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Women’s Strawweight
1. Rose Namajunas (10-4) [1]
Namajunas authored perhaps the most shocking finish of anyone at UFC 261, when she floored Weili Zhang with a head kick and sealed her victory with follow-up hammerfists 1:18 into the opening round of their co-main event encounter. “Thug” Rose can now call herself a two-time UFC strawweight champion, making her the first woman in any weight class within the Las Vegas-based promotion to reclaim a title she had previously lost. Namajunas has run the gantlet in recent years, posting wins over pound-for-pound stalwarts like Zhang, Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice) since 2017. Up next is a rematch with Zhang at UFC 268.2. Weili Zhang (21-2) [2]
More than a year removed from her all-time classic battle with Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248, Zhang saw a 21-bout professional winning streak come to an end at the hands – or more accurately, the foot – of Rose Namajunas at UFC 261. While Zhang seemed poised for stardom prior to her head-kick knockout loss to Namajunas on April 24, the 31-year-old Chinese star shouldn’t be too far removed from contention thanks to a record that included victories in her first five Octagon appearances. Zhang will get a chance to regain the strawweight belt in a rematch against Namajunas at UFC 268.3. Jessica Andrade (21-9) [3]
Andrade had no answers for Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261, as she was taken down repeatedly and finished with elbows from the mounted crucifix position in the second-round of their flyweight title bout on April 24. The former strawweight champion’s next move should be interesting. She has lost three of her last four UFC appearances, including setbacks to newly-crowned strawweight queen Rose Namajunas and ex-champ Weili Zhang. Next, Andrade will square off against Cynthia Calvillo in a flyweight bout at UFC 266.4. Carla Esparza (18-6) [5]
Esparza ended Xiaonan Yan’s six-bout Octagon winning streak in the UFC Fight Night 188 co-main event, as she pummeled her opponent with punches and elbows from the crucifix position to earn a technical knockout victory in the second round of their encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 22. That makes five consecutive victories for the promotion’s inaugural 115-pound queen, who has rebounded from an uninspiring 3-4 run from 2015 to 2018 to return to championship contention.5. Xiaonan Yan (13-2, 1 NC) [6]
Yan showed a serious deficiency in her defensive wrestling at UFC Fight Night 188, as she was taken down at will by Carla Esparza before being pounded out with punches and elbows from the crucifix position 2:58 into the Round 2 of their co-main event bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 22. It’s back to the drawing board for Yan, who entered the matchup with a six-fight UFC winning streak and legitimate championship aspirations.6. Claudia Gadelha (18-5) [7]
Unable to impose her will through grappling, Gadelha was outmatched on the feet in a decision loss to Xiaonan Yan at UFC on ESPN 17 on Nov. 7. That defeat halted some positive momentum for the 31-year-old Brazilian, who had won three of her previous four bouts entering the matchup with Yan. It’s now been more than four years since Gadelha challenged for strawweight gold at “The Ultimate Fighter 23” finale in July 2016.7. Cynthia Calvillo (9-2-1) [8]
Calvillo was unable to get inside against Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 255, and the result was a clear-cut unanimous decision defeat in her second appearance at 125 pounds at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 21. After an impressive five-round showing against Jessica Eye in her flyweight debut this past June, Calvillo struggled against another former title challenger to lose for just the second time in nine Octagon appearances. Calvillo will remain at 125 pounds for a showdown with Jessica Andrade at UFC 266.8. Marina Rodriguez (14-1-2) [9]
Rodriguez added a significant victory to her resume in the UFC on ESPN 24 main event, as she outstruck Michelle Waterson for the majority of their five-round bout to capture a unanimous decision triumph. Due to the last-minute nature of the booking, the fight was contested at flyweight – so it doesn’t impact her position at 115 pounds in Sherdog.com’s divisional poll. Rodriguez will next face Mackenzie Dern in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on Oct. 9.9. Tecia Torres (13-5) [10]
Some six years after taking a unanimous verdict against Angela Hill in their first meeting at UFC 188, Torres once again outpointed “Overkill” in their rematch at UFC 265 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Aug. 7. Torres has bounced back from a four-bout skid from 2018 to 2019 to post three consecutive victories, besting the likes of Hill, Sam Hughes and Brianna Van Buren to re-establish herself as a stern test for up-and-comers at 115 pounds.10. Michelle Waterson (18-9) [11]
Waterson was game as usual in a makeshift 125-pound headliner against Marina Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 24, dropping a hard-fought unanimous verdict in May. Since it was a division above her normal class, the setback didn’t adversely affect Waterson’s standing at strawweight. Still, “The Karate Hottie” has lost three of her last four in UFC competition and will look to turn things around in her next Octagon appearance.Other Contenders:Amanda Ribas, Mackenzie Dern, Virna Jandiroba, Amanda Lemos, Nina Nunes.
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