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Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (16-4)
Nunes strengthened her stranglehold on the women’s bantamweight division at UFC 224, where she gradually wore down Raquel Pennington to a fifth-round technical knockout in the Rio de Janeiro headliner. “Lioness” has seven consecutive wins under her belt and is now set for a lucrative superfight against featherweight queen Cristiane Justino at UFC 232 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.2. Germaine de Randamie (8-3)
De Randamie’s brief reign as featherweight champion may go down as only a footnote in UFC history, but “The Iron Lady” looks like a tough out at 135 pounds. In her first bout since February 2017, the kickboxer stymied former title challenger Raquel Pennington at every turn, earning a unanimous verdict in a featured bantamweight tilt at UFC Fight Night Denver. The Netherlands native has won four straight bouts dating back to 2015.3. Holly Holm (11-4)
Holm entered mixed martial arts known as a boxing world champion, but her skills have gradually evolved over the years. That was most evident at UFC 225, where the Jackson-Wink MMA representative outwrestled and outgrappled Octagon newcomer Megan Anderson in a relatively easy decision triumph. Not only did Holm end talks of Anderson as the next featherweight title challenger, but she set herself up for yet another high-profile bout down the road. Whether that comes at 135 or 145 pounds likely depends on the opportunities presented to the New Mexico native.4. Ketlen Vieira (10-0)
Do not be fooled by the split decision result: Vieira was largely dominant in her victory over Cat Zingano at UFC 222 thanks to her takedowns and suffocating top game. After having handily dispatched ex-title challengers in Zingano and Sara McMann in her last two outings -- and with a 4-0 record overall in the Octagon -- the 26-year-old Brazilian should be on the short list of top contenders at 135 pounds. Vieira was paired with former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Tonya Evinger at UFC Fight Night 137 on Sept. 22 but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.5. Aspen Ladd (7-0)
Ladd added a nice feather to her cap at UFC 229, authoring a first-round stoppage of former Invicta FC champion Tonya Evinger. Not only did Ladd put Evinger away faster than featherweight champion Cristiane Justino did, but her ferocious, screaming ground-and-pound salvo made a lasting impression. Ladd improved to 2-0 in the Octagon and put the issues on the scales that led to a canceled bout against Leslie Smith at UFC Fight Night 128 squarely in her rearview mirror.6. Cat Zingano (10-3)
After consistently having long layoffs between fights, Zingano returned to the Octagon just five months after dropping a split decision to Ketlen Vieira at UFC 222. Perhaps the Colorado native should consider more quick turnarounds, as she relied on takedowns and top position to take a three-round verdict over Marion Reneau at UFC Fight Night 133. The triumph ended a three-bout skid for Zingano, who will move up to featherweight to face former Invicta FC champ Megan Anderson at UFC 232.7. Raquel Pennington (9-7)
The four-fight winning streak that earned Pennington a title shot — and featured victories over Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade — feels like a distant memory now. Returning to action following a lopsided defeat to Amanda Nunes at UFC 224, Pennington struggled to make much happen in a clear-cut decision loss to Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night Denver. “Rocky” now owns a 6-4 promotional mark but will need to regain some momentum in 2019.8. Marion Reneau (9-4-1)
Unbeaten in her previous four Octagon appearances, Reneau was grounded repeatedly by Cat Zingano at UFC Fight Night 133 in Boise, Idaho, ultimately losing a unanimous decision to the former bantamweight title challenger. At 41 years old, the clock could be ticking for Reneau, who owns notable wins against the likes of Sara McMann and Jessica Andrade during her promotional tenure. Reneau will attempt to return to the win column against former Invicta champion Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 233.9. Sara McMann (11-5)
McMann was in complete control against Marion Reneau in their UFC on Fox 28 clash, as she pounded away on her defenseless opponent from the mounted crucifix in the waning seconds of Round 1. Not getting the finish would come back to haunt the Olympic silver medalist, however, as Reneau rallied to drop McMann and then submit her with a triangle choke in the second stanza. McMann, a former title challenger, has lost two straight for the second time in her UFC tenure and will put her fighting career on hold as she awaits the birth of her second child.10. Tonya Evinger (19-7)
Evinger’s introduction to the UFC has been difficult, to say the least. After moving up a weight class to endure a pummeling from featherweight queen Cristiane Justino in her Octagon debut, Evinger returned to 135 pounds at UFC 229, where she absorbed a brutal barrage of ground-and-pound against Aspen Ladd in a first-round TKO defeat. Prior to signing with the UFC, the ex-Invicta FC champ had been unbeaten in 11 bouts from September 2011 to March 2017.Other Contenders: Irene Aldana, Lucie Pudilova, Bethe Correia, Sarah Kaufman, Yana Kunitskaya
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