Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Women’s Bantamweight

1. Amanda Nunes (14-4)

Many expected Nunes to defeat former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in Las Vegas, but in her first title defense, Nunes positively humiliated the Olympic judo bronze medalist, savagely knocking her out in a 48-second landslide and possibly retiring the “Rowdy” one. Firmly entrenched as the top 135-pound woman in the world, Nunes now likely waits on the outcome of the Julianna Pena-Valentina Shevchenko bout on Jan. 28 to determine her next contender.

2. Valentina Shevchenko (13-2)

Following Shevchenko’s resounding five-round unanimous decision victory over former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm in July, it was clear that if she was not granted the promotion’s next title shot, it would be hard to find an opponent for her. Fortunately, even with Ronda Rousey being inserted into the UFC 207 slot against new champ Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko has found a dance partner. Once again appearing in a UFC on Fox main event, the savvy Kyrgyz striker will take on hot up-and-comer Julianna Pena on Jan. 28 in Denver.

3. Holly Holm (10-2)

It was a dreadful year for Holm after her breakout conquering of Ronda Rousey in November 2015. First, Holm dropped her UFC title to Miesha Tate in a come-from-behind five-round submission loss at UFC 196 in March. Then, she was soundly outpointed over 25 minutes by Valentina Shevchenko in July. Despite the consecutive losses, she has the chance to make history in her next outing. At UFC 208 on Feb. 11, Holm will meet Dutch kickboxing queen Germaine de Randamie at 145 pounds to crown the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion. If Holm wins, she will join Randy Couture, B.J. Penn and Conor McGregor as the only fighters in history to win UFC titles in two weight classes

4. Julianna Pena (8-2)

Following her domination of former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano at UFC 200 in July, the always-outspoken Pena was adamant that she was willing to wait around for a title shot. However, given Pena’s burning desire for a crack at the gold, “The Venezuelan Vixen” saw an opportunity to leap forward in the bantamweight pecking order and face champion Amanda Nunes. Pena will now take on Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on Fox 23 in Denver on Jan. 28 in what amounts to a title eliminator.

5. Raquel Pennington (9-5)

A modern example of the MMA throwback philosophy of learning on the job, Pennington came off of “The Ultimate Fighter” with a 3-3 pro MMA record. Since then, “Rocky” has gone 6-2 in the Octagon, including a four-fight winning streak that now features former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. Pennington pounded on Tate for 15 minutes at UFC 205, claiming the biggest win of her pro career.

6. Ronda Rousey (12-2)

After much anticipation, curiosity and speculation surrounding her title fight versus Amanda Nunes at UFC 208, Rousey’s Octagon return quickly turned into a disastrous nightmare. The Olympic judo bronze medalist was tagged immediately by Nunes and then brutally clobbered with a battery of punches before biting the dust in just 48 seconds. Even with consecutive, humiliating losses to Nunes and Holly Holm, Rousey still has one of the best resumes at 135 pounds. Whether or not she ever fights again at all has become the operative question.

7. Sara McMann (10-3)

After her August 2015 loss to now-champ Amanda Nunes, McMann had lost three of her last four, including a 66-second knockout loss to Ronda Rousey in her UFC title challenge. Just when it seemed the 36-year-old Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler had plateaued or started to regress, McMann stormed back. She dominated Jessica Eye in May before welcoming Alexis Davis back to the Octagon at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale on Dec. 3, using a second-round arm-triangle choke to become the first woman to submit Davis in the cage.

8. Cat Zingano (9-2)

Back from a 16-month absence, Zingano is now eligible to be ranked again, but the former UFC title challenger did not return on a positive note. Though “Alpha” started quickly against Julianna Pena at UFC 200, 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.

9. Tonya Evinger (18-5, 1 NC)

Evinger’s Invicta Fighting Championships title defense on Nov. 18 turned into a debacle in a hurry, as challenger Yana Kunitskaya locked up an armbar. As Evinger put her foot on her foe’s face to defend, she was told by referee Mike England it was illegal -- which it is not -- and ended up tapping in the sequence. After public outcry, the Missouri Office of Athletics changed the result of the bout to a no-contest, erasing the loss from Evinger’s record and giving her back the Invicta title and spot in these rankings.

10. Liz Carmouche (11-5)

Injuries have largely derailed Carmouche since her April 2014 loss to Miesha Tate, with the former UFC title challenger getting in just two bouts in the last 30 months. Nonetheless, Carmouche returned to form at UFC 205, grinding out a split decision over Katlyn Chookagian and overcoming some sticky situations on the feet.

Other Contenders: Katlyn Chookagian, Alexis Davis, Germaine de Randamie, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Lauren Murphy

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