Women’s Flyweight
1. Jennifer Maia (14-4-1)
A pair of wins over Vanessa Porto and Roxanne Modafferi in 2016 gave Maia the two biggest victories of her pro MMA career, along with the Invicta Fighting Championships flyweight title. Now 29 years old, Maia may well have the chance to add another major name to her ledger before the year ends. Her next 125-pound title defense is penciled in to headline Invicta 26 on Dec. 8 in Kansas City, Mo., where she will square off against the undefeated Agnieszka Niedzwiedz.2. Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (10-0)
Excluding a blown weight cut for her bout with Samara Santos in December, Niedzwiedz has looked outstanding during her 3-0 run at flyweight thus far. After her May win over perennial Brazilian standout Vanessa Porto, the 22-year-old is now in position to shed her prospect status permanently, as the undefeated Polish fighter is expected to headline Invicta 26 in a showdown with flyweight champion Jennifer Maia on Dec. 8 in Kansas City, Mo.3. Vanessa Porto (18-8)
Over the last two years, back-to-back losses in the Invicta cage -- first to 125-pound titlist Jennifer Maia and then undefeated top contender Agnieszka Niedzwiedz -- have dropped Porto back in the flyweight rankings. The Brazilian’s chance for redemption and her first win in the last two and a half years will come at Invicta 26 on Dec. 8, when she meets Milana Dudieva in Kansas City, Missouri.4. Roxanne Modafferi (21-13)
Modafferi did not succeed in her first stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” during Season 18, but now that “The Happy Warrior” is at her preferred weight class of 125 pounds, she stands a chance to be the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion. The 14-year MMA veteran is the No. 1 seed on “The Ultimate Fighter 26,” which will crown the promotion’s first 125-pound queen. Modafferi earned first-round stoppages over Shana Dobson and Emily Whitmire to advance to the semis against Sijara Eubanks.5. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (7-0)
Bellator MMA built its women’s flyweight division around Macfarlane, so it comes as little surprise that she became the company’s inaugural champion. At Bellator 186 on Nov. 3, “The Iliminator” claimed a second win over Emily Ducote, dominating her en route to a beautiful triangle double armbar submission in the fifth round to claim the gold. Macfarlane’s first title challenger will likely be determined at Bellator 191 on Dec. 15, when Valerie Letourneau takes on Kate Jackson.6. Ariane Lipski (10-3)
The UFC and Bellator MMA may be getting their flyweight divisions off the ground but Poland’s Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki may have the most dynamic 125-pound woman in the world. In May, in front of nearly 58,000 fans in Warsaw at KSW “Colosseum,” Lipski armbarred Romania’s Diana Belbita to become the promotion’s inaugural women’s flyweight champion. She then defended her title for the first time on Oct. 22 in Dublin, where she choked out fellow Brazilian Mariana Morais in 58 seconds. The 23-year-old “Violence Queen” has now won eight straight fights, with seven of those wins coming via stoppage.7. Rin Nakai (19-2-1)
In the wake of her losses to Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith in the UFC, it became clear Nakai needed to cut to flyweight, and the move has paid immediate dividends with wins over Raika Emiko, Charlene Watt and Kanako Murata. However, the Pancrase poster girl returned her 135-pound promotional title earlier this year and does not have much opposition to face in her home base. Fortunately for Nakai, Pancrase has signed a talent-exchange agreement with Invicta Fighting Championships that could bring legitimate talent to Japan to face Nakai or take her across the Pacific to tangle with top-10 opposition.8. Sarah D’Alelio (11-7)
“The Monster” had won four bouts in a row heading into Invicta 23 on May 20, and a win over Roxanne Modafferi would have been the biggest of D’Alelio’s career, vaulting her into immediate 125-pound title contention in the Invicta Fighting Championships ranks. Instead, Modafferi took over the fight late and unloaded a nasty barrage of punches and elbows on the floor that left D’Alelio bloodied, battered and beaten.9. Andrea Lee (8-2)
Lee has had to deal with some tough luck in recent months. Her first Legacy Fighting Alliance title defense went awry in July, when Brazilian opponent Davina Maciel pulled out due to visa issues, nixing the bout. In September, she was set to defend against Carina Damm before settling for little-known Jamie Thorton. Lee was then supposed to make her Octagon debut at UFC 216 against Kalindra Faria, but because she tested positive for a banned diuretic in March 2016, she was ineligible to fight in the UFC until satisfying an entry period in the USADA testing pool.10. Mara Romero Borella (12-4, 1 NC)
Few fight fans could have told you the first thing about Borella in June. However, the Italian is undefeated in her last seven bouts, and in the last four months, she has knocked off UFC vet Milana Dudieva in the Invicta Fighting Championships cage and made a successful Octagon debut of her own, choking out underrated Brazilian vet Kalindra Faria in less than three minutes. Now, “Kunoichici” is lined up for her first action of 2018, as she has been penciled in to face Katlyn Chookagian at UFC Fight Night 125 on Jan. 27.Other Contenders: Diana Belbita, Emily Ducote, Kate Jackson, Sabina Mazo, Iony Razafiarison.
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