4. Julia Budd
I had Budd as No. 10 on my list of the greatest female fighters pound-for-pound, so it's nice to see her get some recognition here. Amusingly, while Budd originally came from a kickboxing background, including handing Gina Carano her only loss in that sport, it was not her best attribute as an MMA fighter. Rather, it was Budd’s powerful wrestling and ground-and-pound that very few of her opponents could resist. After winning her debut against then undefeated Shana Nelson via knockout, Budd embarked on what would turn out to be perhaps the craziest three-fight stretch of any female fighter ever. First, she faced Amanda Nunes, voted the greatest female fighter ever on that same list, who knocked Budd out in 14 seconds. Then, she faced one of the greatest female strikers in any sport, future UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, who had knocked out Budd in kickboxing. However, in MMA Budd displayed her superior wrestling, repeatedly taking de Randamie down en route to a clear decision victory. As a reward, Budd faced Ronda Rousey and was armbarred in 39 seconds.
After that, however, Budd wouldn't lose again for over nine years. She went 11-0 during that stretch, with a fourth round knockout of fellow pioneer Marloes Coenen to win the Bellator MMA women's featherweight crown, knockout stoppages of previously undefeated challengers in Talita Nogueira and Olga Rubin, and two contentious decisions over skilled striker Arlene Blencowe. While the first was fair, the rematch was a very poor decision that should have gone to Blencowe instead—though there were no winners in what was one of the most boring fights ever. At age 36, Budd then had the biggest fight of her career, facing yet another all-time legend in Cristiane Justino, who was making her debut in Bellator. While Budd fought well and had her moments, “Cyborg” eventually finished her with strikes early in Round 4. Budd then had surprisingly close fights against Jessy Miele and Dayana Silva, the latter a split decision, indicating that at almost 38 years old, she was past her prime.
Budd has continued to fight in the Professional Fighters League at both lightweight and featherweight, and to be fair, I had her winning her last outing against Aspen Ladd, though the split decision went the other way. Nevertheless, in her prime Budd was one of the best female fighters in the world and is a very deserving inclusion here.
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