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Women’s Strawweight
1. Jessica Andrade (20-6)
Andrade battled through adversity to claim strawweight gold at UFC 237. The Brazilian was confounded by Rose Namajunas in the early going of their main even bout in Rio de Janeiro, as “Bate Estaca” was bloodied and dropped by her opponent. Once Andrade was better able to close the distance, however, things changed, and she became the promotion’s fourth 115-pound queen after knocking Namajunas unconscious with a slam in the second stanza. Interesting matchups abound for Andrade, including potential foes like Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who already owns a victory against the new champion.2. Rose Namajunas (8-4)
Namajunas looked sharp in her second title defense at UFC 237. That is, until challenger Jessica Andrade knocked her unconscious with a slam 2:58 into the second round of their headlining bout in Rio de Janeiro. Namajunas’ reaction after the defeat was one of relief, and it seems as though the 26-year-old could be leaning toward an early retirement. If she does decide to stick around, “Thug” Rose has shown a propensity to make great strides from bout to bout, and that includes UFC 237, where she battered, bloodied and dropped Andrade on the feet. Given a little more time to clear her head, it’s possible that Namajunas’ perspective could change, but don’t expect a quick turnaround either way..3. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-3)
Once regarded as the top female pound-for-pound talent in the sport, Jedrzejczyk now finds herself looking up at the top of two separate divisions following a loss to Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant flyweight strap at UFC 231. While the 31-year-old Poland native showed no quit in the bout, she simply had no clear answers for her opponent over the course of the 25-minute affair. Jedrzejczyk has promised a return to 115 pounds in 2019, but the question remains if the weight cut will prove too draining as she grows older — particularly after moving up a division.4. Tatiana Suarez (7-0)
Suarez has been touted as a future championship contender and she showed why at UFC 228, dominating ex-champ Carla Esparza for nearly three rounds before earning a TKO stoppage late in the fight. The freestyle wrestling ace improved to 4-0 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, giving her the longest active winning streak in the division. Suarez will lock horns with fellow contender Nina Ansaroff at UFC 238 in Chicago.5. Nina Ansaroff (10-5)
Ansaroff authored the most complete performance of her career to date at UFC 231, as she landed offense at range and fended off takedowns en route to a unanimous verdict against former title challenger Claudia Gadelha. After beginning her promotional tenure on a two-bout skid, Ansaroff has won four fights in a row — tying her for the longest active winning streak in the UFC at 115 pounds. That run will set her up for a pivotal contender’s bout against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 238.6. Claudia Gadelha (16-4)
Gadelha may still be one of the world’s 10 best strawweights, but she appears to be far removed from her days of challenging for a title in the UFC. The 30-year-old Brazilian lost for the second time in three outings at UFC 231, as she struggled to close the distance against Nina Ansaroff in a decision defeat. That losing streak could very easily be three, considering the contentious nature of her split-decision victory over Carla Esparza at UFC 225. Gadelha will return to the Octagon against Randa Markos at UFC 239 in Las Vegas on July 6.7. Weili Zhang (19-1)
Make it 19 consecutive professional victories for Zhang, who outdueled Tecia Torres to take a unanimous decision in their UFC 235 encounter. The Chinese star improved to 3-0 in the Octagon, adding Torres to previous victories over Jessica Aguilar and Danielle Taylor. The 29-year-old Black Tiger Fight Club representative figures to get another high-profile foe in her next Octagon appearance.8. Carla Esparza (14-6)
The former strawweight queen earned a quality victory at UFC Fight Night 150, as she edged previously unbeaten prospect Virna Jandiroba in a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. Esparza had a slight edge on the feet, but four takedowns were key to her victory, which snapped a two-bout skid for “Cookie Monster.” Were it not for a contentious split-decision loss to Claudia Gadelha at UFC 225, Esparza would be 4-1 in her last five Octagon appearances.9. Livinha Souza (13-1)
Although her opponent missed weight by a whopping seven pounds, Souza was able to earn her second Octagon triumph at UFC Fortaleza, edging the visibly larger and previously unbeaten Sarah Frota via split decision. The former Invicta FC titlist has now won four straight bouts, a streak that includes a UFC win over Alex Chambers and a first-round KO of top-ranked atomweight Ayaka Hamasaki under the Invicta FC banner. Souza was supposed to face Carla Esparza at UFC on ESPN 3 but was forced to withdraw due to injury.10. Cynthia Calvillo (8-1)
Calvillo has returned to her winning ways since coming back from a suspension for a positive marijuana test at UFC 219. In her most recent two outings, the Calvillo has bested Cortney Casey and Poliana Botelho to rebound from her lone career defeat, which came at the hands of Carla Esparza at the aforementioned UFC 219 event. The Californian has won five of her six Octagon appearances overall and remains a rising contender at 115 pounds.Other Contenders: Michelle Waterson, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Tecia Torres, Felice Herrig, Virna Jandiroba.
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