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Women’s Strawweight
1. Weili Zhang (25-3) | UFC [1]
While Zhang was potentially robbed of a first-round finish against Xiaonan Yan in the UFC 300 co-main event, the reigning flyweight queen was undeterred, as she kept her focus and rolled to a five-round verdict over her Chinese rival. “Magnum” now has five victories in UFC title bouts to her credit — second most in strawweight history — and she remains head and shoulders above the rest of the contenders in the division. However, Zhang could use another boost like the one she received from her first fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2020 to raise her star profile to another level.2. Virna Jandiroba (21-3) | UFC [2]
Jandiroba proved herself to be main event worthy as she outgrappled and outscrambled Amanda Lemos en route to a second-round armbar victory at UFC on ESPN 60 on July 20. The former Invicta FC title holder has won four straight at 115 pounds and stands out as a fresh contender in the division. She’ll need to prove her worth at least once more when she faces Tatiana Suarez in a potential title eliminator at UFC 310.3. Xiaonan Yan (18-4, 1 NC) | UFC [3]
Credit Yan for her resilience at UFC 300. After being choked unconscious at the end of Round 1, the Team Alpha Male product stayed in the fight — even scoring a knockdown against Weili Zhang — before ultimately dropping a clear-cut unanimous decision in the evening’s co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13. That snapped a two-fight winning streak for Yan, who has lost three of her last five outings in the Octagon dating back to May 2021. “Fury” will undoubtedly have some work to do if she is to earn another title shot before her UFC career is through. Yan will return against Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night 248 in Macau on Nov. 23.4. Tatiana Suarez (10-0) | UFC [4]
Suarez made a statement at UFC on ESPN 50, submitting former 115-pound champ Jessica Andrade in the second round of their co-main event encounter at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Millennia MMA product appears to be fully recovered from the injury woes that halted her progress some four years ago, and with a seven-bout promotional winning streak in tow, she is positioned to make a run for strawweight gold. That progress was slowed when an undisclosed injury forced her to withdraw from a proposed clash against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298. Instead, Suarez will meet Virna Jandiroba in a pivotal contender’s bout at UFC 310.5. Jessica Andrade (26-13) | UFC [5]
Andrade’s return to 125 pounds was spoiled by Natalia Silva, as “Bate Estaca” dropped a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 242 co-headliner on Sept. 7. Andrade hasn’t won at flyweight since besting Lauren Murphy in January 2023, so it appears her best route might be to continue competing at 115 pounds, where she has earned back-to-back victories over Marina Rodriguez and Mackenzie Dern.6. Amanda Lemos (14-4-1) | UFC [6]
Lemos played a dangerous game against Virna Jandiroba and ultimately paid the price, succumbing to an armbar late in the second round of their headlining encounter at UFC on ESPN 60 on July 20. The Marajo Brothers Team representative has lost two of her last three promotional outings and at 37 years old, could be looking at a difficult climb back to title contention on the heels of her latest defeat.7. Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2) | UFC [7]
While Rodriguez enjoyed her fair share of success striking at range against Jessica Andrade at UFC 300, she wasn’t nearly as successful when her opponent closed the distance, which ultimately led to a hard-fought split-decision loss at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The muay thai stylist has lost three of her last four Octagon appearances, but she is more than capable of shining when given the right stylistic matchup. Next, she’ll meet Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 307.8. Mackenzie Dern (14-5) | UFC [8]
Dern blended striking and grappling to capture a hard-fought three-round verdict against Lupita Godinez at UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3. While the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is still a work-in-progress, her latest triumph snaps a two-fight skid and keeps her relevant at 115 pounds. Next, Dern will face Amanda Ribas in a rematch at UFC Tampa on Dec. 14.9. Stamp Fairtex (11-2) ONE [9]
Already a title holder under the ONE Championship banner in both kickboxing and muay thai, Fairtex became a three-sport queen when she finished Seo Hee Ham at ONE on Prime Video 14 to capture the promotion’s 115-pound MMA belt. The 26-year-old Fairtex Gym standout has won three straight bouts since coming up short in her first championship bid against Angela Lee in March 2022. A torn meniscus suffered in training forced Fairtex to pull out of a 115-pound title defense against Denice Zamboanga on June 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.10. Lupita Godinez (12-5) | UFC [10]
Godinez hung tough throughout her three-round encounter against Mackenzie Dern at UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi, but ultimately the Lobo Gym MMA product was unable to author enough signature moments to sway the scorecards in her favor. After winning four consecutive outings in 2023, “Loopy” has dropped back-to-back bouts against Dern and Virna Jandiroba.Other Contenders: Seo Hee Ham, Amanda Ribas, Iasmin Lucindo, Tabatha Ricci, Angela Hill.
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