Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Flyweight

1. Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) [1]

Shevchenko added another scalp to her collection in the UFC 266 co-main event, gradually building to a fourth-round stoppage of Lauren Murphy at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25. That’s six consecutive title defenses — and eight straight victories overall — for “Bullet,” who is well-established as the greatest female flyweight in UFC history. With victories over the likes of Murphy Jessica Andrade, Katlyn Chookagian, Liz Carmouche and Jessica Eye, Shevchenko is working on cleaning out the 125-pound weight class. Her next assignment will come against streaking Brazilian Taila Santos at UFC 275.

2. Juliana Velasquez (12-0) [2]

Faced with a game challenger in Denise Kielholtz in the Bellator 262 headliner, Velasquez relied on her jab and superior reach to capture a closely-contested split-decision triumph on July 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It was the seventh triumph for Velasquez under the Bellator banner — and arguably her most difficult to date. The 34-year-old Team Nogueira product is expected to face former UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche at Bellator 278 on April 22.

3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) [3]

For five rounds, Macfarlane struggled to navigate the size and strength advantages of Juliana Velasquez en route to a unanimous decision loss in the Bellator 254 headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. That ended the championship reign of the Hawaiian, who captured the Bellator’s inaugural 125-pound crown and defended it four times, all while becoming one of the California-based promotion’s biggest stars. Macfarlane will return on home soil for a clash with Justin Kish at Bellator 279.

4. Liz Carmouche (16-7) [4]

Carmouche produced the type of performance at Bellator 262 that will make it difficult to deny her a title shot, as she dispatched the previously-unbeaten Kana Watanabe with punches 35 seconds into their co-headlining encounter at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on June 25. In earning her first TKO victory since July 2013, “Girl-Rilla” improved to 3-0 under the Bellator banner, adding Watanabe to a list of victims that includes Vanessa Porto and DeAnna Bennett. Carmouche will square off against Bellator flyweight queen Juliana Velasquez on April 22 in Hawaii.

5. Jessica Andrade (22-9) [5]

Andrade was in peak form at UFC 266, as she walked Cynthia Calvillo down and landed power punches until her opponent was unable to defend against the Brazilian’s onslaught at the 4:54 mark of Round 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 25. The former strawweight champion bounces back from a TKO loss to reigning 125-pound champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261 while winning for the second time in three Octagon appearances since moving up to flyweight. Andrade’s next assignment is a 115-pound matchup with Amanda Lemos at UFC Fight Night 205 on April 23.

6. Katlyn Chookagian (17-4) [6]

More than two years after their first meeting, Chookagian improved to 2-0 against Jennifer Maia with a unanimous decision triumph in a featured flyweight affair at UFC on ESPN 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Jan. 15. Though Chookagian was not competitive in her title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, “Blonde Fighter” has nonetheless won four of her last five Octagon appearances at 125 pounds and remains one of the top contenders in the division. Chookagian will return in a clash against Amanda Ribas on May 14.

7. Lauren Murphy (15-5) [7]

Murphy was gun shy from the outset against Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 266 co-headliner before she was eventually stopped via technical knockout 4:00 into the fourth round of their flyweight title bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. There’s no shame in being outclassed by one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound talents for Murphy, who wasn’t expected to be competitive and saw a five-bout UFC winning streak come to an end in defeat. Next, “Lucky” will welcome Miesha Tate to the flyweight division on May 14.

8. Taila Santos (19-1) [8]

Santos completely overwhelmed Joanne Wood at UFC Fight Night 198, flooring her opponent twice before securing a rear-naked choke for a submission victory 4:49 into the opening round of their Nov. 20 bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Santos has won four straight in the Octagon and now has her first finish in UFC competition, setting the stage for a matchup with reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275.

9. Vanessa Porto (23-9) [9]

After falling to Liz Carmouche in her promotional debut, Porto rebounded to take a closely-contested split decision triumph against Ilara Joanne at Bellator 263 in Los Angeles. The former Invicta FC flyweight queen has been victorious in five of her last six professional bouts dating back to December 2017.

10. Manon Fiorot (9-1) [10]

Fiorot continued her ascent through the flyweight division at UFC on ESPN 33, vanquishing former title challenger Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26. The Frenchwoman has relied on her standup ability to carry her to four consecutive triumphs in the Octagon and looks primed to face another ranked foe in her next outing. The former UAE Warriors flyweight queen has won nine straight professional bouts overall.

Other Contenders: Alexa Grasso, Jennifer Maia, Joanne Wood, Andrea Lee, Cynthia Calvillo.

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