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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 with a lopsided triumph over Octagon newcomer Priscila Cachoeira. “Bullet” was supposed to get her long-awaited title showdown with Nicco Montano at UFC 228 until her opponent was hospitalized on during weight cutting. Montano has since been stripped of the flyweight crown, and Shevchenko will fight for the vacant belt against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 on Dec 8.2. 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. Her next task will be headlining the first Bellator card in her home state against former UFC strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau on Dec. 15.3. 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. After much speculation, Lipski was released from her KSW contract and has taken her talents to the Octagon. Lipski is slated to make her promotional debut against Joanne Calderwood at UFC 233.4. 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. Montano won’t get to prove that she was more than a placeholder champion, however, as she was stripped of the title after a bad weight cut forced her to pull out of a proposed UFC 228 showdown with Valentina Shevchenko.9. 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. However, Nakai was forced to pull out of a proposed bout against Shizuka Sugiyama at Rizin 11.10. Roxanne Modafferi (22-15)
Modafferi has always relied more on intelligence and guile than pure athletic talent, but that wasn’t enough against Sijara Eubanks at UFC 230. “The Happy Warrior” lost a competitive decision to her “TUF 26” castmate, but shouldn’t be downgraded significantly considering that it was a short notice bout and her opponent missed weight. The veteran competitor has lost two of three since joining the UFC late last year.Other Contenders: Katlyn Chookagian, Sijara Eubanks, Andrea Lee, Valerie Letourneau, Sabina Mazo
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