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Women’s Strawweight
1. Weili Zhang (20-1)
Zhang was devastating on her home soil, putting an end to Jessica Andrade’s title reign in just 42 seconds at UFC Fight Night 157 in Shenzhen, China. “Magnum” pummeled Andrade with punches, elbows and knees at close range for a surprisingly quick finish to become the first Chinese champion in UFC history. Zhang’s professional winning streak is now at 20, a run that includes four victories in the Octagon. While the 30-year-old Black Tiger Fight Club member figures to be a valuable asset as the promotion continues to make inroads in China, she also showed she may just be scratching the surface of her potential by dispatching one of the most powerful women in the division. Zhang will make her first title defense against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczk at UFC 248 on March 7.2. Jessica Andrade (20-7)
Andrade’s championship reign proved to be short lived – one of the shortest in UFC history, in fact – as she suffered a 42-second technical knockout loss to Weili Zhang in the UFC Fight Night 157 headliner in Shenzhen, China on Aug. 31. The Brazilian’s willingness to engage ultimately cost her when Zhang clipped her with a right hook and unloaded with knees, elbows and punches in close quarters for a surprisingly quick finish. That ends a four-bout winning streak for “Bate Estaca,” who was coming off consecutive knockout wins over Rose Namajunas and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Andrade will face Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 249.3. 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 seemed as though the 26-year-old was leaning toward an early retirement. After taking some time off, Namajunas has elected against calling it a career will return to the Octagon in a rematch with Andrade at UFC 249 on April 18.4. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-3)
After a false alarm involving a weight-cut scare earlier in the week, Jedrzejczyk was her usual dominant self come fight night at UFC Tampa, cruising to a unanimous verdict against a game Michelle Waterson on Oct. 12. Whether it was with crisp combinations and leg kicks at range or knees and elbows in the clinch, the Polish star was in top form in earning her second consecutive triumph at 115 pounds. Jedrzejczyk will attempt to recapture the strawweight crown when she locks horns with Weili Zhang at UFC 248 on March 7.5. Tatiana Suarez (8-0)
Suarez may still very well be a future champion, but she showed some flaws in a victory over Nina Ansaroff at UFC 238. The American used her wrestling to bank two rounds on the judges scorecards, but faded in the third round. Perhaps even more concerning was Ansaroff’s ability to land offense in the final stanza. Nonetheless, Suarez captured a unanimous decision for her fifth consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The Milennia MMA product could be an interesting potential foe for newly-crowned champion Weili Zhang, though she may need another victory to truly enter the title conversation.6. Nina Ansaroff (10-6)
Ansaroff didn’t beat the highly-touted Tatiana Suarez at UFC 238, but she did show some chinks in the American wrestler’s armor. Ansaroff spent most of the first two stanzas on her back but did a decent job neutralizing Suarez’s offense with her guard. In Round 3, Ansaroff took advantage of her tiring opponent to land 30 significant strikes — more than Suarez’s first-four UFC foes landed combined. Nonetheless, Ansaroff dropped a unanimous decision to see her four-bout winning streak snapped. Ansaroff announced that she will be taking a year off from MMA to start a family with fiancee Amanda Nunes.7. Claudia Gadelha (17-4)
Gadelha relied exclusively on her standup to capture a unanimous decision triumph over Randa Markos in a preliminary matchup at UFC 239. While it wasn’t the most enthralling performance, it was a welcome victory for “Claudinha,” who recently began training under the guidance of coaches Mark Henry and Ricardo Almeida. The former strawweight title challenger has won two of her last three Octagon appearances. After having a couple fight bookings fall through, Gadelha is slated to square off against Marina Rodriguez at UFC Oklahoma City on May 2.8. Carla Esparza (15-6)
Esparza improved to 2-0 in 2019, as she held off a hard-charging Alexa Grasso to earn a majority decision at UFC Fight Night 159 in Mexico City. As usual, Esparza’s wrestling helped her bank a couple of rounds, but she had to survive both being rocked on the feet and an armbar from Grasso in the final frame. The promotion’s inaugural strawweight queen has already faced many of the women ranked ahead of her in the division. Esparza will return to action against Michelle Waterson at UFC Portland on April 11.9. Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1)
A strong finish in the third frame earned a pair of 10-8 scorecards from the cageside judges and salvaged a majority draw for Calvillo against Marina Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C. Calvillo missed weight badly ahead of the bout and struggled with her opponent’s strong clinch game for the first two rounds, so salvaging a draw had to feel like a somewhat positive outcome. Calvillo’s strong wrestling bailed her out down the stretch and continues to make her a difficult matchup for many an opponent at 115 pounds.10. Michelle Waterson (17-7)
Waterson’s best chance at a strawweight title shot may have come and gone at UFC Fight Night 161, where she dropped a clear-cut unanimous decision to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday night. The always marketable Jackson-Wink MMA representative threatened twice with back takes against her Polish opponent but was for the most part outclassed on the feet as she saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end. Waterson will try to get back on track against Carla Esparza at UFC Portland on April 11.Other Contenders: Marina Rodriguez, Brianna Van Buren, Xiaonan Yan, Alexa Grasso, Livinha Souza.
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