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Women’s Flyweight
1. Valentina Shevchenko (16-3)
As soon as the UFC unveiled the women’s flyweight division, many pointed to Shevchenko as the division’s uncrowned queen. That forecast proved true at UFC 231, where “Bullet” authored a complete performance to take a clear-cut decision win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk and claim the vacant 125-pound belt. In a weight class where the talent pool is thin, Shevchenko appears primed for a lengthy championship reign after dispatching what appeared to be her most significant test.2. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (9-0)
Some fighters might have been distracted by headlining a major card in their home state, but not Macfarlane. “The Ilimanator” remained unbeaten as she submitted former UFC strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau in the Bellator 213 main event in Honolulu on Dec. 15. Next up, the San Diego-based Hawaiian will defend her crown against Veta Arteaga on April 27 in San Jose, Calif.3. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-3)
Once regarded as the top female pound-for-pound talent in the sport, Jedrzejczyk now finds herself looking up at the top of two separate divisions following a loss to Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant flyweight strap at UFC 231. While the 31-year-old Poland native showed no quit in the bout, she simply had no clear answers for her opponent over the course of the 25-minute affair. Jedrzejczyk has promised a return to 115 pounds in 2019, but the question remains if the weight cut will prove too draining as she grows older — particularly after moving up a division.4. Liz Carmouche (13-6)
Carmouche relied on a grinding approach to outpoint former bantamweight competitor Lucie Pudilova at UFC Prague, landing multiple takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory in hostile territory. The former bantamweight title challenger has now earned back-to-back triumphs over Pudilova and Jennifer Maia at 125 pounds and has won four of her last five Octagon appearances overall.5. Jennifer Maia (15-5-1)
Maia’s streak of winning narrow decisions came to an end at UFC Fight Night 133, where she dropped a unanimous verdict to former bantamweight title challenger Liz Carmouche. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak for the former Invicta flyweight queen, who had bested notable competition such as Aga Niedzwiedz, Roxanne Modafferi and Vanessa Porto during that run. Maia will return to action on March 23 against Alexis Davis at UFC Nashville.6. Aga Niedzwiedz (10-1)
Niedzwiedz did not leave Invicta 26 with the company’s flyweight title, but the Polish prospect could have easily done so, losing a razor-thin unanimous decision to incumbent champion Jennifer Maia. It was the first career loss for “Kuma,” but at just 22 years old and full of untapped potential, the Grappling Krakow product figures to be an elite flyweight for the foreseeable future.7. Vanessa Porto (21-8)
Porto claimed the vacant Invicta Fighting Championships flyweight crown with a technical decision victory over UFC veteran Pearl Gonzalez in the Invicta FC 34 main event on Feb. 15. Porto controlled the contest with punching combinations, leg kicks and takedowns, leading her to a clear-cut victory even though the bout ended midway through the fourth frame following an inadvertent eye poke from Gonzalez. Porto, who had come up short in her previous two attempts to claim Invicta FC gold, has posted a 6-2 mark in her last eight bouts.8. Nicco Montano (4-2)
Montano entered “The Ultimate Fighter 26” as the season’s No. 14 seed with a meager 3-2 pro MMA record. Nevertheless, she became the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion, having dominated 14-year veteran Roxanne Modafferi for 25 minutes to take the title on Dec. 1. Montano won’t get to prove that she was more than a placeholder champion, however, as she was stripped of the title after a bad weight cut forced her to pull out of a proposed UFC 228 showdown with Valentina Shevchenko.9. Joanne Calderwood (13-3)
Calderwood entered UFC Fight Night Brooklyn as the underdog against former KSW champion Ariane Lipski. After a convincing unanimous decision victory, the Glasgow, Scotland native is a contender at 125 pounds. Since ending her strawweight tenure on a two-bout skid, “JoJo” looks revitalized at flyweight with back-to-back triumphs over Kalindra Faria and Lipski.10. Rin Nakai (19-2-1)
In the wake of her losses to Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it became clear Nakai needed to cut to flyweight. The move has paid immediate dividends in the form of a four-fight winning streak, including a first-round stoppage of Young Ji Kim at Deep 82 Impact. However, Nakai was forced to pull out of a proposed bout against Shizuka Sugiyama at Rizin 11.Other Contenders: Roxanne Modafferi, Jessica Eye, Sijara Eubanks, Andrea Lee, Ariane Lipski
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