Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Featherweight

1. Amanda Nunes (21-4) [1]

Nunes extended her winning streak to 12 at UFC 259, where she ran roughshod over Megan Anderson en route to a reverse triangle armbar submission at the 2:03 mark of Round 1. The consensus women’s GOAT now has three wins in 145-pound title bouts to her credit, but there doesn’t appear to be any worthwhile challenges in that division at the moment. With retirement no longer on her mind after the birth of her daughter, “Lioness” returns to 135 pounds to defend her bantamweight crown against Julianna Pena at UFC 265 on Aug. 7..

2. Cristiane Justino (23-2, 1 NC) [2]

Justino’s first featherweight title defense in Bellator was a breeze, as she dominated Arlene Blencowe en route to a rear-naked choke victory in the second round of the Bellator 249 headliner — the first submission triumph of the powerful Brazilian’s MMA career. “Cyborg” has won three straight contests since her upset loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 and appears poised for a dominant reign as 145-pound champ in the California-based promotion. Justino will return to defend her crown in a rematch against Leslie Smith at Bellator 259.

3. Julia Budd (15-3) [3]

It wasn’t as dominant as the majority of her performances, but Budd nonetheless added another victory to her ledger at Bellator 257, eeking out promotional newcomer Dayana Silva on April 16. The former featherweight queen has been victorious in 13 of her last 14 professional appearances, with her lone defeat coming to current 145-pound champ Cristiane Justino in a title bout at Bellator 238. Budd’s latest win might not be enough to accelerate her path toward a rematch with “Cyborg.”

4. Felicia Spencer (8-2) [4]

Spencer showcased remarkable toughness over the course of a 25-minute beating at the hands of Amanda Nunes in the UFC 250 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 6. While surviving until the final horn is a moral victory of sorts, the lopsided nature of the defeat shows that “Feenom” will have a difficult time reaching the top of the division as long as Nunes is 145-pound champion. Spencer will next face Norma Dumont at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22.

5. Arlene Blencowe (13-8) [5]

Blencowe was in survival mode against Cristiane Justino from the outset of the Bellator 249 main event, and she eventually succumbed to a rear-naked choke at the 2:36 mark of Round 2 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Oct. 15. Dating back to 2016, the Aussie’s only two losses in nine professional appearances have come at the hands of female pound-for-pound stalwarts “Cyborg” and Julia Budd.

6. Megan Anderson (11-5) [6]

Once upon a time, Anderson appeared to be a fearsome featherweight prospect as she rolled to four consecutive knockout victories under the Invicta Fighting Championships banner. The 31-year-old Aussie is undoubtedly still a high-caliber talent in a shallow division, but she looked like a deer in the headlights as she was routed by Amanda Nunes in a 145-pound title bout in the UFC 259 co-main event on March 6. The Glory MMA & Fitness product is 3-3 in the Las Vegas-based promotion, with no clear direction to take following a devastating defeat.

7. Janay Harding (6-5) [7]

Harding took a step toward contention in Bellator’s shallow featherweight division with a three-round verdict over Jessy Miele at Bellator 251 on Nov. 5. The 26-year-old Aussie has now won three of her last four appearances within the California-based promotion after a rough beginning to her professional MMA career.

8. Leslie Smith (12-8-1) [8]

A unanimous decision triumph over Amanda Bell at Bellator 245 on Sept. 11 keeps Smith in the thick of things in the promotion’s featherweight division. “The Peacemaker” has won four of her last five professional outings, with a loss to two-time title challenger Arlene Blencowe the only blemish on her ledger during that stretch. Smith, who lost to Cristiane Justino under the UFC banner, will get another crack at “Cyborg” in a featherweight title bout at Bellator 259.

9. Kaitlin Young (12-10-1) [9]

Young won for the fifth time in six tries since coming out of retirement, as she earned a three-round verdict against Cindy Dandois at Professional Fighters League’s third event of the 2021 season. Young will look to continue her run through the promotion’s 155-pound field at an upcoming regular season event in June.

10. Jessy Miele (9-5) [10]

Miele endured a tough 2020 campaign, dropping unanimous decisions to Julia Budd and Janay Harding under the Bellator MMA banner. There’s no shame in losing to Top 10 featherweights — especially Budd — and “The Widowmaker” will look to gain some positive momentum heading into 2021 in what is generally a wide-open weight class.

Other Contenders: Amanda Bell, Sinead Kavanagh, Olga Rubin, Kayla Harrison, Chelsea Chandler.

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