Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Women’s Atomweight

1. Ayaka Hamasaki (14-1)

In her second Invicta atomweight title defense in September, Hamasaki struggled with challenger Jinh Yu Frey’s striking and was ultimately lucky to escape with a win and her title via second-round cut stoppage. Lest you think a pound-for-pound stalwart like Hamasaki would be deterred from a challenge, the 105-pound queen has decided to jump back up to 115 pounds next time out, meeting former Invicta strawweight champion Livia Renata Souza at Invicta 22 on March 25.

2. Jinh Yu Frey (5-2)

Frey looked outstanding in her title challenge against Ayaka Hamasaki before a cut halted her in a bout she was winning late in the second round at Invicta 19 in September. Frey will not get an immediate rematch, but the savvy striker’s next outing is still especially appealing: She will take on 10-0 hot Brazilian prospect Janaisa Morandin at Invicta 22 on March 25.

3. Herica Tiburcio (10-4)

Brazil’s Tiburcio got a brilliant breakout win in December 2014, when she choked out Michelle Waterson in the third round to grab the Invicta 105-pound title. However, back-to-back losses to Ayaka Hamasaki and Jinh Yu Frey have since relegated the 25-year-old to third-banana status at 105 pounds. Tiburcio got back into the win column in November, earning a unanimous decision over tough Simona Soukupova at Invicta 20.

4. Naho Sugiyama (12-4)

Over her last three years under the Deep Jewels banner, Sugiyama has quietly and diligently gone 4-1, with her lone loss coming to divisional ruler and pound-for-pound standout Ayaka Hamasaki. In that period, the 39-year-old “Sugi Rock” has picked up several quality wins, including her last pair over fellow top-10 talent Mina Kurobe and tricky veteran Emi Tomimatsu. Sugiyama will defend her Deep Jewels title against Kurobe in a rematch at Deep Jewels 15 on Feb. 25 in Tokyo.

5. Mina Kurobe (9-2)

Since her November 2015 loss to Naho Sugiyama, Kurobe has won four in a row, including back-to-back quality wins over Tomo Maesawa and Saori Ishioka. For her efforts, she will now get a title rematch with the last woman to defeat her, fellow 39-year-old Sugiyama, at Deep Jewels 15 on Feb. 25 in Tokyo.

6. Tessa Simpson (5-1)

Simpson has had a ton of bad opponent luck over the last 18 months, with bouts against Celine Haga, Gina Iniong, Mei Yamaguchi and Julia Jones all falling apart. Even so, “Typhoon” managed to hammer out two quality victories at 105 pounds in 2016, tapping Satomi Takano in Pacific Xtreme Combat in March before earning a unanimous decision over Simona Soukupova in Invicta four months later.

7. Janaisa Morandin (9-0)

Aggressive, entertaining and undefeated, Morandin is the hottest prospect at 105 pounds right now, with six stoppages among her nine pro wins. The Brazilian’s upside caught Invicta’s eye quickly, and the “Evil Princess” certainly is not getting an easy fight in her promotional debut. Morandin will make her first appearance outside of Brazil at Invicta 22 on March 25, taking on fellow striking specialist and former Invicta title challenger Jinh Yu Frey.

8. Julia Jones (5-0)

Jones in May was scheduled to take on fellow top-10 talent Tessa Simpson at Invicta FC 17. However, the bout -- which would have provided some clarity for the 105-pound division -- was scrapped. Instead, “Jewels” returned in September, dominating Stephanie Skinner and choking her out in the first round to run her pro record to 5-0.

9. Amber Brown (6-3)

Brown ripped off three straight wins over Liz McCarthy, Catherine Costigan and Shino VanHoose to get an Invicta atomweight title shot at Ayaka Hamasaki, only to be armbarred in the second round. In her last outing, “The Bully” stepped up to 115 pounds to face Ashley Yoder at Invicta 20 in November but once again fell to a second-round armbar.

10. Paulina Granados (4-2)

After suffering back-to-back defeats against top-10 entrants Julia Jones and Tessa Simpson, Granados bounced back with a pair of atomweight wins in Combate Americas in 2016, earning decisions over Stephanie Alba in May and Jenna Serio in October. “Firefox” has since taken to calling out fellow Combate Americas signee Kyra Batara in what would be a rock solid 105-pound bout.

Other Contenders: Tatiane Damiana Bergamaschi, Tomo Maesawa, Simona Soukupova, Bianca Sattelmayer, Emi Tomimatsu