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It’s time to let Liz Carmouche enjoy her championship moment.
On the other end of the spectrum is former Bellator flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who returned from nearly a year-and-a-half hiatus to drop a unanimous decision to the unheralded Justine Kish in front of her hometown fans in Honolulu at Bellator 279 one day later. Perhaps Macfarlane was slightly overranked during a run to the top of Bellator’s flyweight division. That has been rectified, as “The Ilimanator” has been eliminated from the pound-for-pound rankings entirely after previously checking in at No. 11.
Macfarlane isn’t the only notable exit from the rankings. Germaine de Randamie, who recently turned 38 years old, reached 16 months of inactivity and has been removed from the poll as a result. With Macfarlane and de Randamie gone, that clears the way for Marina Rodriguez and Katlyn Chookagian to enter the pound-for-pound bubble.
Note: Previous ranking in brackets.
1. Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) [1]
Shevchenko added another scalp to her collection in the UFC 266 co-main event, gradually building to a fourth-round stoppage of Lauren Murphy at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25. That’s six consecutive title defenses — and eight straight victories overall — for “Bullet,” who is well-established as the greatest female flyweight in UFC history. With victories over the likes of Murphy Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian, Liz Carmouche and Jessica Eye, Shevchenko is working on cleaning out the 125-pound weight class. Her next assignment will come against streaking Brazilian Taila Santos at UFC 275.2. Rose Namajunas (11-4) [2]
After a shockingly quick head-kick KO victory over Weili Zhang in their first meeting at UFC 261, Namajunas relied on a different approach in the rematch, relying on her takedowns and grappling down the stretch for a split-decision triumph in the UFC 268 co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 6. With the win, the reigning strawweight queen improved to 4-0 in rematches during her UFC tenure. A return date against inaugural 115-pound champion Carla Esparza at UFC 274 is up next for Namajunas, who fell to “Cookie Monster” at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale in December 2014.3. Julianna Pena (11-4) [3]
Pena entered UFC 269 as a massive underdog, and she exited the event with the biggest upset of 2021 along with the bantamweight title in tow. A tenacious Pena survived a slugfest with Amanda Nunes and when her Brazilian foe fatigued, “The Venezuelan Vixen” capitalized with a takedown and rear-naked choke submission. Pena, who is victorious in seven of nine Octagon appearances, will coach against Nunes on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” before facing the Brazilian in a bantamweight championship rematch later this year.4. Amanda Nunes (21-5) [4]
Nunes was a victim of 2021’s biggest upset at UFC 269, as she suffered a second-round submission loss to Julianna Pena in the evening’s co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Nunes emptied her gas tank in a firefight against “The Venezuelan Vixen” in Round 2, and once she was unable to get the knockout, she succumbed to a rear-naked choke to relinquish the bantamweight belt. Nunes will coach opposite Pena on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” before attempting to regain her title in a rematch later in 2022.5. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (26-2, 1 NC) [5]
It took a little bit longer than their first meeting, but “Cyborg” nonetheless improved to 2-0 against Arlene Blencowe with a unanimous decision triumph in the Bellator 279 main event at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 23. The reigning featherweight queen has won six straight since her shocking loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2018 and still looks to be head and shoulders above the 145-pound field in Bellator. A potential cross-promotion with, say, the PFL for a superfight with Kayla Harrison would be quite intriguing, however. Whether that’s realistic remains to be seen.6. Weili Zhang (21-3) [6]
Zhang had a far better showing the second time around against Rose Namajunas, but she nonetheless wound up on the wrong end of the scorecards in a split decision loss in the UFC 268 co-main event. While it wasn’t nearly as discouraging as a head kick KO defeat, Zhang falls to 0-2 against Namajunas, which means she may need another champion to be crowned to be a factor in the title picture anytime soon. Regardless, the 32-year-old Chinese standout is well established as one of the top 115-pound talents in the sport and will be a tough out for most anyone in the division. Next, Zhang will run it back against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 in a rematch of one of the greatest women’s bouts of all-time.7. Jessica Andrade (23-9) [7]
After a three-bout stint at 125 pounds that saw her fail in a bid to capture championship gold against Valentina Shevchenko, Andrade made an impressive return to strawweight with a first-round submission of surging contender Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 205 main event on April 23. Not only did Andrade reassert herself as a person of interest in the division, but she also authored the first standing arm-triangle choke submission in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. Andrade is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history, with 14 career wins ranging from 115 to 135 pounds..8. Liz Carmouche (17-7) [15]
When it comes to making good on championship opportunities, the third time was the charm for Carmouche, who came up short in title bouts against Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko before claiming flyweight gold with a stoppage of Juliana Velasquez in the Bellator 278 main event. The Team Hurricane Awesome product survived an early knockdown before taking Velasquez down and advancing to a mounted crucifix, where she hammered away with elbows to secure a technical knockout victory in the fourth round. Carmouche was likely behind on the scorecards before the controversial finish, which could mean a rematch could be in store sooner rather than later.9. Juliana Velasquez (12-1) [9]
Velasquez appeared to be on the right track to victory through three rounds against Liz Carmouche in the Bellator 278 headliner, but that all changed when “Girl-Rilla” secured a mounted crucifix and rained down elbows to force a stoppage with 13 seconds remaining in the period. While Velasquez didn’t appear to be in danger from the strikes, her unblemished record is no longer, and she’ll have to wait and see if the controversial nature of the stoppage grants her an immediate rematch.10. Julia Budd (16-3) [10]
Budd made her Professional Fighters League debut at the organization's championship event on Oct. 27, where she captured a unanimous decision over Invicta FC veteran Kaitlin Young. Budd has won three straight since relinquishing the Bellator featherweight crown to Cristiane Justino in January 2020. The only women to beat the 38-year-old Canadian in MMA competition are Budd, Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey, which makes her an interesting foil for Kayla Harrisonin the PFL. However, Budd’s days in the featherweight rankings could be numbered if she continues to compete at 155 pounds. Her next PFL assignment comes against Genah Fabian in a regular season bout on May 6.Other Contenders: Seo Hee Ham, Holly Holm, Carla Esparza, Marina Rodriguez, Katlyn Chookagian.
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, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Mike Sloan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.