Fighter image: Sachiko Hotaka/Rizin FF | Illustration: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com
Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (9-0) | Rizin [1]
Izawa completed her run through the Rizin super atomweight grand prix on New Year’s Eve, when she garnered a hard-fought split verdict over Si Woo Park at Rizin 40 in Saitama, Japan. Izawa keeps her undefeated record intact and improves to 2-0 against Park, whom she also defeated via unanimous decisionat Deep 104 Impact in October 2021. With a resume that now includes wins over Park (twice), Ayaka Hamasaki (twice) and Miki Motono (twice), the 25-year-old Tokyo native strengthens her position atop the atomweight rankings. Next, Izawa will lock horns with Suwanan Boonsorn at Deep Jewels 41.2. Si Woo Park (9-5) | Rizin [2]
Park performed admirably in her rematch with Seika Izawa but ultimately came up short, dropping a split decision in their super atomweight grand prix final matchup at Rizin 40 on New Year’s Eve. While many observers thought “The Korean Queen Bee” deserved the nod on the scorecards, that’s small consolation for Park, who falls to 0-2 against Izawa and sees a four-fight winning streak snapped in defeat.3. Ayaka Hamasaki (24-6) | Rizin [3]
Hamasaki couldn’t take Si Woo Park to the canvas in their super atomweight grand prix semifinal matchup at Rizin 38, and as a result she was battered and dropped on the feet en route to a convincing unanimous decision loss. While the 40-year-old ex-champion remains one of the top talents in the division, a 1-3 record in her last four professional appearances suggests that Hamasaki’s best days may be behind her.4. Rayanne Amanda dos Santos (14-6) | Invicta [4]
Dos Santos broke through in a big way at Invicta FC 53, outclassing Jillian DeCoursey in every phase of the fight en route to a one-sided unanimous decision win. The dominant performance leaves the 27-year-old Marajo Brothers product in possession of the Invicta 105-pound title and instantly puts her into the conversation about the top atomweights in the world. Considering that most of the promotions that have atomweight or super atomweight divisions share talent freely, dos Santos is likely to have plenty of chances to advance herself in that conversation, whether inside or outside the confines of Invicta.5. Jillian DeCoursey (6-4) | Invicta [5]
DeCoursey ran into a buzzsaw at Invicta FC 53, relinquishing her atomweight title to Rayanne Amanda dos Santos by unanimous decision in a fight that saw her outstruck, outgrappled and outhustled for five rounds by a younger, larger opponent. It was a shocking reversal of recent fortunes for “Lionheart,” who came into the fight on the momentum of back-to-back first-round finishes in her last two Invicta appearances. Whether the setback was just a bump in the road, or an indication of a competitive decline by a 38-year-old working in MMA’s lightest, fastest weight division, will remain to be seen in DeCoursey’s next outing.6. Namiko Kawabata (4-2) | Jewels [6]
After upsetting Saori Oshima in a non-title bout at Deep Jewels 36 in March, Kawabata kept her momentum going with a 37-second technical knockout victory against Yuko Kiryu at Deep Jewels 38 in Tokyo on Sept. 11. Making the victory all the more impressive was the fact that Kiryu was in the midst of a five-fight winning streak and hadn’t been finished since her professional debut in 2015. A move to strawweight was not as successful, however, as she was submitted by Machi Fukuda in the opening round of their clash at Deep Jewels 40.7. Saori Oshima (11-3) | Jewels [7]
Oshima extended her winning streak to four with an armbar submission of Yerin Hong at Black Combat 5 on Feb. 4. The 28-year-old AACC product has eight of her last nine outings dating back to March 2021 — earning victories in both Deep Jewels and Rizin along the way. Oshima’s ever-growing resume includes wins over the likes of Si Woo Park, Kanna Asakura and Moeri Suda.8. Jessica Correa Delboni (13-4) | Invicta [8]
Delboni got back into the win column, punishing Danielle Taylor with a bevy of kicks, especially to the legs, and a far superior work rate in their strawweight showcase at Invicta FC 53. The dominant performance puts Delboni’s first-round throttling by then-champ Jillian DeCoursey at Invicta FC 49 last September in the rear view. A win at 115 pounds does not elevate the 29-year-old Brazilian’s standing at atomweight, nor is handing Taylor her fourth straight defeat a promise of future success at strawweight, especially for a fighter of Delboni’s diminutive stature. Nevertheless, after DeCoursey was dethroned later that same night at Invicta 53, the way back to another shot at the atomweight title may not be as much of an uphill climb as it once seemed.9. Alesha Zappitella (9-4, 1 NC) | Invicta [9]
Zappitella’s move to the strawweight division didn’t go as planned, as she suffered a doctor stoppage loss to Emily Ducote after two rounds in the Invicta FC 47 main event. “Half Pint” has now lost back-to-back title bouts — one at 115 pounds and one at 105 pounds — after compiling a four-fight winning streak from February 2020 to May 2021. It appears that her future will remain in the strawweight division for the time being.10. Rena Kubota (13-5) | Rizin [10]
Kubota returned in a losing effort against Claire Lopez in a 113-pound clash at Rizin Landmark Vol. 5. She announced that she sustained a partial rupture of the LCL in her right knee and three toe fractures during her third-round kneebar submission defeat.Other Contenders: Kanna Asakura, Satomi Takano, Miki Motono, Moeri Suda, Aya Murakami.
Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, John Brannigan, Tyler Treese, Lev Pisarsky and Rob Sargent.
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