Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Strawweight
1. Carla Esparza (19-6) | UFC [1]
More than seven years after becoming the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title holder, Esparza can call her herself a champion again following a split-decision triumph over Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event. It may have been one of the least compelling fights in recent memory but don’t tell that to Esparza, who has won six straight outings and is 2-0 against “Thug” Rose. To top it all off, “Cookie Monster” will have a shiny belt to bring to her wedding, which takes place one week after UFC 274.2. Rose Namajunas (11-5) | UFC [2]
Namajunas gave one of the most perplexing performances by a defending champion in recent memory, as she refused to engage for the majority of 25 minutes against Carla Esparza in a split decision loss in the UFC 274 co-main event. Though Esparza didn’t do much to force the issue, the “Cookie Monster” did just enough to get the nod from two cageside judges and improve to 2-0 against “Thug” Rose. In the aftermath, Namajunas was adamant that she did enough to deserve the victory, but after such a forgettable fight, it’s hard to envision the UFC being eager to book a trilogy anytime soon.3. Weili Zhang (22-3) | UFC [3]
Zhang brought her rivalry with Joanna Jedrzejczyk to an emphatic close at UFC 275 by sending her opponent face-first to the canvas with a spinning back fist knockout in the second round. It was a sharp contrast to the five-round war between the two at UFC 248, which Zhang won via split decision, but “Magnum” was impressive even prior to the knockout, grounding Jedrzejczyk and attacking with punishing ground-and-pound. Most importantly for Zhang, the victory cements the former strawweight queen as the No. 1 contender, cementing a future showdown with current champion Carla Esparza at a later date.4. Jessica Andrade (23-9) | UFC [4]
After a three-bout stint at 125 pounds that saw her fail in a bid to capture championship gold against Valentina Shevchenko, Andrade made an impressive return to strawweight with a first-round submission of surging contender Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 205 main event on April 23. Not only did Andrade reassert herself as a person of interest in the division, but she also authored the first standing arm-triangle choke submission in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. Andrade will return to flyweight for a clash with Manon Fiorot at UFC Paris.5. Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2) | UFC [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) | UFC [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 (11-3) | UFC [7]
Ribas was quite game in a venture to the flyweight division, dropping a competitive split decision to perennial contender Katlyn Chookagian at UFC on ESPN 36. Had she won, Ribas might have had some decisions to make, but as it stands the move looks to be only temporary. The Brazilian already owns wins over the likes of Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba at 115 pounds, so it’s likely that a return to strawweight for more fights against ranked opponents is in the cards.8. Mackenzie Dern (12-2) | UFC [8]
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) | UFC [9]
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. Virna Jandiroba (18-3) | UFC [10]
Jandiroba relied on a grappling-heavy approach to carry her to a unanimous decision triumph against Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN 36. The former Invicta FC title holder is now 5-3 in the Octagon and has only fallen to high-level competition in Carla Esparza, Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. “Carcara” must prove she can get past opponents in that tier if she wants to take the next step in the UFC’s strawweight division.Other Contenders: Michelle Waterson, Amanda Lemos, Seo Hee Ham, Angela Lee, Nong Stamp Fairtex.
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