Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Flyweight
1. Alexa Grasso (16-3-1) | UFC [1]
Grasso proved she was no fluke in the UFC Fight Night 227 headliner, as she battled Valentina Shevchenko tooth-and-nail for five rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The end result was a split draw that provided little in the way of closure for either woman, but it does allow Grasso gets to keep her flyweight crown for at least one more defense. Given the competitive nature of the rematch, a trilogy with Shevchenko remains very much in play.2. Valentina Shevchenko (23-4-1) | UFC [2]
Shevchenko displayed a champion’s resolve in her rematch with Alexa Grasso at UFC Fight Night 227, but a split draw kept “Bullet” from regaining the title she held for more than four years. To her credit, Shevchenko rebounded from being dropped for the first time in her UFC tenure in the second round to author a strong performance behind a stiff jab, solid wrestling and positional control. While Shevchenko felt she did enough to deserve the nod on the scorecards, the performance could very well be enough to warrant a trilogy bout against her Mexican rival.3. Liz Carmouche (20-7) | Bellator [3]
For the second time in a row, Carmouche staked her flyweight strap against a woman who was ineligible to win it, as Ilima-Lei Macfarlane missed weight for their feature tilt at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7, just as DeAnna Bennett did earlier this year. The fight itself was an awkward and tedious affair, as the two close friends and former longtime training partners engaged in a glorified sparring match for four full rounds before the challenger succumbed to a knee injury early in the fifth. While it might have lacked entertainment value, Carmouche’s one-sided handling of the former titleholder ran her Bellator record to 7-0 and affirmed her place as one of the promotion’s most dominant champs.4. Erin Blanchfield (12-1) UFC [4]
Blanchfield staked her claim to the No. 1 contender’s spot at 125 pounds, as she garnered a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph against former title challenger Taila Santos at UFC Fight Night 225 in Singapore. Blanchfield’s six-fight winning streak is currently the longest in the flyweight division, and she’ll look to add to that total when she meets fellow championship hopeful Manon Fiorot at UFC Atlantic City on March 30.5. Manon Fiorot (11-1) | UFC [5]
Fiorot relied on her superior size and power in the UFC Fight Night 225 co-main event, as she captured a unanimous decision triumph against former 115-pound champion Rose Namajunas. That makes six consecutive victories for Fiorot, tying her with Erin Blanchfield for the longest active winning streak in the division. She ranks among the top contenders for the next title shot at 125 pounds, and she’ll get a chance to prove herself as the No. 1 option when she locks horns with Blanchfield on March 30 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.6. Jessica Andrade (25-12) | UFC [6]
In her fifth appearance of 2023, Andrade showcased her trademark power, setting a women’s record with four knockdowns in a second-round technical knockout victory against Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295. The former strawweight champion went 2-3 during her active campaign, with victories over Dern and Lauren Murphy bookending defeats at the hands of Tatiana Suarez, Xiaonan Yan and Erin Blanchfield.7. Juliana Velasquez (12-2) | Bellator [7]
Velasquez had at least a somewhat legitimate gripe that her first meeting with Liz Carmouche was stopped prematurely, but that wasn’t the case the second time around, as “Girl-Rilla” overwhelmed the Brazilian for a second-round armbar finish in the Bellator 289 co-main event. After posting victories in her first 12 professional outings, the Team Nogueira representative has dropped back-to-back fights, making another title shot unlikely as long as Carmouche holds the strap. Velasquez will attempt to return to the win column against Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva at Bellator 301.8. Katlyn Chookagian (18-5) | UFC [8]
After missing weight by 1.5 pounds, Chookagian’s typical game plan fell flat against Manon Fiorot, as she dropped a unanimous decision at UFC 280. In a bout that was contested primarily on the feet, Chookagian was competitive as always but usually a step behind her French opponent in seeing a four-bout winning streak snapped. “Blonde Fighter” will attempt to return to the win column against Maycee Barber at UFC 299.9. Taila Santos (19-3) | UFC [9]
In her first appearance since coming up short for flyweight gold, Santos faded down the stretch in a unanimous decision loss to fellow contender Erin Blanchfield at UFC Fight Night 225. The Brazilian tagged her foe with straight punches, knees and low kicks in Round 1 but ultimately succumbed to Blanchfield’s relentless pressure and control over the bout’s final 10 minutes. The Astra Fight Team product was a surprising cut from the UFC roster following that two-fight skid.10. Lauren Murphy (16-6) | UFC [10]
Murphy proved to be too tough for her own good at UFC 283, as she absorbed a hellacious beating in a lopsided unanimous decision loss against Jessica Andrade in Rio de Janeiro. The 39-year-old known as “Lucky” still boasts a 6-2 Octagon record since 2019, but she hasn’t been competitive in back-to-back losses to Andrade and Valentina Shevchenko. That likely relegates Murphy to the gatekeeper role in the UFC for as long as she is willing to keep fighting.Other Contenders: Maycee Barber, Amanda Ribas, Viviane Araujo, Jennifer Maia, Ariane Lipski.
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