Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Flyweight

1. Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) [1]

Shevchenko added another scalp to her collection in the UFC 266 co-main event, gradually building to a fourth-round stoppage of Lauren Murphy at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25. That’s six consecutive title defenses — and eight straight victories overall — for “Bullet,” who is well-established as the greatest female flyweight in UFC history. With victories over the likes of Murphy Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian, Liz Carmouche and Jessica Eye, Shevchenko seems to be running out of challenges at 125 pounds. However, the UFC has not shown interest in booking a trilogy between Shevchenko and two-division champion Amanda Nunes at this point in time.

2. Juliana Velasquez (12-0) [2]

Faced with a game challenger in Denise Kielholtz in the Bellator 262 headliner, Velasquez relied on her jab and superior reach to capture a closely-contested split-decision triumph on July 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It was the seventh triumph for Velasquez under the Bellator banner — and arguably her most difficult to date. The 34-year-old Team Nogueira product is expected to face former UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche at a Bellator event in April, though that bout is not yet official.

3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) [3]

For five rounds, Macfarlane struggled to navigate the size and strength advantages of Juliana Velasquez en route to a unanimous decision loss in the Bellator 254 headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. That ended the championship reign of the Hawaiian, who captured the Bellator’s inaugural 125-pound crown and defended it four times, all while becoming one of the California-based promotion’s biggest stars. Considering those credentials, Macfarlane may not be far off from another title shot — and an immediate return date with Velasquez might not be that farfetched.

4. Liz Carmouche (16-7) [4]

Carmouche produced the type of performance at Bellator 262 that will make it difficult to deny her a title shot, as she dispatched the previously-unbeaten Kana Watanabe with punches 35 seconds into their co-headlining encounter at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on June 25. In earning her first TKO victory since July 2013, “Girl-Rilla” improved to 3-0 under the Bellator banner, adding Watanabe to a list of victims that includes Vanessa Porto and DeAnna Bennett. Carmouche is expected to square off against Bellator flyweight queen Juliana Velasquez sometime this spring.

5. Jessica Andrade (22-9) [5]

Andrade was in peak form at UFC 266, as she walked Cynthia Calvillo down and landed power punches until her opponent was unable to defend against the Brazilian’s onslaught at the 4:54 mark of Round 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25. The former strawweight champion bounces back from a TKO loss to reigning 125-pound champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261 while winning for the second time in three Octagon appearances since moving up to flyweight. Andrade’s next assignment is a 115-pound matchup with Amanda Lemos on May 14.

6. Katlyn Chookagian (17-4) [6]

More than two years after their first meeting, Chookagian improved to 2-0 against Jennifer Maia with a unanimous decision triumph in a featured flyweight affair at UFC on ESPN 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Jan. 15. Though Chookagian was not competitive in her title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, “Blonde Fighter” has nonetheless won four of her last five Octagon appearances at 125 pounds and remains one of the top contenders in the division.

7. Lauren Murphy (15-5) [7]

Murphy was gun shy from the outset against Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 266 co-headliner before she was eventually stopped via technical knockout 4:00 into the fourth round of their flyweight title bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. There’s no shame in being outclassed by one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound talents for Murphy, who wasn’t expected to be competitive and saw a five-bout UFC winning streak come to an end in defeat. Next, “Lucky” will welcome Miesha Tate to the flyweight division on May 14.

8. Taila Santos (19-1) [8]

Santos completely overwhelmed Joanne Wood at UFC Fight Night 198, flooring her opponent twice before securing a rear-naked choke for a submission victory 4:49 into the opening round of their Nov. 20 bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Santos has won four straight in the Octagon and now has her first finish in UFC competition, setting the stage for a matchup with another ranked opponent when she is ready to return to action.

9. Vanessa Porto (23-9) [9]

After falling to Liz Carmouche in her promotional debut, Porto rebounded to take a closely-contested split decision triumph against Ilara Joanne at Bellator 263 in Los Angeles on July 31. The former Invicta FC flyweight queen has been victorious in five of her last six professional bouts dating back to December 2017.

10. Jennifer Maia (19-8-1) [10]

Maia failed in her attempt to avenge a previous loss to Katlyn Chookagian, as she fell to “Blonde Fighter” in a clear-cut decision loss at UFC on ESPN 32 on Jan. 15. With a 4-4 record in the Octagon, the former title challenger has struggled to gain momentum in the Las Vegas-based promotion, but wins over the likes of Joanne Wood, Jessica Eye and Roxanne Modafferi serve to keep her rankings relevant.

Other Contenders: Joanne Wood, Andrea Lee, Cynthia Calvillo, Jessica Eye, Viviane Araujo.

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