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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 (14-8) [5]
A short-notice replacement for Irene Aldana at UFC 273, Pennington stepped in without issue and outworked Aspen Ladd en route to a unanimous decision triumph at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 9. The former bantamweight title challenger has crafted a four-bout winning streak — three at 135 pounds — and remains a contender in the division thanks to a resume that includes wins over the likes of Aldana, Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade.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 was slated for a matchup with Aspen Ladd at UFC 273 before withdrawing from the contest due to an undisclosed injury.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 (13-6) [9]
McMann ended Karol Rosa’s six-bout winning streak at UFC on ESPN 33, capturing a unanimous decision against the Parana Vale Tudo product at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist’s wrestling was more than enough to get the job done against Rosa, as she secured takedowns in all three rounds of the bantamweight clash. The 41-year-old former 135-pound title challenger has won two of her last three UFC appearances since 2020.10. 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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