Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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)

While the UFC's first strawweight champion has spent her recent time on social media calling out divisional standout Claudia Gadelha, a showdown with the Nova Uniao standout is not on deck for “Cookie Monster.” Esparza's next Octagon appointment will instead come on Feb. 19, when she takes on fellow “Ultimate Fighter 20” alum Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night 105.

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)

Andrade's smashing wins over Jessica Penne and Joanne Calderwood after a drop to 115 pounds earned her a UFC 207 date with Marynz Moroz in December; and when Moroz was injured, Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Angela Hill agreed to step in. Unfortunately, the fact that Hill was not in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool temporarily nixed those plans. Now, the UFC has granted Hill an exception, allowing for a fantastic Andrade-Hill clash to go ahead at UFC Fight Night 104 on Feb. 4 in Houston.

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)

Hill's 4-0 run in 2016 earned her the Invicta strawweight title and a second bid at the UFC. Unfortunately, she was set to come in on short notice against Jessica Andrade at UFC 207 in December and was not in the USADA testing pool. Fate has since smiled on “Overkill,” who has been granted an exception by the UFC and will now face Andrade at UFC Fight Night 104 on Feb. 4.

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