Kedzie was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Bloomington, Indiana when she was twelve so her mother could pursue a doctorate in neurobiology from Indiana University. She has a sister named Jenny Raff. She and her sister were enrolled in Tae Kwon Do by her father when Julie was five years old. She studied under Steve and Linda Scott at Monroe County Martial Arts. She later returned to teach a one-time mixed martial arts class. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Indiana University. She is currently a student in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of Iowa.
Kedzie rose to prominence in mixed martial arts on November 19, 2005, when she won the one-night HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix in Evansville, Indiana.
EliteXC
On February 10, 2007, Kedzie faced undefeated rising star Gina Carano in a featured bout at, which aired live on Showtime. She was defeated by Carano, but the fight received Fight of the Night honours.
Independent promotions
Following the Elite XC fight, Kedzie defeated Kelly Kobold at BodogFight - Vancouver on August 24, 2007. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Kedzie later signed a contract with the American Fight League, but the promotion folded and Kedzie was released from her contract.
Jackson's MMA Series
Kedzie was scheduled to face Sarah D'Alelio at Jackson's MMA Series 2 on September 4, 2010, but the fight was canceled after Kedzie signed on to take part in the filming of the Ultimate Women Challenge reality show. The show never made it to air, and 7 contestants sued the producers, claiming they were never paid. During the filming of the Ultimate Women Challenge, Kedzie faced Kaitlin Young on September 24, 2010. She was defeated by split decision. Kedzie's fight with Sarah D'Alelio was then rebooked for Jackson's MMA Series 3 on December 18, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She defeated D'Alelio via unanimous decision. She then faced Kaitlin Young in a five-round title rematch at Jackson's MMA Series 4 on April 9, 2011. Kedzie defeated Young by unanimous decision to become Jackson's MMA Series Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Kedzie was scheduled to fight Amanda Nunes at the event on June 18, 2011, in Dallas, Texas. The bout, however, was cancelled after Nunes sustained a foot injury. Kedzie made her Strikeforce debut against Alexis Davis on July 30, 2011 at in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kedzie was expected to face Germaine de Randamie as part of the Strikeforce Challengers 19 card on September 23, 2011, but withdrew due to injury. Kedzie faced Miesha Tate at on August 18, 2012. She was defeated by submission due to an armbar in the third round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Kedzie's UFC debut was against Germaine de Randamie at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27, 2013. She lost the fight by split decision. Kedzie faced Bethe Correia at on December 7, 2013. She lost the fight via split decision and subsequently announced her retirement from mixed martial arts competition via Twitter.
