Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Strawweight

1. Rose Namajunas (11-4) [1]

After a shockingly quick head-kick KO victory over Weili Zhang in their first meeting at UFC 261, Namajunas relied on a different approach in the rematch, relying on her takedowns and grappling down the stretch for a split-decision triumph in the UFC 268 co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 6. With the win, the reigning strawweight queen improved to 4-0 in rematches during her UFC tenure. A return date against inaugural 115-pound champion Carla Esparza at UFC 274 is up next for Namajunas, who fell to “Cookie Monster” at “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finale in December 2014.

2. Weili Zhang (21-3) [2]

Zhang had a far better showing the second time around against Rose Namajunas, but she nonetheless wound up on the wrong end of the scorecards in a split decision loss in the UFC 268 co-main event. While it wasn’t nearly as discouraging as a head kick KO defeat, Zhang falls to 0-2 against Namajunas, which means she may need another champion to be crowned to be a factor in the title picture anytime soon. Regardless, the 32-year-old Chinese standout is well established as one of the top 115-pound talents in the sport and will be a tough out for most anyone in the division. Next, Zhang will run it back against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 in a rematch of one of the greatest women’s bouts of all-time.

3. Jessica Andrade (22-9) [3]

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 on May 14.

4. Carla Esparza (18-6) [4]

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. Esparza will get her wish for a rematch with current champ Rose Namajunas in her next Octagon appearance at UFC 274.

5. Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2) [5]

Rodriguez shook off a slow start to edge Xiaonan Yan via split decision in their strawweight clash at UFC 272 on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Brazilian muay Thai specialist has won four fights in a row dating back to January 2021 and could be in line to face the winner of the 115-pound title clash between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza down the road.

6. Xiaonan Yan (15-3, 1 NC) [6]

Yan started quickly in her matchup against Marina Rodriguez at UFC 272, but the Chinese strawweight slowed just enough down the stretch to allow her Brazilian foe to capture a split decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 5. After beginning her promotional tenure with six consecutive triumphs, the China Top Team representative has dropped back-to-back fights to Rodriguez and Carla Esparza.

7. Amanda Ribas (11-2) [9]

Ribas shook off a slow start to pull away over the final 10 minutes for a unanimous decision triumph over Virna Jandiroba at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. The bubbly Marcelo Ribas Team representative rebounded from a January TKO defeat to Marina Rodriguez and has been victorious in five of her six appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. After a showdown with Michelle Waterson at UFC 274 fell through, Ribas will move up to 125 pounds to take on Katlyn Chookagian on May 14.

8. Mackenzie Dern (12-2) [10]

Dern blended grappling with aggressive forward movement to capture a somewhat controversial split-decision victory over Tecia Torres at UFC 273 on April 9. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt still has plenty of progress to make in other aspects of her game, but she showed just how dangerous she can be when she nearly trapped Torres in a pair of tight submission in the second round of their strawweight clash. The 29-year-old Arizona resident has won five of her last six UFC bouts and should be in line for another ranked opponent in her next appearance.

9. Tecia Torres (13-6) [7]

Torres showcased composure under fire as she survived a couple harrowing positions in the second round of her UFC 273 clash with Mackenzie Dern, but ultimately “The Tiny Tornado” wound up on the wrong end of the scorecards in a contentious split-decision defeat. That snaps a three-bout winning streak for the American Top Team export, who has rebounded admirably from a four-fight skid suffered from February 2018 to August 2019.

10. Michelle Waterson (18-9) [8]

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 2021. Since it was a division above her normal class, the setback didn’t adversely affect Waterson’s standing at strawweight. “The Karate Hottie” has lost three of her last four in UFC competition. A proposed clash with Amanda Ribas at UFC 274 was nixed when Waterson suffered a potentially career-threatening injury.

Other Contenders: Virna Jandiroba, Amanda Lemos, Seo Hee Ham, Angela Lee, Nong Stamp Fairtex.

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