Women’s Strawweight
1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0)
Jedrzejczyk reinforced her dominance over the 115-pound women’s division at UFC 205, where she dominated Karolina Kowalkiewicz and handed her Polish countrywomen her first pro loss. Now more than ever, Jedrzejczyk is lording over her division and simply waiting for a viable strawweight challenger to emerge to challenge her throne.2. Claudia Gadelha (14-2)
As the clear second banana at 115 pounds but with two recent losses to champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha needs a way to keep herself occupied. Fortunately for the Brazilian standout, the Internet seems to have provided just the outlet to keep her career chugging along. “Claudinha” has recently taken to social media to posture for a fight with former champion Carla Esparza, igniting a none-too-pleasant war of words between the two women on Instagram and Twitter.3. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-1)
Looking at avenge a March 2012 amateur loss, Kowalkiewicz was game against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 205 but could not catch up to the champion’s striking pace and output. The 31-year-old Kowalkiewicz still boasts a 10-1 pro mark and is clearly one of the world’s best strawweights, but even if she secures a rematch with Jedrzejczyk down the line, she figures to be a considerable underdog after a clear unanimous decision loss.4. Carla Esparza (11-3)
It was 22 months ago when Esparza, the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion, was ripped apart and lost her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in Dallas. Since then, Esparza has popped up just once in the Octagon, outwrestling Juliana Lima to a decision in April. Now, Esparza has found herself embroiled in a nasty bit of trash talk with former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha, which may foment a fight between the two.5. Rose Namajunas (5-3)
Namajunas entered the UFC 201 co-main event with Karolina Kowalkiewicz as a healthy favorite. A win would have earned her a second crack at UFC strawweight gold, likely lining up a showdown with 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Instead, despite a fast start from Namajunas, the crafty clinch work of Kowalkiewicz earned her a split decision win and highlighted some of the wrinkles the still-developing 24-year-old has to iron out of her game.6. Tecia Torres (7-1)
Four months after putting on the most dominant performance of her young career, Torres came up short in an April 16 rematch against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” alum Rose Namajunas. The decision defeat put the first official blemish on Torres’ record, though “The Tiny Tornado” suffered exhibition losses to Carla Esparza and Randa Markos during her time on the reality series.7. Jessica Andrade (15-5)
Cutting to 115 pounds helped turn Andrade into a new fighter in 2016, with the “Piledriver” running roughshod over Jessica Penne and Joanne Calderwood. Andrade was supposed to have a chance for a third win on the year in December, but opponent Maryna Moroz pulled out of the bout due to injury and slated replacement Angela Hill had not spent the requisite time in the USADA testing pool in order to be approved for the bout. As a result, Andrade was left without a fight and waits to be rescheduled.8. Maryna Moroz (8-1)
UFC 207 saw a few notable bouts dissolve, including Moroz’s slated battle with surging Brazilian prospect Jessica Andrade. After an undisclosed injury knocked the Ukrainian “Iron Woman” out of the bout, would-be replacement Angela Hill could not be cleared for her UFC return due to USADA testing protocols, leading to the match being nixed all together.9. Angela Hill (6-2)
Following her UFC release, most expected the still-developing Hill to eventually return to the Octagon as her MMA game matured. In 2016, “Overkill” showed her progression was ahead of schedule, going 4-0 on the year and taking the Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight title from Livia Renata Souza. However, when her Invicta run earned a call from the UFC to replace Maryna Moroz against Jessica Andrade at UFC 207, she wound up a victim of red tape. Due to the USADA’s requirement that returning UFC fighters spend four months in its testing pool, Hill could not be cleared to face Andrade, delaying her inevitable UFC return.10. Livia Renata Souza (9-1)
At Invicta Fighting Championships 17 in May, Souza lost her 115-pound title to the rapidly improving Angela Hill via split decision. The 25-year-old Brazilian prospect has laid low since her first career defeat, but Souza’s skill and already impressive record install her as one of the strawweight division’s finest fighters.Other Contenders: Joanne Calderwood, Cortney Casey, Alexa Grasso, Juliana Lima, Viviane Pereira