Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Featherweight
1. Amanda Nunes (22-5) | UFC [1]
Nunes silenced the doubters in emphatic fashion in the UFC 277 headliner, as she captured a convincing unanimous decision triumph against Julianna Pena in their bantamweight championship rematch at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on July 30. Not only did “Lioness” bounce back from her shocking upset loss to Pena in 2021, but she re-established herself as a two-division title holder and arguably the top pound-for-pound female talent in the sport. Trilogy fights against Pena or even Valentina Shevchenko remain possibilities, but Nunes could also defend one of her belts against a new contender in her next Octagon appearance.2. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (26-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [2]
It took a little bit longer than their first meeting, but “Cyborg” nonetheless improved to 2-0 against Arlene Blencowe with a unanimous decision triumph in the Bellator 279 main event at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. The reigning featherweight queen has won six straight since her shocking loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2018 and still looks to be head and shoulders above the 145-pound field in Bellator. A potential cross-promotion with, say, the PFL for a superfight with Kayla Harrison would be quite intriguing, however. Whether that’s realistic remains to be seen. In the meantime, “Cyborg” has earned a pair of victories as a professional boxer.3. Macy Chiasson (8-3) | UFC [3]
Chiasson was engaged in a back-and-forth bout with Irene Aldana at UFC 279 when her Mexican opponent pulled off an unlikely finish: an upkick to the liver 2:21 into the third round of their 140-pound catchweight clash. While the loss doesn’t affect Chiasson’s standing at either featherweight or bantamweight, it was still a chance to make a statement in front of a pay-per-view audience. “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner has lost two of her last three promotional appearances.4. Norma Dumont (8-2) | UFC [4]
Faced with a 39-year-old professional boxer with one bout MMA experience, Dumont performed as expected, cruising to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph over Danyelle Wolf at UFC 279. “The Immortal” bounces back from a loss to Macy Chiasson at UFC 274 and has won four of her last five Octagon appearances. Next, Dumont will lock horns with Karol Rosa at a UFC event on April 22.5. Cat Zingano (14-4) | Bellator [5]
Zingano kept her momentum going in the Bellator 293 co-main event, taking a hard-fought unanimous verdict against Leah McCourt at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. The former UFC bantamweight title challenger is well positioned for a 145-pound title shot in the California-based promotion, but that, of course, depends on if and when Cristiane Justino is ready to make her return to the Bellator cage. If “Cyborg” elects to relinquish the belt, Zingano would be a top candidate to vie for the vacant strap.6. Arlene Blencowe (15-9) | Bellator [6]
Blencowe displayed toughness in spades in the Bellator 279, but she still came up short for a second time against Cristiane Justino, losing a five-round decision in the evening’s headliner at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Angerfist” is 5-2 in Bellator since 2018, with her only two defeats coming at the hands of the promotion’s featherweight queen. Another title shot seems unlikely as long as “Cyborg” reigns, but Blencowe is a good litmus test for the rest of the divisional up-and-comers. Next, she’ll welcome Sara McMann to the promotion at Bellator 294.7. Sinead Kavanagh (9-5) | Bellator [7]
After a knee injury sidelined her for approximately one year, Kavanagh made a triumphant return at Bellator 291, as she earned a unanimous decision against Janay Harding in a rematch of a 2018 encounter. It wasn’t always pretty, but the 37-year-old SBG Ireland product has now won four of her last five outings under the Bellator MMA banner. While no one is clamoring to see Kavanagh in a rematch with Cristiane Justino — the Dublin native remains one of the top contenders in a perpetually shallow weight class.8.Sara Collins (4-0) Bellator [NR]
Collins announced her presence in impressive fashion at Bellator 293, as she submitted former Invicta FC title holder Pam Sorenson with a first-round scarf hold armlock in her promotional debut. It’s by far the most notable victory to date for the Australian judoka, whose first three professional opponents owned a combined three wins to their credit.9. Leah McCourt (7-3) Bellator [9]
McCourt was quite competitive against Cat Zingano in the Bellator 293 co-headliner, but ultimately “The Curse” dropped a unanimous decision to the UFC veteran. While the setback is undoubtedly damaging to the Northern Ireland native’s title hopes at 145 pounds, she has still won six of eight outings in Bellator. In a division as shallow as featherweight, McCourt might only need another notable win or two to climb right back into championship contention.10. Aspen Ladd (10-3) PFL [10]
Ladd rode a strong opening stanza to a somewhat contentious split-decision triumph over Julia Budd in a featherweight showcase bout at the 2022 PFL Championships. The victory marks a new beginning for Ladd, who left the UFC after losing three of her final four appearances. Difficulties making the bantamweight limit were a major part of Ladd’s struggles, so perhaps she can continue to build momentum as the PFL unveils its 145-pound weight class in 2023. That opportunity will begin against Olena Kolesnyk at PFL 2.Other Contenders: Julia Budd, Pam Sorenson, Dayana Silva, Janay Harding, Josiane Nunes.
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