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Women’s Atomweight
1. Ayaka Hamasaki (18-2)
It took a strong third round to do so, but Hamasaki held off Invicta queen Jinh Yu Frey to win a unanimous decision in a champion vs. champion bout at Rizin 16. It was Hamasaki’s second victory over Frey – she also defeated the American under the Invicta banner – and fourth consecutive triumph overall. The 37-year-old Tokyo native has also bested Kanna Asakura, Mina Kurobe and Alyssa Garcia in Rizin bouts.2. Seo Hee Ham (20-8)
After a 1-3 stint in the Octagon led to her UFC release, Ham has excelled competing back at her natural weight class. “Hamderlei Silva” extended her winning streak to three at Road FC 51, as she outpointed Jeong Eun Park in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 15. That triumph comes on the heels of KO/TKO stoppages of Jinh Yu Frey and Mina Kurobe, firmly entrenching Ham as one of the world’s best at 105 pounds. Ham will make her Rizin debut against Tomo Maesawa on July 283. Jinh Yu Frey (8-4)
For two rounds, Frey held her own with Ayaka Hamasaki at Rizin 16 – and many observers believe the Invicta champ might have even been getter the better of her opponent. Alas, a strong third frame gave Hamasaki a decision victory and prevented Frey from returning to Invicta with two title belts in tow. Frey hasn’t fared so well in cross-promotional bouts, as she was also knocked out by Road FC atomweight titlist Seo Hee Ham in December 2017.4. Miyuu Yamamoto (5-3)
Yamamoto has righted the ship in a major way since beginning her professional career with losses in three of her first four fights. The 44-year-old Krazy Bee representative earned her fourth consecutive triumph at Rizin 16, upsetting 21-year-old rising star Kanna Asakura in a featured contest. Yamamoto has gone the distance in each of her four victories, also besting Mika Nagano, Andy Nguyen and Saori Ishioka under the Rizin banner.5. Kanna Asakura (14-4)
After an eight-fight winning streak that included a victory in Rizin’s atomweight grand prix, Asakura has lost two of her last three fights. That includes a surprising loss to Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin 16 on June 2 as well as a submission defeat to reigning atomweight champ Ayaka Hamasaki at Rizin 14 on New Year’s Eve. The future remains bright for Asakura, who doesn’t turn 22 years old until October. She will attempt to get back on track against Invicta FC talent Alesha Zappitella in a cross-promotional bout at Rizin 18 on Aug. 18.6. Rena Kubota (8-3)
Kubota moved to a 112-pound catchweight in order to represent Rizin at Bellator 222. The result wasn’t pretty, as the Shoot Boxing queen fell victim to a Lindsey VanZandt rear-naked choke 4:04 into the opening stanza of their matchup at Madison Square Garden. Since the defeat came out of her natural division, Kubota’s status in the atomweight rankings won’t be negatively affected. Nonetheless, the 27-year-old Osaka, Japan, native has lost three of her last five MMA contests dating back to New Year’s Eve 2017.7. Maria de Oliveira Neta (10-4)
Neta, a product of Brazil’s Parana Vale Tudo impressed in her Rizin 108-pound grand prix quarterfinal against Alyssa Garcia in October and dominated the American with sharp striking. However, Neta had her nine-fight winning streak snapped on New Year’s Eve in the tournament semifinals, as she had no answer the grappling of Kanna Asakura, who armbarred her in the second round. Neta took another defeat on the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contenders Series, falling to Marina Alcalde Rodriguez via first-round TKO. However, that bout was contested at strawweight, and Rodriguez has since signed a UFC deal.8. Ashley Cummins (7-4)
Cummins’ decision to move down to 105 pounds following her loss on “The Ultimate Fighter 23” continues to pay dividends. “Smashley” garnered a unanimous verdict over Jessica Correa Delboni at Invicta FC 32 for her second consecutive triumph. Cummins has won four of her last five bouts since 2016, with her only setback during that run coming in a competitive decision loss to Invicta champ Jinh Yu Frey.9. Minna Grusander (6-3)
Grusander hasn’t hurt her stock much in two bouts with Jinh Yu Frey, but she hasn’t emerged with a victory, either. “Brutsku” dropped a split verdict to Frey in their rematch at Invicta FC 33 after losing a somehow more controversial unanimous decision in their first meeting. The 29-year-old Finland native has nonetheless proven to be a tough out at 105 pounds and should be in line for another interesting matchup in the all-female promotion.10. Viviane Pereira (14-3)
After a three-fight losing streak against the likes of Tatiana Suarez, Xiaonan Yan and Mizuki Inoue prompted Pereira to exit the strawweight division, the 25-year-old Brazilian tested the waters at atomweight at Invicta FC 35. “Sucuri” was successful in the cage, taking a three-round verdict over Alesha Zappitella, but the scales were a different story, as she checked in at 106.7 pounds prior to the matchup. If she is to remain a fixture in the rankings, Pereira must prove she can make weight consistently.Other Contenders: Alesha Zappitella, Tomo Maesawa, Kyra Batara, Mina Kurobe, Lisbeth Lopez Silva.
Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Jesse Denis, Eric Stinton, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Jacob Debets, Keith Shillan, Edward Carbajal, Jason Burgos, Guy Portman, Anthony Walker, Tudor Leonte, Cole Shelton, Abhinav Kini, Mike Sloan, Tom Feely and Adam Martin.