Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Women’s Flyweight

1. Valentina Shevchenko (15-3)

Already one of the world’s top bantamweights, Shevchenko emphatically announced her presence at 125 pounds at UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem, Brazil on Feb. 3. Paired with Octagon newcomer Priscila Cachoeira, Shevchenko brutalized her Brazilian opponent for nearly two full rounds, winning via rear-naked choke at the 4:25 mark of the middle stanza. “Bullet” will now get her long-awaited title showdown with reigning champ Nicco Montano at UFC 228, where she has been slotted as a massive favorite despite being the challenger.

2. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (8-0)

Macfarlane’s star continues to rise at 125 pounds. Bellator MMA’s inaugural women’s flyweight queen put together another stellar outing at Bellator 201, where she made her first official championship defense with a third-round submission of Alejandra Lara in the main event. The San Diego-based Hawaiian has earned seven of her eight professional victories under the Bellator banner, and it appears that her next task will be former UFC strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau.

3. Ariane Lipski (11-3)

Lipski needed five full rounds to dispatch challenger Silvana Gomez Juarez in her second successful flyweight title defense at KSW 42 on March 3. That ended a streak of five consecutive finishes for “The Violence Queen,” who remains one of the most dynamic 125-pounders in the world. With one fight left on her KSW deal, Lipski has expressed interest in taking her talents to the UFC. However, the Polish promotion is known for taking good financial care of its stars.

4. Liz Carmouche (12-6)

Despite being under the weather, Carmouche put together a vintage performance in besting former Invicta champion Jennifer Maia at UFC Fight Night 133. The unanimous decision win was not insignificant, as Maia, while a newcomer to the Octagon, had won six in a row and was Sherdog.com’s previously No. 1-ranked flyweight. Carmouche is now 1-1 at 125 pounds after compiling at 3-3 mark as a bantamweight.

5. Jennifer Maia (15-5-1)

Maia’s streak of winning narrow decisions came to an end at UFC Fight Night 133, where she dropped a unanimous verdict to former bantamweight title challenger Liz Carmouche. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak for the former Invicta flyweight queen, who had bested notable competition such as Aga Niedzwiedz, Roxanne Modafferi and Vanessa Porto during that run.

6. Aga Niedzwiedz (10-1)

Niedzwiedz did not leave Invicta 26 with the company’s flyweight title, but the Polish prospect could have easily done so, losing a razor-thin unanimous decision to incumbent champion Jennifer Maia. It was the first career loss for “Kuma,” but at just 22 years old and full of untapped potential, the Grappling Krakow product figures to be an elite flyweight for the foreseeable future.

7. Vanessa Porto (20-8)

Porto got back in the win column at Invicta 26 on Dec. 8, pounding out UFC veteran Milana Dudieva in the third round; however, the Brazilian clocked in at 128 pounds and missed weight. Perhaps eager for a more consummate performance, Porto competed on a short turnaround at Invicta 27 on Jan. 13, making weight and choking out fellow Brazilian Mariana Morais in the first round. Porto is now 5-2 over her last seven contests.

8. Nicco Montano (4-2)

Montano entered “The Ultimate Fighter 26” as the season’s No. 14 seed with a meager 3-2 pro MMA record. Nevertheless, she became the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion, having dominated 14-year veteran Roxanne Modafferi for 25 minutes to take the title on Dec. 1. The onus is now on Montano to prove she is not a placeholder champion that happened to win a reality show. She will get that chance against the highly regarded -- and heavily favored - Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 on Sept. 8 in Dallas.

9. Roxanne Modafferi (22-14)

“The Happy Warrior” put the sting of her loss to Nicco Montano in the UFC’s inaugural flyweight title bout in the rearview mirror at “The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale, as she pounded out Barb Honchak with elbows en route to a second-round TKO stoppage. The 35-year-old Modafferi has won three of her last four bouts overall -- all via finish -- and remains one of the most respected veterans in women’s MMA.

10. Rin Nakai (19-2-1)

In the wake of her losses to Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it became clear Nakai needed to cut to flyweight. The move has paid immediate dividends in the form of a four-fight winning streak, including a first-round stoppage of Young Ji Kim at Deep 82 Impact on Feb. 24. Nakai will return to action against Shizuka Sugiyama in a 125-pound contest at Rizin 11 on July 29.

Other Contenders: Katlyn Chookagian, Alexis Davis, Andrea Lee, Valerie Letourneau, Sabina Mazo

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