Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (13-4)
Heading into UFC 200, Nunes had posted a 4-1 mark with three stoppages, but the knock on her was that she fatigued down the stretch and thus may prove a perfect foil for the ever-scrappy Miesha Tate. In their ad hoc main event, Nunes made sure no later rounds were necessary, completely destroying Tate with punches before choking her out in just over three minutes in one of the year’s biggest beatdowns. With the win, the Brazilian also became the UFC’s first openly gay champion.2. Miesha Tate (18-6)
Tate’s title capture over Holly Holm in March remains one of the year’s most indelible moments, but “Cupcake” could not continue that momentum forward when thrust into the main event of UFC 200 against Brazilian challenger Amanda Nunes. Tate was raked with heavy Nunes punches from the outset before succumbing to a rear-naked choke and having her title taken just past the three-minute mark of the first round.3. Valentina Shevchenko (13-2)
In her UFC debut in December, Shevchenko pulled off an eye-opening upset over former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman, winning a split decision on barely a week’s notice. However, in rebounding from her competitive March decision loss to now-champion Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko sprang an even more impressive upset. In a network TV headliner on Fox, “The Bullet” marched into Chicago and dominated former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm for the final four rounds of their 25-minute affair, taking a commanding unanimous decision and installing herself alongside the division's elite.4. Holly Holm (10-2)
How quickly fortunes change. Nine months ago, Holm had not yet head kicked Ronda Rousey into oblivion. In that span, Holm has gone from mainstream media sensation to dethroned champ, courtesy of Miesha Tate in March. Now, she is just another contender after dropping a unanimous verdict to Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC on Fox 20 headliner in Chicago. With that said, Holm drew an impressive rating on Fox due to her exploits against Rousey, and there are still plenty of fights for the 34-year-old former boxing world champ, as she has had all of five bouts in the Octagon.5. Ronda Rousey (12-1)
Rousey was on the receiving end of a Holly Holm head kick knockout that was equal parts brutal and stunning at UFC 193 on Nov. 14. The first defeat of the decorated judoka’s MMA career came before a record-setting crowd in Melbourne, Australia, and cost her the UFC women’s bantamweight title, shattering her aura of invincibility. Rousey is expected to return in late 2016 or early 2017, though exactly when and against whom remains anyone’s guess.6. Julianna Pena (8-2)
Pena took another step forward in validating herself as an elite contender at 135 pounds, dominating former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger Cat Zingano over the final 10 minutes of their UFC 200 bout. Since returning from her horrific 2014 knee injury, “The Venezuelan Vixen” is 3-0 with three lopsided wins over Zingano, Jessica Eye and Milana Dudieva.7. Cat Zingano (9-2)
Back from a 16-month absence, Zingano is now eligible to be ranked again, but the former UFC title challenger does not return on a positive note. Though “Alpha” started quickly against Julianna Pena, she could not keep up her wrestling attack, giving up her back in the second and third rounds, fending off rear-naked chokes until the final bell and losing a unanimous decision.8. Tonya Evinger (18-5)
Evinger won her ninth consecutive bout and defended her Invicta Fighting Championships bantamweight belt for the first time on May 7 in a five-round wipeout of fellow veteran Colleen Schneider. Ten years into her MMA career, the Missouri native seems to have hit her stride, having taken out solid competition in six straight outings under the Invicta banner.9. Raquel Pennington (8-5)
The 27-year-old Pennington began her pro MMA career at 3-3 but has now won four of her last five fights, with her lone loss in that stretch coming in a split decision to Holly Holm. At UFC 202, she outstruck and outscrambled Elizabeth Phillips to win a unanimous decision in trademark grinding fashion. Pennington continues to emerge, bit by bit, as a formidable challenger in the women’s bantamweight division.10. Sara McMann (9-3)
McMann has struggled since her 66-second title fight loss to Ronda Rousey at UFC 170 over two years ago, barely and questionably topping Lauren Murphy while losing to Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes. The Olympic silver medalist got back into the swing of things on May 29, dominating Jessica Eye for 15 minutes en route to three 30-27 shutout scorecards.Other Contenders: Katlyn Chookagian, Germaine de Randamie, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Sarah Kaufman, Lauren Murphy
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