A dedicated wrestler for most of her life, Lauren was tipped to make the 2016 Olympics, until a freak ACL injury in a qualification tournament ended that dream. During recovery, she fell out of love with the sport she'd dedicated most of her life to, and after the 2016 Olympics, she'd all but given up on wrestling. She discovered MMA, first as a fan, then as a fighter after she finally felt comfortable with her knee. However, when she took her first couple amateur fight, her stand up was elementary (at best), and she was criticized as a "boring fighter." Before her pro debut, she tried out for Slaughterhouse LA, which would become Real Killas MMA, and was eventually selected to the team, deputing at Union GP 2.

After going 2-3 as a Lightweight, when the Bantamweight Division was announced, Lauren jumped at the opportunity to compete at her ideal weight. Despite her record, she was one of the higher seeds in the UGP Bantamweight Grand Prix, and won 3 straight fights to become the first ever Bantamweight Champion. However, her reign was cut short in her first defense, a loss to Zari Aliyah.