Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Women’s Strawweight

1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (12-0)

Early on in their rematch, it looked like Jedrzejczyk may not be able to withstand Claudia Gadelha’s heavy grappling attack and keep her title. However, over the final three rounds, the unbeaten Polish striker went to work, swarming a tired Gadelha and putting together late dominant rounds to retain her UFC women’s strawweight crown for the third time. Quite simply, Jedrzejczyk is the top woman in the sport right now by a good margin.

2. Claudia Gadelha (13-2)

Gadelha is one of the best fighters in the world and she showed why in the first 10 minutes of her championship rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk at “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale on July 8. However, the Brazilian could not maintain her pace over the final three rounds, becoming a sitting duck for the champion’s volume striking. Gadelha finds herself in a tough spot, far ahead of the rest of the division -- the best in women’s MMA -- but a two-time loser to the champion above her.

3. Jessica Aguilar (19-5)

The former World Series of Fighting titlist was outgunned and outclassed in her Octagon debut, as “JAG” was busted up by Brazilian bruiser Claudia Gadelha at UFC 190. The loss snapped a 10-fight winning streak for Aguilar, who held the division’s top ranking only months ago. She was ticketed for a match with Juliana Lima at UFC 197 on April 23 but had to withdraw after tearing her ACL.

4. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (9-0)

With an unbeaten 9-0 record and her well-rounded, technical game, Kowalkiewicz looks like a perfect potential foil for UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, especially given both women’s Polish heritage. However, in order for Kowalkiewicz to actualize a massive all-Polish title bout, she will need to deal with dynamic, surging contender Rose Namajunas in what may serve as a 115-pound title eliminator at UFC 201 on July 30.

5. Carla Esparza (11-3)

Returning from a 13-month layoff brought about by shoulder surgery, Esparza got back in the swing of things with a dull but dominant decision win against Brazilian Juliana Lima at UFC 197 on April 23. It was the first bout for “Cookie Monster” since dropping her UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.

6. Rose Namajunas (5-2)

On “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20, Namajunas shocked onlookers by earning multiple stoppages in upset victories before being choked out by Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title bout. Since her championship setback, “Thug Rose” has been immaculate, earning impressive wins over Angela Hill, Paige VanZant and Tecia Torres. Namajunas’ path to a second UFC title bid now runs through UFC 201 in Atlanta, where she will take on unbeaten Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a fight that seems likely to determine the next challenger for champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

7. Tecia Torres (7-1)

Four months after putting on the most dominant performance of her young career, Torres came up short in an April 16 rematch against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” Rose Namajunas. The decision defeat put the first official blemish on Torres’ record, though “The Tiny Tornado” suffered exhibition losses to Carla Esparza and Randa Markos during her time on the reality series.

8. Valerie Letourneau (8-5)

Having competed at 135 pounds for much of her career and struggling to make the 115-pound limit, Letourneau looked to have lucked out by securing a 125-pound contest against Joanne Calderwood at the UFC Fight Night in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 18. Instead, Letourneau was outgunned from the outset, taking a hellacious beating to the head and body before being stopped in the third round. With such a decisive loss, the only thing buoying “Trouble” from a slide in these rankings is that they are, after all, strawweight rankings.

9. Maryna Moroz (7-1)

Moroz could not consolidate her upset of Joanne Calderwood with a second straight UFC victory, as she wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Valerie Letourneau on Aug. 23. The 23-year-old Ukrainian boxer rebounded on April 10 with a decision victory over Cristina Stanciu in Croatia.

10. Angela Hill (5-2)

Hill captured the Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight title from Livia Renata Souza on May 7, surviving multiple submission attempts to outwork the Brazilian on the feet across 25 minutes. Since exiting the UFC in late 2015, “Overkill” has rattled off three straight wins -- including two nasty knockouts -- and showcased an ever-improving game.

Other Contenders: Jessica Andrade, Joanne Calderwood, Kalindra Faria, Polyana Viana Mota, Livia Renata Souza