Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (15-4)
As dominant as she has been over the last two years, Nunes' longevity as UFC champion was questioned due to her history of fading down the stretch and how that tendency re-emerged during the final round of her March 2016 bout with Valentina Shevchenko. In their anticipated rematch at UFC 215, Nunes sought to further debunk that notion and did so, albeit not without controversy. After “The Lioness” took Round 5 of the rematch, she won a narrow split decision over her rival that already has many looking for a third showdown between the two despite Nunes' 2-0 lead in the series.2. Valentina Shevchenko (14-3)
When Shevchenko met Amanda Nunes in March 2016, she started slow but turned up the heat late, leading onlookers to wonder what could have been with 10 extra minutes. Shevchenko finally got her 25-minute showdown with Nunes for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 215 title and controlled the middle portion of the fight. However, it was the champion who came on strong late, eventually eking out a split decision, much to the chagrin of Shevchenko, who was adamant that she deserved the judges' nod.3. Holly Holm (11-3)
Holm's historic clobbering of Ronda Rousey in November 2015 was followed by three straight losses; and after her UFC women's featherweight title loss to Germaine de Randamie in February, it seemed like it only made sense for Holm to stay put at 135 pounds. That notion gained more credence when Holm absolutely leveled former UFC title challenger Bethe Correia with a head kick in June. Nonetheless, with the UFC featherweight title now around Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino's waist, Holm has taken to calling out the Brazilian in hopes of getting the biggest payday she can.4. Julianna Pena (8-3)
Pena had her moments in the UFC on Fox 23 headliner, but ultimately, she could not finish her armbar in the first round and watched as opponent Valentina Shevchenko cinched one of her own late in the second. “The Venezuelan Vixen” still has one of the division's best hit lists; and at 27 years old, she has plenty of time to contend for a title.5. Raquel Pennington (9-5)
Since beginning her pro career 3-3, “Rocky” has gone 6-2 in the Octagon, including a four-fight winning streak that features a victory over former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate at UFC 205 in November. Pennington figures to be in the UFC 135-pound title mix in the immediate future, but she first must recover from surgeries on her shoulder and hand.6. Ronda Rousey (12-2)
After much anticipation, curiosity and speculation surrounding her title fight versus Amanda Nunes at UFC 208, Rousey’s Octagon return quickly turned into a disastrous nightmare. The Olympic judo bronze medalist was tagged immediately by Nunes and then brutally clobbered with a battery of punches before biting the dust in just 48 seconds. Even with consecutive, humiliating losses to Nunes and Holly Holm, Rousey still has one of the best resumes at 135 pounds. Whether or not she ever fights again at all has become the operative question.7. Tonya Evinger (19-6, 1 NC)
Evinger was long overdue for a call up to the UFC, but “Triple Threat” finally found a way to make it happen: She stepped into a women's featherweight title fight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino as a replacement for Megan Anderson at UFC 214. Evinger was a colossal underdog and took her lumps en route to a third-round knockout loss, but doing the promotion a solid by stepping into the vacant title fight with Justino will allow her to hang out in the Octagon at her actual weight class: 135 pounds.8. Ketlen Vieira (9-0)
There is no more Ronda Rousey and no more Miesha Tate, and now, Amanda Nunes has beaten Valentina Shevchenko twice. Suffice to say, the UFC women's bantamweight division needs new contenders, and fortunately, Vieira has arrived. “Fenomeno” was solid if unspectacular in her first two Octagon appearances, but she turned it up several notches at UFC 215. Against Olympic silver medalist and former UFC title challenger Sara McMann, Vieira put on the best performance of her career against her best opponent to date, dominating McMann before submitting her with an arm-triangle choke to move to 9-0 in her young career.9. Sara McMann (11-4)
McMann had looked sensational heading into UFC 215, as she had posted three straight impressive wins in which the Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler finally seemed to integrate a more aggressive submission game with her wrestling. She even joined Team Alpha Male in advance of her bout with unbeaten Ketlen Vieira. However, everything came crashing down when UFC 215 came around, as it was Vieira who flexed her grappling muscle, taking down McMann in the second round and choking her out.10. Liz Carmouche (11-5)
Carmouche’s win over Katlyn Chookagian in her overdue Octagon return in November put her back on the 135-pound map. “Girl-rilla” was set to jump deeper into the wide-open 135-pound race on Feb. 19, but an injury forced her to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 109 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Other Contenders: Bethe Correia, Katlyn Chookagian, Alexis Davis, Lina Lansberg, Marion Reneau.
Continue Reading » Women’s Flyweight