Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Featherweight
1. Amanda Nunes (21-5) | UFC [1]
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 2022.2. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (26-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [2]
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.3. Macy Chiasson (8-2) | UFC [NR]
It certainly wasn’t a thing of beauty, but Chiasson embraced the grind against Norma Dumont at UFC 274, relying on takedowns and clinch work to capture a split-decision triumph at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 7. “The Ultimiate Fighter 28” winner is now 2-1 at featherweight and indicated that she is probably more comforable competing at 145 pounds going forward. The Fortis MMA product has won three of four promotional appearances since 2020.4. Norma Dumont (7-2) | UFC [4]
Dumont struggled to maintain her preferred striking range in a lackluster split-decision loss to Macy Chiasson at UFC 274 on May 7. To make matters worse, Dumont missed weight one day prior. It was a discouraging performance from the Brazilian, who looked like a person of interest at featherweight following consecutive decision triumphs over Aspen Ladd, Felicia Spencer and Ashlee Evans-Smith in her previous three Octagon appearances.5. Felicia Spencer (9-3) | UFC [5]
Spencer returned to the win column at UFC Fight Night 197 with a dominant third-round technical knockout victory against “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner Leah Letson at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 13. The victory was much needed on the heels of back-to-back losses to Norma Dumont and Amanda Nunes. Spencer apparently won’t look to build upon her latest triumph, however, as she announced her retirement a few weeks after besting Letson. If it holds up, her rankings eligibility will expire on Nov. 13, 2022.6. Megan Anderson (11-5) | UFC [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. The Glory MMA & Fitness product is 3-3 in the Las Vegas-based promotion. While Anderson hasn’t officially retired, she also said she doesn’t have designs on fighting anytime soon.7. Arlene Blencowe (15-9) | Bellator [7]
Blencowe displayed toughness in spades in the Bellator 279, but she still came up short for a second time against Cristiane Justino, losing a five-round decision in the evening’s headliner at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Angerfist” is 5-2 in Bellator since 2018, with her only two defeats coming at the hands of the promotion’s featherweight queen. Another title shot seems unlikely as long as “Cyborg” reigns, but Blencowe is a good litmus test for the rest of the divisional up-and-comers.8. Pam Sorenson (9-4) | Bellator [8]
After a successful promotional debut against Roberta Samad this past August, Sorenson was outgunned against former title challenger Arlene Blencowe in a unanimous decision defeat at Bellator 271 on Nov. 12. That setback halts a modest two-bout winning streak for the former Invicta FC and King of the Cage title holder, who had been on hiatus for two years before splitting a pair of bouts under the Bellator banner in 2021. Next, Sorenson will lock horns with Cat Zingano at Bellator 282.9. Leslie Smith (12-9-1) | Bellator [9]
After falling to Cristiane Justino via first-round TKO in their first meeting at UFC 198, Smith made into the fifth round before being stopped in their rematch at Bellator 259. Making it to the championship rounds against the heavy-handed “Cyborg” is no small feat, but it doesn’t change the fact that Smith is now 0-2 against the ruler of the Bellator’s featherweight division – making it difficult to see a path back to the title for “The Peacemaker.”10. Sarah Kaufman (22-5) | BTC [10]
After a Professional Fighters League stint at 155 pounds failed to result in the anticipated showdown with Kayla Harrison in 2019, Kaufman made her featherweight debut in the main event of BTC 13 “Power” in Ontario, Canada, defeating Jessy Miele via first-round TKO in November 2021. The 36-year-old Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts product and former bantamweight contender could be an interesting addition to any organization looking to bolster its 145-pound division.Other Contenders: Dayana Silva, Janay Harding, Jessy Miele, Marina Mokhnatkina, Amanda Bell.
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN'S ATOMWEIGHT