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Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (18-4)
Nunes continued to make her case as the female “GOAT” at UFC 239, where she patiently waited for an opening before dispatching Holly Holm with a head kick and follow-up punches 4:10 into the opening stanza of their co-main event encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That makes nine consecutive victories for “Lioness,” including six in title bouts. With a resume that also includes wins over the likes of Cristiane Justino, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Germaine de Randamie, the next task is simply finding a suitable challenge for the two-division champion. After Justino parted ways with the UFC, Nunes was booked against de Randamie in a bantamweight title tilt at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.2. Germaine de Randamie (9-3)
De Randamie made a great case to be the bantamweight No. 1 contender at UFC Sacramento, where she starched the previously unbeaten Aspen Ladd in just 16 seconds in the evening’s headliner. That makes five consecutive victories for the Dutch kickboxer, a streak that also includes wins over Raquel Pennington and Holly Holm. With Cristiane Justino out of the picture, “The Iron Lady” will get a chance to avenge a previous loss to Amanda Nunes when they square off for 135-pound gold at UFC 245.3. Holly Holm (12-5)
Give Holm and her team credit: “The Preacher’s Daughter” has maximized her marketability during her UFC tenure. However, Holm’s run may be nearing its end. The Jackson-Wink MMA stalwart never got going against Amanda Nunes in the UFC 239 co-headliner, as she fell victim to her own signature move – a head kick – at the 4:10 mark of the opening stanza. Since her monumental upset of Ronda Rousey, Holm is 0-4 in UFC title bouts. Holm will make a relatively quick turnaround to face Raquel Pennington in a rematch at UFC 243 in Melbourne on Oct. 5.4. 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 (8-1)
From a draining weight-cut to a disappointing knockout defeat at the hands of Germaine de Randamie, UFC Sacramento was not an event to remember for Ladd. Despite the controversial nature of the stoppage, Ladd was not in a good position after being dropped by a de Randamie right hand at the outset of the evening’s headliner, and it’s unclear if she could have recovered enough to rally against her veteran foe. Still, Ladd is just 24 years old and has plenty of room for development as her career progresses. She will attempt to get back on track when she faces Yana Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 76. Cat Zingano (10-4)
It was something of an anticlimactic featherweight debut in the Octagon for Zingano, whose UFC 232 matchup with Megan Anderson ended prematurely when “Alpha” Cat suffered an eye injury due to a kick. Zingano has lost four of her last five bouts, dating back to a loss in a 135-pound title bout against Ronda Rousey at UFC 184. The 37-year-old Zingano has been released from her UFC contract, spelling an uncertain future for the Colorado native.7. Raquel Pennington (10-7)
Pennington garnered a much-needed victory at UFC on ESPN 4, halting a two-bout skid with a split-decision triumph against Irene Aldana in San Antonio. Pennington, a former title challenger who owns notable wins against the likes of Miesha Tate, Jessica Andrade and Roxanne Modafferi, now has seven bantamweight victories inside the Octagon — the second most in the history of the division behind only reigning champion Amanda Nunes. She will get a chance to avenge a previous loss when she meets Holly Holm in a rematch at UFC 243 in Melbourne.8. Yana Kunitskaya (12-4)
Kunitskaya’s face was a bloody mess following a rough third round against Marion Reneau at UFC Wichita, but fortunately the Russian competitor had already banked the first two frames to earn a unanimous decision in their bantamweight encounter. The former Invicta FC titlist has now won two straight UFC appearances at 135 pounds since falling to Cristiane Justino in a featherweight title bout in her Octagon debut. She’ll look to make it three in a row against Aspen Ladd at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7.9. Lina Lansberg (9-4)
Lansberg hasn’t been given an easy road during her UFC tenure, facing the likes of Cristiane Justino, Aspen Ladd and Yana Kunitskaya during her six-bout stint. The Swedish “Elbow Queen” came up big at UFC Stockholm, earning a dominant unanimous verdict over former Invicta champ Tonya Evinger in a preliminary 135-pound tilt. The victory improved Lansberg’s UFC mark to 3-3 and gives her some legs in a shallow division. The 37-year-old also boasts a pair of wins over bubble lister Lucie Pudilova on her resume. Lansberg will return to action against rising contender Macy Chiasson at UFC Copenhagen on Sept. 28.10. Tonya Evinger (19-8)
Evinger’s introduction to the UFC has been difficult, to say the least. In her third bid to earn her first Octagon triumph, the ex-Invicta champ again came up short, losing a clear-cut decision to Lina Lansberg at UFC Stockholm. That loss comes on the heels of back-to-back TKO defeats to Cristiane Justino and Aspen Ladd. Evinger had been unbeaten in her 11 previous bouts before signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion.Other Contenders: Marion Reneau, Macy Chiasson, Irene Aldana, Lucie Pudilova, Viviane Araujo.
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