Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Strawweight
1. Weili Zhang (23-3) | UFC [1]
Zhang regained the strawweight throne with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza in the UFC 281 co-main event. The Chinese standout outclassed her wrestling-minded foe on the feet and on the ground and has now rebounded from back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas in 2021 with emphatic victories over Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang will defend her belt against Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 in Boston on Aug. 19.2. Carla Esparza (19-7) | UFC [2]
Esparza’s second reign as strawweight champion was as short-lived as the first, as she relinquished the crown to Weili Zhang in a second-round submission defeat in the UFC 281 co-main event. “Cookie Monster” rebuilt her career after the first title bout loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2015, and it’s possible she could rise to the top again — especially if the title changes hands. After having a six-bout winning streak snapped in defeat, Esparza will be in line to face another highly ranked foe in her next outing. That won’t come until 2024, as Esparza recently revealed that she is awaiting the birth of her first child.3. Rose Namajunas (11-5) | UFC [3]
Namajunas gave one of the most perplexing performances by a defending champion in recent memory, as she refused to engage for the majority of 25 minutes against Carla Esparza in a split decision loss in the UFC 274 co-main event. Though Esparza didn’t do much to force the issue, the “Cookie Monster” did just enough to get the nod from two cageside judges and improve to 2-0 against “Thug” Rose. On the heels of that performance, Namajunas will move to 125 pounds to face top contender Manon Fiorot at UFC Paris.4. Xiaonan Yan (18-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Yan picked up the biggest victory of her career at UFC 288, stunning former champ Jessica Andrade with a huge right hand and follow-up ground strikes in the first round. Yan’s first knockout win in the UFC could not have come at a more opportune time, as most of the rest of the promotion’s top strawweights are either coming off losses, have already fought champ Weili Zhang, or are pregnant—or all three, in the case of Carla Esparza. “Fury” looks to be in an excellent position to navigate the 115-pound traffic jam, and the UFC’s first ever all-Chinese title fight may become a reality at some point in 2023.5. Jessica Andrade (24-11) | UFC [5]
Andrade suffered her second straight loss inside the distance at UFC 288, coming out on the wrong end of a wild slugfest against Xiaonan Yan in the first round of their strawweight encounter on May 6 in Newark, New Jersey. The shocking knockout defeat comes on the heels of her short-notice submission loss to Erin Blanchfield in February and leaves the former 115-pound champ and 125-pound title challenger suddenly looking like a woman without a clear way back into contention in either weight class. Andrade will continue her active 2023, as she steps in for the injured Virna Jandiroba against Tatiana Suarez in a strawweight matchup at UFC Nashville.6. Amanda Lemos (13-2-1) | UFC [6]
Lemos made a statement at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5, blasting Marina Rodriguez with punches for a standing TKO in the third round of their main event clash. In snapping Rodriguez’s four-fight win streak, “Amandinha” stole much of her foe’s upward momentum in the division and put her own April loss to Jessica Andrade further in the rear view. Now 7-1 in the UFC since dropping from bantamweight, Lemos will receive a title shot against Weili Zhang at UFC 292 in Boston.7. Virna Jandiroba (19-3) | UFC [7]
Jandiroba took another step forward at UFC 288, putting in a suffocating three-round performance against Marina Rodriguez in a pivotal strawweight matchup. By grounding the taller woman repeatedly and denying her the space and time to uncork her muay thai arsenal, Jandiroba picked up her second straight win. She has now won four of her last five bouts, with the lone loss coming against former contender Amanda Ribas, who now plies her trade at flyweight. Jandiroba was supposed to face Tatiana Suarez at UFC Nashville but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury.8. Marina Rodriguez (16-3-2) | UFC [8]
Rodriguez suffered her second straight defeat at UFC 288, as Virna Jandiroba took her down in every round and generally made life miserable for the muay thai stylist on the way to a unanimous decision. By the third round, Rodriguez was visibly frustrated—and the New Jersey crowd was audibly frustrated—but the one-sided loss, coupled with her knockout defeat at the hands of Amanda Lemos last November at UFC Fight Night 214, leaves the 36-year-old with a clear ceiling in a division where plenty of other contenders will either be able to take her down, or land with greater power on the feet.9. Mackenzie Dern (13-3) | UFC [9]
Dern got back on track in a big way against Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 223 headliner, as she overwhelmed her veteran opponent on the feet and on the canvas en route to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Dern’s latest performance was her newfound confidence and aggression on the feet. Whether that translates against more accomplished strikers remains to be seen, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt appears to be back on track toward contention at 115 pounds.10. Tecia Torres (13-6) | UFC [10]
Torres showcased composure under fire as she survived a couple harrowing positions in the second round of her UFC 273 clash with Mackenzie Dern, but ultimately “The Tiny Tornado” wound up on the wrong end of the scorecards in a contentious split-decision defeat. That snaps a three-bout winning streak for the American Top Team export, who has rebounded admirably from a four-fight skid suffered from February 2018 to August 2019. After announcing a pregnancy with wife Raquel Pennington, Torres isn’t expected to return to active competition until 2024.Other Contenders: Seo Hee Ham, Angela Lee, Nong Stamp Fairtex, Luana Pinheiro, Tabatha Ricci.
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