Women’s Strawweight
1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0)
Having so thoroughly dominated the strawweight division during her three-year UFC tenure, Jedrzejczyk is nearly out of credible challengers; however, there is a top-five fighter she has yet to vanquish: Rose Namajunas. Jedrzejczyk-Namajunas is all but a formality for the winter months, with the only real question being whether or not “Joanna Champion” ends up back as part of another title tripleheader at Madison Square Garden for UFC 217 on Nov. 4 or buttressing another late-year Ultimate Fighting Championship card.2. Claudia Gadelha (15-2)
Gadelha has her work cut out for her if she wants a second UFC title fight and third crack at rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk. However, it is work that “Claudinha” is capable of handling, as she owns one of the very best resumes in the entire sport and may just be entering her prime at 28 years old. Never one to back down from a challenge, Gadelha eagerly jumped at the chance for a showdown with fellow Brazilian and former UFC title challenger Jessica Andrade. Gadelha-Andrade is expected to go down at UFC Fight Night 117 on Sept. 23 in Saitama, Japan.3. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2)
Coming off of the first loss of her pro career to Polish counterpart Joanna Jedrzejczyk, it seemed like a tall task for Kowalkiewicz to jump back into the Octagon against the No. 2 woman in the weight class, Claudia Gadelha. Kowalkiewicz may be one of the 10 best women in the game, but she was no match for Gadelha, who took her down and choked her out in barely three minutes.4. Rose Namajunas (6-3)
Courtesy of her domination of Michelle Waterson in April and Jedrzejczyk having beaten nearly everybody else, the 25-year-old Namajunas has gotten herself a second UFC title shot for later this year. Still, the bout is not yet official, and it is not known whether Namajunas' crack at “Joanna Champion” will come at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden, as rumored, or another UFC card later in the year.5. Jessica Andrade (16-6)
Andrade cut from 135 to 115 pounds, and within eight months, she had dominated Jessica Penne, Joanne Calderwood and Angela Hill. However, just as fast as “Bata Estaca” got going at strawweight, she had her roll halted by the queen of the sport, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who dominated Andrade at UFC 211 in May. Still, that does not mean there are not excellent fights for Andrade. She is now lined up to face fellow Brazilian Claudia Gadelha at UFC Fight Night 117 on Sept. 23 in Saitama, Japan.6. Tecia Torres (9-1)
Torres went to the scorecards in her first nine pro bouts, but that all changed at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale. Stepping into a fight with Julianna Lima on short notice, “The Tiny Tornado” was dominant, running over the Brazilian and locking up a second-round rear-naked choke to secure her first career finish and reaffirm her place at 115 pounds.7. Angela Hill (7-3)
Hill is finally starting to hit her stride, and though she has not yet maxed out her potential, “Overkill” is 5-1 in her last six bouts, with her lone loss coming to UFC title challenger Jessica Andrade in a thrilling bout in February. Having rebounded with a unanimous verdict over Ashley Yoder in July, Hill is now lined up to face Nina Ansaroff at UFC Fight Night 120 on Nov. 11 in Norfolk, Virginia.8. Livia Renata Souza (11-1)
An injury suffered by Jodie Esquibel meant that Souza's Aug. 31 bout at Invicta 25 would not be for the promotion's vacant strawweight title she was hoping to recapture. Nonetheless, “Livinha” got to do her thing in the cage and dominated previously unbeaten fellow Brazilian Janaisa Morandin for 15 minutes. Souza's next bout figures to come against Esquibel for the Invicta 115-pound title.9. Cortney Casey (7-4)
Fortunately for Casey, she got to hang on to her dominant May win over longtime divisional standout Jessica Aguilar after the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation flubbed her drug test and was forced to admit it. Having dodged that bullet of injustice, “Cast Iron” has caught a quality booking for her next UFC appearance. Casey faces the streaking Felice Herrig at UFC 218 on Dec. 2 in Detroit.10. Carla Esparza (12-4)
It has been a difficult two years for the first woman to wear the UFC's 115-pound gold. After the promotion's inaugural strawweight queen was savaged in her first title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015, Esparza bounced back with a win over Brazil's Juliana Lima, only to suffer a surprising upset loss to Randa Markos in February. “Cookie Monster” took another step toward righting her ship on June 25, easily outwrestling Ukraine's Maryna Moroz for 15 minutes.Other Contenders: Cynthia Calvillo, Felice Herrig, Angela Lee, Maryna Moroz, Viviane Pereira.
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