jen Case in 2006.
In 2007, Toughill retired from both boxing and MMA. Toughill came out of retirement from MMA and fought Jan Finney on November 20, 2008 at Palace Fighting Championships 11. Despite cutting over to make the contracted weight limit, Toughill was victorious and later went on to defeat Karen Williams and Emily Thompson in subsequent events for PFC after a fight with Adrienna Jenkins was cancelled due to injury.

Strikeforce

Toughill was set to make her Strikeforce debut on November 7, 2009 at in a rematch with Marloes Coenen, whom Toughill defeated in 2004. However, she later withdrew from the fight due to an undisclosed medical condition.
On March 18, 2010, Toughill announced that she was planning to leave Strikeforce. She had been scheduled to compete on the undercard of on April 17. However, in a second posting on April 9, 2010, Toughill attributed the disagreements with Strikeforce to misunderstandings and stated that she would be staying with the promotion.
Toughill was scheduled to face Shana Olsen at on August 21, 2010, but the fight was cancelled due to concerns over Toughill's ability to make weight. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, Toughill's next fight will not take place in Strikeforce, but she remains a part of the promotion's roster.
Toughill was offered to face Cristiane Santos for a bout in 2010, but the fight never came into fruition.

Post Strikeforce

Toughill was scheduled to compete outside of Strikeforce against China's Bao Yu Dan at Martial Combat 9 on September 15, 2010 in Singapore. However, on September 13, Toughill withdrew from the fight after citing a broken clavicle.
Toughill returned to active competition after nearly two years at Freestyle Cage Fighting 46 on April 9, 2011. The fight was against Ashley Sanchez at a catchweight. Toughill lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Toughill agreed to face Anna Barone at BlackEye Promotions 5 on October 1, 2011 in Fletcher, North Carolina, but withdrew from the fight after suffering a rib injury in training.

''American Gladiators''

Toughill became a cast member of NBC's primetime series, American Gladiators, where she became known as Steel.

Personal life

Erin married Neil Melanson, a grappling coach and lead Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Xtreme Couture, in a private ceremony on November 20, 2009. Melanson also serves as the primary grappling coach for UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, and has cornered Couture during several recent MMA fights. The couple is currently going through a divorce.
Toughill's younger sister, Megan, was killed in a car accident on September 19, 2004, which was about three weeks before her title fight with Yvonne Reis.

Media

Toughill was featured on MSNBC's Warrior Nation as she prepared for a fight.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentMethodRound, timeDateLocationNotes
13Loss7–4-1 Maricela CornejoUD8Jan 27, 2019Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S..png" />
12Loss7–3-1 Laura RamseyTKO1, 1:28Aug 31, 2006Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S..png" />Fight stopped after Toughill fell through ropes
11Win7–2-1 Laura RamseyUD6Jan 27, 2006The Palladium, Los Angeles, California, U.S..png" />
10Loss6–2-1 Laila Ali3, 1:54Jun 11, 2005MCI Center, Washington, DC, U.S.png" />
9Win6–1-1 Yvonne ReisUD10Oct 22, 2004Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida, U.S..png" />
8Win5–1-1 Cassandra GigerUD8Jul 31, 2004Sam's Town Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.png" />
7Win4–1-1 Kuulei KupiheaUD4Nov 14, 2003Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S..png" />
6Win3–1-1 Nicole ConantUD4Jul 24, 2003Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Oxnard, California, U.S..png" />
5NC2–1-1 Jackie Frazier-Lyde3 Jun 4, 2002Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S..png" />For WIBF Inter-Continental super middleweight title;
Fight stopped after Toughill cut from accidental head clash
4Draw2–1-1 Dakota Stone4Dec 12, 2001Palace Indian Gaming Center, Lemoore, California, U.S..png" />
3Win2–1 Veronica Sanchez4Oct 7, 2000Centennial Garden Arena, Bakersfield, California, U.S..png" />
2Win1–1 Correena GrizoffiUD4Aug 26, 2000Selland Arena, Fresno, California, U.S..png" />
1Loss0–1 Elizabeth Rumpf4Jul 20, 2000Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S..png" />-

Accomplishments