Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Featherweight
1. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (27-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [1]
“Cyborg” turned away another challenger with ease, as Cat Zingano found herself outstruck and outwrestled before succumbing to a torrent of ground-and-pound in the first round of their co-headlining tilt at Bellator 300. The win was Justino’s fifth straight in Bellator and sixth since her shocking knockout loss to Amanda Nunes almost five years ago. In light of Nunes’ recent retirement, and her choice even before then to focus on her bantamweight title, “Cyborg” has reclaimed her status as the top 145-pound woman in MMA.2. Larissa Pacheco (23-4) PFL [2]
Pacheco became the first-two division champion in Professional Fighters League history , as she cruised to a unanimous verdict over Marina Mokhnatkina at the organization’s championship event on Nov. 24. Outside of a leglock attempt in Round 1, Pacheco was rarely threatened in securing her 10th consecutive victory in PFL competition. After upsetting Kayla Harrison to win the lightweight crown in 2022, Pacheco stands out as one of the PFL’s most established stars as the league moves forward following the purchase of Belllator MMA.3. Macy Chiasson (8-3) | UFC [3]
Chiasson was engaged in a back-and-forth bout with Irene Aldana at UFC 279 when her Mexican opponent pulled off an unlikely finish: an upkick to the liver 2:21 into the third round of their 140-pound catchweight clash. While the loss doesn’t affect Chiasson’s standing at either featherweight or bantamweight, it was still a chance to make a statement in front of a pay-per-view audience. “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner has lost two of her last three promotional appearances. She’ll look to get back on track against Ketlen Vieira in a bantamweight tilt on Jan. 13.4. Norma Dumont (10-2) | UFC [4]
Dumont cruised past an overmatched Chelsea Chandler at UFC on ESPN 49, blending crisp striking with takedowns and top control in a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph. Though the future of the women’s featherweight division is unclear in the wake of Amanda Nunes’ retirement, Dumont has been adamant that the promotion should keep the weight class around. Despite those desires, Dumont will drop to 135 pounds for a showdown against Yana Santos at a UFC event on Jan. 13.5. Cat Zingano (14-5) | Bellator [5]
Zingano had built up a good head of steam in her three years since joining Bellator, winning four straight fights to earn a shot at Cristiane Justino’s featherweight strap at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7. That momentum came to a crashing halt in barely four minutes, as “Cyborg” shrugged off Zingano’s takedown attempts, outstruck her soundly and finally buried her under an avalanche of ground punches in the first round. While she remains on the short list of greatest women never to win a major title, the 41-year-old is left without a clear way forward in Bellator, which does not have a women’s bantamweight division and may be reluctant to let her knock off potential fresh challengers for Justino.6. Leah McCourt (8-3) Bellator [6]
“The Curse” showed up big at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7, pushing Sara McMann around on the feet as well as on the ground en route to a TKO stoppage late in the first round. With the emphatic win, the 31-year-old from Northern Ireland put her competitive loss to Cat Zingano earlier this year in the rearview and reaffirmed her status as one of the top women in the division. A meeting with Cristiane Justino, who crushed Zingano later that same night to defend her Bellator featherweight title, may be next.7. Sara McMann (14-7) | Bellator [7]
McMann came up short, literally as well as figuratively, in her clash with Leah McCourt at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7. The onetime UFC bantamweight title challenger struggled on the feet with severe deficits in height and reach, but more concerning for the former Olympic medalist in wrestling was the fact she struggled to bring the fight to the canvas on her terms, while McCourt threw her more than once with apparent ease before the ground-and-pound stoppage late in the first round. The loss blunts the positive momentum of McMann’s successful Bellator debut in April against Arlene Blencowe, and at 43, represents a step back that her title hopes can ill afford.8. Sara Collins (5-0) Bellator [8]
Collins continued her ascent at Bellator 299, taking a hard-fought split verdict against hometown favorite Sinead Kavanagh at 3Arena in Dublin. The Australian prospect has made a big impression with victories over ranked foes Kavanagh and Pam Sorenson in her first two promotional appearances, and she figures to be in the thick of the 145-pound title picture going forward.9. Sinead Kavanagh (9-6) | Bellator [9]
Fighting on home soil in Dublin, Kavanagh dropped a split decision to undefeated featherweight prospect Sara Collins at Bellator 299 on Sept. 23. That snapped a two-bout winning streak for the former title challenger, who was coming off back-to-back victories over Janay Harding and Leah McCourt under the Bellator banner.10. Arlene Blencowe (15-10) | Bellator [10]
Blencowe lost her second straight outing at Bellator 294, dropping a three-round verdict to former UFC bantamweight title challenger Sara McMann on April 21. Options currently appear to be limited for 40-year-old “Angerfist” who has twice come up short in featherweight title bouts against reigning Bellator featherweight queen Cristiane Justino.Other Contenders: Aspen Ladd, Julia Budd, Josiane Nunes, Marina Mokhnatkina, Pam Sorenson.
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