Women’s Flyweight
1. Jennifer Maia (14-4-1)
It was over seven years ago that Maia projected as a major MMA prospect, and the Curitiba, Brazil, native has found her stride. Back-to-back decisions over longtime divisional stalwarts Vanessa Porto and Roxanne Modafferi put her on top of the division and made her the Invicta flyweight champion. Maia has now won five in a row and seven of her last eight since 2014.2. Vanessa Porto (18-7)
A 13-year veteran with a slew of quality victories, Porto could not replicate one of her old hits in March. She armbarred fellow Brazilian Jennifer Maia back in October 2011, but at Invicta 16, Maia avenged her defeat and pounded out a hard-fought 25-minute unanimous decision to take a slice of the Invicta 125-pound title. Porto has not been booked since.3. Roxanne Modafferi (20-13)
Since dropping her Invicta flyweight title bout to Jennifer Maia via split decision in September, Modafferi clearly got sick of just waiting around for another major booking. Instead, “The Happy Warrior” took a tune-up on April 1 in Billings, Montana, where she submitted Brazilian Priscila de Souza with an armbar to become the first Fusion Fight League women’s flyweight champion.4. Rin Nakai (19-2-1)
Admittedly, the 5-foot-1 Nakai’s UFC run at 135 pounds did not go well, as she dropped lame decisions to Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith. However, since returning to her home promotion Pancrase and dedicating herself to 125 pounds, Nakai has gone an impressive 3-0. She most recently competed for the Rizin Fighting Federation on Dec. 29 and defeated the previously unbeaten Kanako Murata, a true world-class wrestler.5. Sarah D’Alelio (11-6)
Not many women are dying to fight D’Alelio, always a dangerous underdog and spoiler who happens to be on a five-fight winning streak. As a result, the Dublin, California, native was forced to be creative. On March 24, she went to Phuket, Thailand, for a 15-minute exhibition bout with local striker Nong Kim under Mike Swick’s Primal FC banner. The match effectively featured no grappling.6. Ariane Lipski (8-3)
Lipski’s six-fight winning streak, major knockout power and 1994 birthdate have made her one of the most exciting prospect in women’s MMA. She can take a major leap into the sport’s spotlight and earn a major victory her next time out when she meets fellow prospect Diana Belbita for the inaugural KSW women’s flyweight title on May 27. Adding to the intrigue, the fight is part of KSW’s first stadium show and could take place in front of upwards of 60,000 fans.7. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (5-0)
Signed to a Bellator MMA contract with a 1-0 record, Macfarlane has looked like the centerpiece of the promotion’s nascent division thus far, going 4-0 for the company. The next showcase for “The Iliminator” comes at Bellator 178 on April 21, when she faces Jessica Middleton.8. Jingnan Xiong (9-1)
A Chinese Sanda specialist, Xiong is still far from a full-fledged and well-rounded MMA fighter. With that said, she has been a pro for less than two and a half years and has posted a 9-1 pro mark with seven stoppages under the Kunlun Fight banner, all while demonstrating some delightful striking. Her lone loss in her career, a June 2015 decision defeat to veteran Colleen Schneider, came at 132 pounds. She stayed busy in December, punching out unknown Slovakian Alena Gondasova in the second round.9. Andrea Lee (6-2)
Lee has gotten 2017 started on the right foot. In her first action since her submission loss to Sarah D’Alelio in March 2016, she blasted Jenny Liou in a mere 74 seconds at Invicta 21 on Jan. 14. Just over four weeks later, “KGB” armbarred Heather Bassett in the third round to become the first Legacy Fighting Alliance women’s flyweight champion.10. Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (9-0)
The latest stalwart women’s prospect out of Poland, Niedzwiedz was a compelling talent early in her career as a bantamweight. She is now one of the most interesting 125-pounders out there after debuting in Invicta in July and topping Christine Stanley. However, in December in her native Poland, the 21-year-old Niedzwiedz came in at almost 131 pounds to face 121-pound Samara Santos, whom she knocked out, so some growing pains may be had.Other Contenders: Diana Belbita, Simone Duarte, Emily Ducote, Daiane Firmino, Brogan Walker.
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