Women’s Flyweight
1. Alexa Grasso (16-3-1) | UFC [1]
Grasso proved she was no fluke in the UFC Fight Night 227 headliner, as she battled Valentina Shevchenko tooth-and-nail for five rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The end result was a split draw that provided little in the way of closure for either woman, but it does allow Grasso gets to keep her flyweight crown for at least one more defense. Grasso will coach against Shevchenko on “The Ultimate Fighter 32,” setting the stage for their trilogy at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.2. Valentina Shevchenko (23-4-1) | UFC [2]
Shevchenko displayed a champion’s resolve in her rematch with Alexa Grasso at UFC Fight Night 227, but a split draw kept “Bullet” from regaining the title she held for more than four years. To her credit, Shevchenko rebounded from being dropped for the first time in her UFC tenure in the second round to author a strong performance behind a stiff jab, solid wrestling and positional control. Shevchenko will a trilogy bout against her Mexican rival at UFC 306.3. Manon Fiorot (12-1) | UFC [3]
Fiorot relied on her physical advantages at UFC on ESPN 54, as she cruised to a unanimous decision triumph over Erin Blanchfield in the evening’s main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fiorot’s winning streak now stands at seven, and while it wasn’t an especially enthralling performance, it’s hard to deny the Frenchwoman her place as the division’s No. 1 contender. However, Fiorot will have to wait until Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko square off for a third time at UFC 306 or even longer than that, depending on the result of their trilogy.4. Erin Blanchfield (12-2) UFC [4]
Blanchfield appeared to be overmatched by the larger Manon Fiorot in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event, as she struggled to close the distance for 25 minutes in a clear-cut unanimous decision defeat. While Blanchfield deserves credit for staying in her opponent’s face until the final horn, the Elmwood Park, New Jersey native missed out on a golden opportunity to assert herself as the division’s No. 1 contender. Instead, “Cold Blooded” will attempt to get back on track against Rose Namajuas at UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2.5. Taila Santos (22-3) | PFL [5]
Santos mixed clean combination striking with opportunistic grappling to take a hard-fought unanimous verdict over Bellator flyweight queen Liz Carmouche in the PFL semifinals on Aug. 2. Santos, who came up short in her bid for UFC gold at 125 pounds, will get a crack at $1 million and the PFL flyweight crown against Dakota Ditcheva later this year.6. Liz Carmouche (22-8) | PFL [6]
Carmouche missed weight and then was unable to outduel Taila Santos in a PFL flyweight semifinal matchup on Aug. 2 in Nashville. That ends a nine-bout winning streak for “Girl-Rilla,” who was competitive in her first defeat since falling to Valentina Shevchenko in August 2019. Carmouche appears to have plenty left in the tank at 40 years old, and if the PFL adds a bantamweight division as she has requested, that could be the next step in her career.7. Natalia Silva (18-5-1) | UFC [12]
Silva kept her momentum going at UFC Fight Night 242, taking a clear-cut unanimous decision over former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade in the evening’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old Brazilian has won six straight in the Octagon — and 12 in a row overall — which puts her on the short list of intriguing new contenders at 125 pounds.8. Maycee Barber (14-2) | UFC [8]
A gritty effort propelled Barber to a three-round verdict over former title challenger Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299, potentially moving “The Future” into position for a championship opportunity of her own down the road. Barber has won six consecutive outings since falling to reigning 125-pound queen Alexa Grasso in February 2021. Barber was forced to withdraw from a headlining clash against Rose Namajunas in Denver on June 13.9. Katlyn Cerminara (18-6) | UFC [9]
Though she was typically game throughout, Cerminara ultimately didn’t have enough for Maycee Barber, as she dropped a unanimous verdict in their bout at UFC 299 in Miami on March 9. The New Jersey native has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in her career, and at 35 years old, the former flyweight title challenger appears to be facing a long road back to the top of the division.10. Rose Namajunas (13-6) | UFC [10]
Namajunas was a step ahead of short-notice foe Tracy Cortez throughout their UFC on ESPN 59 headlining encounter, cruising to a unanimous decision at Ball Arena in Denver. After falling to Manon Fiorot in her 125-pound debut, the ex-strawweight queen has rallied to post five-round verdicts over Cortez and Amanda Ribas to establish herself as a person of interest in the flyweight division. She’ll get to make a claim for the next title shot when she squares off against Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2.Other Contenders: Amanda Ribas, Viviane Araujo, Karine Silva, Jessica Andrade, Tracy Cortez.
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