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Women’s Bantamweight
1. Julianna Pena (11-4) [1]
Pena entered UFC 269 as a massive underdog, and she exited the event with the biggest upset of 2021 along with the bantamweight title in tow. A tenacious Pena survived a slugfest with Amanda Nunes and when her Brazilian foe fatigued, “The Venezuelan Vixen” capitalized with a takedown and rear-naked choke submission. Pena, who is victorious in seven of nine Octagon appearances, will coach against Nunes on “The Ultimate Fighter 30” before facing the Brazilian in a bantamweight championship rematch later this year.2. Amanda Nunes (21-5) [2]
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 2022.3. Germaine de Randamie (10-4) [3]
De Randamie showcased a new element to her game at UFC on ESPN 16, as she submitted Julianna Pena with a guillotine choke in the third round of their bantamweight encounter at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. It was the first submission victory ever for the Dutch kickboxer, who rebounded from a five-round defeat to Amanda Nunes in a title bout at UFC 245. De Randamie has won six of her eight promotional appearances, with her only two defeats both coming at the hands of Nunes. “The Iron Lady” was scheduled to meet Irene Aldana at UFC 268 before an injury forced her out of the bout.4. Holly Holm (14-5) [4]
Holm put together one of her most complete performances in recent memory at UFC on ESPN 16, as she dominated Irene Aldana for five rounds in the evening’s headliner at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. The Jackson-Wink MMA stalwart has rebounded from a brutal knockout loss to Amanda Nunes with back-to-back decision triumphs over Aldana and Raquel Pennington in 2020. Holm was supposed to square off with “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner Julianna Pena on May 8 but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a kidney condition, and then, a knee injury forced her out of a proposed featherweight clash with Norma Dumont in October. Now, Holm is slated to face Ketlen Vieira on May 21.5. Raquel Pennington (13-8) [5]
Fighting up one weight class, Pennington earned an impressive victory at UFC Fight Night 199, tapping out Macy Chiasson in the second round of their featherweight tilt. Though the victory won’t do anything for Pennington in the bantamweight poll, “Rocky” has nonetheless won three straight within the Las Vegas-based promotion and four of her last five overall.6. Irene Aldana (13-6) [6]
After a lopsided decision loss to Holly Holm in the UFC on ESPN 16 headliner nixed her championship hopes, Aldana was extremely impressive at UFC 264, as she dominated fellow ranked bantamweight Yana Kunitskaya en route to a first-round technical knockout victory. The only damper on the Team Lobo Gym representative’s latest triumph was her troubles on the scales one day prior, when the Mexican standout missed weight by 3.5 pounds. Nonetheless, Aldana has won six of her last eight Octagon appearances dating back to 2018. Aldana is slated for a matchup with Aspen Ladd at UFC 273 on April 9.7. Yana Kunitskaya (14-6, 1 NC) [7]
Kunitskaya had no answers for Irene Aldana at UFC 264, as she had her nose bloodied before being dropped and finished with ground-and-pound 4:35 into the opening round of their encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10. The former Invicta Fighting Championships title holder entered the matchup with Aldana having won four of her last five promotional outings, but a chance to make serious headway in the bantamweight division was lost against her Mexican adversary.8. Ketlen Vieira (12-2) [8]
Vieira added a big-name to her resume at UFC Fight Night 198, where she used more powerful striking to capture a unanimous verdict against former champ Miesha Tate at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was a much-needed bounce back effort for the Brazilian on the heels of a disappointing loss to Yana Kunitskaya at UFC Fight Night 185 and keeps her in contention at 135 pounds. Vieira now owns notable victories over the likes of Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann — all of whom have championship experience. She’ll face another foe with title experience when she locks horns with Holly Holm in a main event bout on May 21.9. Sara McMann (12-6) [9]
McMann was able to impose her will through wrestling and top control early in her UFC 257 matchup with Julianna Pena, but the former bantamweight title challenger faded down the stretch and was submitted by “The Venezuelan Vixen” in the third round of their bout in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23. The 40-year-old South Carolinian has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances, with her lone win during that stretch coming against Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 166. An injury forced McMann to withdraw from a matchup with Ketlen Vieira at UFC on ESPN 30.10. Macy Chiasson (7-2) [10]
Despite a clear size advantage against Raquel Pennington at UFC Fight Night 199, Chiasson lost via second-round submission in their featherweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 18. That snaps a two-bout winning streak for “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner, who was coming off wins over Marion Reneau and Shanna Young. Chiasson has won five of her seven bouts in UFC competition.Other Contenders: Pannie Kianzad, Sijara Eubanks, Miesha Tate, Karol Rosa, Julia Avila.
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