Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (23-5) | UFC [1]
Nunes was rarely threatened in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph over Irene Aldana in the UFC 289 headliner, and she capped off that performance by announcing her retirement from mixed martial arts. “Lioness” exits the sport as a two-division champion and arguably the most accomplished female fighter of all-time with a resume that includes wins over the likes of Cristiane Justino, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Pena. While Nunes leaves a potential trilogy with Pena on the table, she really had nothing left to accomplish in a decorated career. If her retirement holds up, Nunes’ rankings eligibility will expire on June 10, 2024.2. Raquel Pennington (16-8) | UFC [2]
Persistence paid off for Pennington, who became a champion 18 bouts into her promotional tenure with a grinding five-round verdict against Mayra Bueno Silva in the UFC 297 co-main event. “Rocky” wore her opponent down with a superior gas tank and grueling clinch work, earning her sixth consecutive UFC triumph in the process. A title defense against Julianna Pena — or promotional newcomer Kayla Harrison — could be next for Pennington.3. Julianna Pena (11-5) | UFC [3]
The fairy tale ended for Pena at UFC 277, as she was battered and dominated for five rounds in a clear-cut unanimous decision loss to Amanda Nunes in their bantamweight championship rematch at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Pena’s grit was on full display against her “Ultimate Fighter 30” coaching counterpart, but other than a few fleeting moments of success, the fight belonged to Nunes. Thanks to her massive upset of the two-division champ in their first meeting, “The Venezuelan Vixen” was booked for an immediate rubber match at UFC 289, but it fell through when Pena withdrew with a reported rib injury. She was replaced by Irene Aldana but seems unlikely to fall far from the immediate title picture, no matter who is holding the belt when she is ready to return.4. Kayla Harrison (17-1) UFC [4]
Harrison’s Octagon debut couldn’t have gone much better, as she ragdolled ex-bantamweight champ Holly Holm before locking in a rear-naked choke in the second round their UFC 300 encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In addition to answering questions regarding her ability to cut to 135 pounds, the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist looks like a ready-made championship contender at 135 pounds.5. Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
Silva had no answers for the grinding approach of Raquel Pennington, as the Brazilian dropped a unanimous decision in the UFC 297 co-headliner at the Scotiabank Center in Toronto on Jan. 20. Not only did “Sheetara” see a four-fight unbeaten streak come to an end, but she missed an opportunity to claim the vacant women’s bantamweight throne. Silva will likely need a couple more signature wins before she can climb back into title contention again. That begins with a matchup against Macy Chiasson at UFC 303.6. Holly Holm (15-7, 1 NC) | UFC [6]
Holm employed a questionable game plan against Kayla Harrison and paid the price at UFC 300, suffering a second-round submission loss to the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist. While some might have expected “The Preacher’s Daughter” to rely on her striking skills, she instead elected to clinch and was overwhelmed by a powerful foe who previously competed at 155 pounds. While a win would have kept Holm in the title picture, the 42-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA standout has now won just one of her last four Octagon appearances.7. Irene Aldana (15-7) | UFC [7]
Aldana collaborated with Karol Rosa to produce one of the best fights of 2023 at UFC 296, going back and forth for three furious rounds. While Aldana’s decision to ignore Rosa’s leg kicks and simply keep punching rather than defend them directly may have been questionable, it resulted in a fantastic fight, and there are few women at bantamweight who have demonstrated the kind of commitment to low kicks that Rosa showed. The win redeems Aldana’s gun-shy showing against Amanda Nunes in June and leaves her very much in the running for a future bantamweight title shot.8. Ketlen Vieira (14-3) | UFC [8]
Vieira relied on takedowns and top pressure to roll to a three-round verdict over Pannie Kianzad at UFC Fight Night 224 in London. The Brazilian has won three of her last four outings, and with a resume that includes victories over the likes of Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, remains very much in the mix at 135 pounds. However, she was forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night 234 due to an apparent knee injury.9. Yana Santos (14-8, 1 NC) | UFC [9]
Santos tried her hand at 145 pounds at UFC on ESPN 48, where she dropped a closely contested split decision to Karol Rosa. That makes three consecutive defeats for the former Invicta FC title holder, who will look to return to the win column in her next Octagon appearance.10. Macy Chiasson (9-3) | UFC [10]
After about a year and a half on the sidelines, Chiasson returned with a vengeance at UFC Fight Night 239, where she scored a first-round submission of Pannie Kianzad in a rematch of “The Ultimate Fighter 28” finale. The Fortis MMA product seems confident in her ability to consistently make the bantamweight limit now, and she has her sights set on championship gold in the future. First, she’ll need to get past Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303.Other Contenders: Norma Dumont, Karol Rosa, Pannie Kianzad, Talita Bernardo, Miesha Tate.
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