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Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (6-0) [1]
At Rizin 35 on April 17, Izawa proved that her massive New Year’s Eve upset of Ayaka Hamasaki was no fluke, as she won via unanimous decision, this time with the Rizin super atomweight belt on the line. With a third straight matchup with Hamasaki unlikely, the newly crowned 24-year-old champ can now look to a strong pool of contenders, perhaps including cross-promotional matchups, for her next challenge.2. Ayaka Hamasaki (23-5) [2]
After her shocking technical knockout loss to Seika Izawa in a non-title bout on at Rizin 31 in December, Hamasaki came up short once again at Rizin 35, losing her super atomweight title in the process. With her rich résumé of elite wins at atomweight as well as strawweight, Hamasaki remains one of the most accomplished pound-for-pound women in the sport, but at 40, it will fall to her to prove in her next outing that the back-to-back losses to Izawa are not an indication of a serious competitive decline.3. Jessica Correa Delboni (12-3) [3]
After losing a contentious split verdict in their first meeting, Delboni was in complete control the second time around against Alesha Zappitella, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision behind stout takedown defense and a variety of damaging punches, elbows and knees in the Invicta FC 45 headliner on Jan. 12. The newly-crowned atomweight queen has won three of her last four under the Invicta banner, but with Zappitella expected to move to 115 pounds, a trilogy doesn’t appear to be likely at this point in time.4. Namiko Kawabata (3-1) [4]
Kawabata pulled off a stunning upset at Deep Jewels 36, besting the Saori Oshima in a non-title bout at 108 pounds. That victory comes on the heels of a loss to Miki Motono this past December, so the turnaround against Oshima was not expected. Nonetheless, Kawabata, who began her professional tenure in March 2021, has emerged as a talent to watch at atomweight on the heels of her latest performance.5. Saori Oshima (7-3) [5]
Oshima suffered an upset loss at Deep Jewels 36, falling to Namiko Kawabata in a non-title bout at 108 pounds at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on March 12. That halts what was an impressive four-bout winning streak for Oshima, who had recently bested Kanna Asakura under the Rizin banner and also won the Deep Jewels grand prix in June 2021.6. Kanna Asakura (19-6) [6]
Asakura bounced back from her October loss to Saori Oshima, defeating fellow super atomweight contender Satomi Takano by unanimous decision at Rizin 35 on April 17. With the win, the 24-year-old reaffirms her own contender status in the division, and with new 108-pound queen Seika Izawa now in place, Asakura’s pair of title fight losses to former champ Ayaka Hamasaki are no longer the impenetrable barrier to another title shot that they once were.7. Alesha Zappitella (9-3, 1 NC) [7]
Zappitella landed a takedown at the outset of her rematch against Jessica Correa Delboni in the Invicta FC 45 headliner, but it was all downhill from there for “Half Pint,” who dropped a clear-cut unanimous decision in Kansas City on Jan. 12. That snaps a four-bout winning streak for Zappitella, who had previously defeated Delboni via controversial split decision in May 2021. Unless something changes, a trilogy won’t be in the cards, as Zappitella will transition to the strawweight division beginning with a 115-pound title bout against Emily Ducote at Invicta FC 47.8. Si Woo Park (7-4) [8]
Park won her second consecutive bout, taking a unanimous decision triumph over Aira Koga at Deep “Cage Impact 2022 in Osaka” on April 10. That triumph comes on the heels of an upset victory over Shoot Boxing champion Rena Kubota at Rizin 33. The 30-year-old Busan, South Korea, native has won seven of her last nine appearances after dropping her first two professional outings.9. Rena Kubota (12-4) [9]
Kubota had a chance to lay claim to contender status in Rizin’s atomweight division, but instead the Shoot Boxing champion suffered an upset unanimous decision loss to Si Woo Park on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. That snaps a four-bout winning streak for Kubota, who had previously bested Miyuu Yamamoto, Emi Tomimatsu, Lindsey VanZandt and Alexandra Alvare Carlos under the Rizin banner.10. Miyuu Yamamoto (6-6) [10]
Yamamoto’s chance for revenge was thwarted at Rizin 32, where she suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Rena Kubota in the evening’s main event at Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan. Yamamoto is now 0-2 against Kubota after a previous submission loss under the Rizin banner in 2016. The 47-year-old Krazy Bee representative has lost three of her last four appearances within the Japanese promotion, with all of those defeats coming inside the distance.Other Contenders: Satomi Takano, Mina Kurobe, Jillian DeCoursey, Ana Palacios, Moeri Suda.
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, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, John Brannigan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.