Fighter image: Sachiko Hotaka/Rizin FF | Illustration: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com
Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (13-0) | Rizin [1]
Izawa captured the Deep Jewels atomweight title with a second-round ninja choke submission of Si Yoon Park at Deep Jewels 44 on March 24 at New Pier Hall in Tokyo. With the victory — her fourth straight via submission — Izawa claimed her third championship belt and continues to solidify herself as one of the sport’s most impressive lighter weight female fighters. Izawa will next face Kanna Asakura at Rizin 48 on Sept. 29.2. Si Woo Park (12-5) | Rizin [2]
Park outpointed Machi Fukuda to claim the Deep Jewels interim strawweight title at Deep Jewels 45. Since the bout was contested at strawweight, it does not affect Park’s standing at atomweight. Nonetheless, the “Korean Queen Bee” has won seven of her last eight outings, with her lone setback coming to Rizin champ Seika Izawa at Rizin 40. With a resume that also includes wins over Ayaka Hamasaki, Kanna Asakura and Rena Kubota, Park remains entrenched as one of the top fighters in the division.3. Jillian DeCoursey (6-4) | Invicta [4]
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.4. Namiko Kawabata (5-4) | Jewels [5]
Kawabata halted a three-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision victory against Saki Kitamura in a super atomweight bout at Deep Jewels 46. By securing her first triumph since September 2022, the 37-year-old Mouri Dojo product maintains her standing in the division.5. Si Yoon Park (6-4) Jewels [6]
Park’s bid to retain her atomweight belt came up short in the Deep Jewels 44 main event, where she succumbed to a Seika Izawa ninja choke in the second round of their encounter in Tokyo. That setback snaps a five-bout winning streak for the South Korean, who remains the reigning atomweight queen in the Black Combat promotion.6. Andressa Romero (7-4-1) | Invicta [7]
Romero pulled off a stunner at Invicta FC 55, taking a unanimous decision over Deep Jewels microweight queen Saori Oshima at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Missouri on June 28. The victory marked a successful move from strawweight to atomweight for the Nova Uniao product, who entered the bout having lost three of her last four professional appearances.7. Saori Oshima (14-5) | Jewels [8]
Oshima suffered an upset loss in her United States debut, dropping a unanimous verdict to converted strawweight Andressa Romero at Invicta FC 55 on June 28. The setback snapped a two-bout winning streak for “Little Giant,” who was coming off a first-round stoppage of Aya Murakami to unify the Deep and Deep Jewels microweight titles in May.8. Rena Kubota (15-5) | Rizin [9]
Kubota shone at Super Rizin 3 on July 28, busting up Kate Oyama with second-round punches at Saitama Super Arena. While the popular kickboxer remains near the bottom of the Top 10 for now thanks to some head-to-head losses, she figures to have plenty of chances to elevate her stock in the near future, thanks to Rizin’s working relationships with most other promotions with atomweight divisions.9. Kanna Asakura (20-7) | Rizin [10]
Asakura captured a unanimous decision triumph against Mei Yamaguchi in her most recent appearance at Rizin “Landmark Vol. 5” in April 2023. The 26-year-old has won two of her last three outings within the Japanese promotion and will look to keep that momentum going when she faces Seika Izawa in a non-title affair at Rizin 48, which will serve as Asakura’s retirement bout.10. Ayaka Watanabe (3-3) | Shooto [11]
Watanabe dropped her second consecutive bout at Shooto “Colors 3” on Aug. 3, falling to Bo Hyun Park via unanimous decision. However, both of her recent defeats have occurred at strawweight, so they do not affect her standing at atomweight. Instead, 2023 finishes of Satomi Takano and Mina Kurobe strengthen the 27-year-old AACC product’s resume in the division.Other Contenders: Satomi Takano, Chihiro Sawada, Anastasia Nikolakakos, Ana Palacios, Elisandra Ferreira de Oliveira.
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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Sayan Nag, Christian Stein and Rob Sargent.
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