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Women’s Strawweight
1. Rose Namajunas (8-3)
Namajunas got the better of Joanna Jedrzejczyk in their rematch, outpointing her rival over the course of five hard-fought rounds in the UFC 223 headliner at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. What made the triumph more impressive than her first-round stoppage of Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 in November was the fact that Namajunas had to overcome adversity against an opponent who was experienced in five-round affairs. A scary thought for the rest of the division: Namajunas only seems to be getting better.2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-2)
Competing in her first non-title bout since 2014, Jedrzejczyk demonstrated why she remains a top strawweight contender at UFC on Fox 30, where she cruised to a clear-cut three-round verdict over former American Top Team stablemate Tecia Torres. In victory, the Polish star rebounded from back-to-back defeats to current champion Rose Namajunas. Jedrzejczyk will move up a weight class to challenge former muay Thai rival Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant flyweight strap at UFC 231 in Toronto on Dec. 8.3. Jessica Andrade (19-6)
One-punch knockouts are rarely-seen in women’s MMA, so Andrade sent an emphatic message with her first-round finish of fellow former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 228. With that win, “Bate Estaca” may have very well set herself up as the next strawweight No. 1 contender for reigning champion Rose Namajunas. Andrade has won six of her last seven in the Las Vegas-based promotion overall and called for a title shot following her knockout of Kowalkiewicz.4. Claudia Gadelha (16-3)
It was not pretty, but Gadelha held off a hard-charging Carla Esparza to earn a critical split decision victory in a pivotal strawweight clash at UFC 225. While the Brazilian absorbed her share of punishment on the feet, she took advantage of her customary size advantage to get the better of her opponent on the mat. “Claudinha” has won three of her last four and will next attempt to halt the three-bout winning streak of Nina Ansaroff at UFC 231.5. Tatiana Suarez (7-0)
Suarez has been touted as a future championship contender and she showed why at UFC 228, dominating ex-champ Carla Esparza for nearly three rounds before earning a TKO stoppage late in the fight. The freestyle wrestling ace improved to 4-0 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, giving her the longest active winning streak in the division and setting up a fight with another highly-ranked contender.6. Tecia Torres (10-3)
While Torres was never out of her depth against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, “The Tiny Tornado” was also never managed to truly threaten the former strawweight queen in their matchup at UFC on Fox 30. After capturing victories in six of her first seven Octagon appearances, Torres has dropped back-to-back contests at the hands of Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade, pushing her down the 115-pound pecking order.7. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-2)
Kowalkiewicz fought back admirably following an early barrage from Jessica Andrade at UFC 228 but collapsed when the Brazilian landed a massive right hook 1:58 into the opening stanza of their co-main event bout. Coming into the bout, the Pole had some momentum as a contender thanks to a two-bout winning streak and a previous victory over current champ Rose Namajunas; now Kowalkiewicz finds herself well outside of the title picture.8. Carla Esparza (13-6)
One can never question Esparza’s heart, but that wasn’t nearly enough against the wrestling prowess of Tatiana Suarez at UFC 228. Suarez took Esparza down repeatedly, bludgeoned her with ground-and-pound and eventually earned a stoppage 4:33 into the third frame. After climbing back into contention with back-to-back decisions over Maryna Moroz and Cynthia Calvillo, “Cookie Monster” has dropped two straight fights.9. Livia Renata Souza (12-1)
Aggressive on her feet and opportunistic on the mat, Souza delivered as advertised in her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 137 in Sao Paulo. The former Invicta FC champion blitzed Australia’s Alex Chambers with punches against the fence, landed a quick takedown and secured a mounted guillotine choke for the tapout 1:21 into the opening round. With her finishing ability — 10 of her 12 wins have come inside the distance — “Livinha” should prove to be a welcome addition to the UFC’s strawweight division.10. Cynthia Calvillo (6-1)
Calvillo took the first loss of her pro career at UFC 219 on Dec. 30, suffering a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza. For a time, it looked as if the setback would simply be a learning experience, but the defeat also came with extended time on the shelf. Calvillo tested positive for cannabis metabolites at the event and received a nine-month suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission. Her sanction ends on Sept. 30, and Calvillo will return shortly thereafter against Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 140 on Nov. 17.Other Contenders: Michelle Waterson, Felice Herrig, Nina Ansaroff, Cortney Casey-Sanchez, Virna Jandiroba
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