Fighter image: Sachiko Hotaka/Rizin FF | Illustration: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com
Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (11-0) | Rizin [1]
Izawa rolled at Super Rizin 2, needing just 64 seconds to strangle Claire Lopez with a ninja choke. With the win, the 25-year-old defended her Rizin super atomweight title and affirmed herself one of the most dominant women in the sport. However, if at 25 and after just 11 pro fights Izawa is already a combined 4-0 against the No. 2 and No. 3 women in the division and reduced to steamrolling overmatched foes, Rizin may soon have to start looking far afield for suitable challenges for her.2. Si Woo Park (10-5) | Rizin [2]
Park returned to the win column at Deep Jewels 42, taking a unanimous verdict over Namiko Kawabata in a super atomweight clash at New Pier Hall in Tokyo on Sept. 10. The “Korean Queen Bee” has won five of her last six outings, with her lone setback coming to Rizin champ Seika Izawa at Rizin 40. With a resume that also includes recent wins over Ayaka Hamasaki, Kanna Asakura and Rena Kubota, Park remains entrenched as one of the top fighters in the division.3. Ayaka Hamasaki (24-6) | Rizin [3]
Hamasaki couldn’t take Si Woo Park to the canvas in their super atomweight grand prix semifinal matchup at Rizin 38, and as a result she was battered and dropped on the feet en route to a convincing unanimous decision loss. While the 40-year-old ex-champion remains one of the top talents in the division, a 1-3 record in her last four professional appearances suggests that Hamasaki’s best days may be behind her.4. Rayanne Amanda dos Santos (14-6) | Invicta [4]
Dos Santos broke through in a big way at Invicta FC 53, outclassing Jillian DeCoursey in every phase of the fight en route to a one-sided unanimous decision win. The dominant performance leaves the 27-year-old Marajo Brothers product in possession of the Invicta 105-pound title and instantly puts her into the conversation about the top atomweights in the world. Considering that most of the promotions that have atomweight or super atomweight divisions share talent freely, dos Santos is likely to have plenty of chances to advance herself in that conversation, whether inside or outside the confines of Invicta.5. Jillian DeCoursey (6-4) | Invicta [5]
DeCoursey ran into a buzzsaw at Invicta FC 53, relinquishing her atomweight title to Rayanne Amanda dos Santos by unanimous decision in a fight that saw her outstruck, outgrappled and outhustled for five rounds by a younger, larger opponent. It was a shocking reversal of recent fortunes for “Lionheart,” who came into the fight on the momentum of back-to-back first-round finishes in her last two Invicta appearances. Whether the setback was just a bump in the road, or an indication of a competitive decline by a 38-year-old working in MMA’s lightest, fastest weight division, will remain to be seen in DeCoursey’s next outing.6. Namiko Kawabata (4-3) | Jewels [6]
Kawabata lost her second consecutive bout at Deep Jewels 42, falling to Si Woo Park via unanimous decision in Tokyo. Kawabata’s previous loss against Machi Fukuda in February occurred at strawweight, so it doesn’t affect her standing here, and her resume is still bolstered by a triumph over the ranked Saori Oshima in March 2022.7. Si Yoon Park (5-3) Jewels [7]
After returning to competition this year, Park racked up three straight stoppage wins and became Black Combat women's atomweight champion in July. She then scored her biggest victory to date by upsetting Saori Oshima via a clear-cut unanimous decision at Deep: 115 Impact to become Deep Jewels atomweight champion.8. Saori Oshima (12-4) | Jewels [8]
Oshima relinquished her Deep Jewels atomweight title when she was defeated by Black Combat champion Si Yoon Park at Deep: 115 Impact on Sept. 18. The setback snapped a five-bout winning streak for “Little Giant,” who had vanquished four of her previous five foes by way of submission while competing in organizations such as Rizin Fighting Federation, Black Combat and Deep.9. Jessica Correa Delboni (13-4) | Invicta [9]
Delboni got back into the win column, punishing Danielle Taylor with a bevy of kicks, especially to the legs, and a far superior work rate in their strawweight showcase at Invicta FC 53. The dominant performance puts Delboni’s first-round throttling by then-champ Jillian DeCoursey at Invicta FC 49 last September in the rear view. A win at 115 pounds does not elevate the 29-year-old Brazilian’s standing at atomweight, nor is handing Taylor her fourth straight defeat a promise of future success at strawweight, especially for a fighter of Delboni’s diminutive stature. Nevertheless, after DeCoursey was dethroned later that same night at Invicta 53, the way back to another shot at the atomweight title may not be as much of an uphill climb as it once seemed.10. Rena Kubota (13-5) | Rizin [10]
Kubota returned in a losing effort against Claire Lopez in a 113-pound clash at Rizin Landmark Vol. 5. She announced that she sustained a partial rupture of the LCL in her right knee and three toe fractures during her third-round kneebar submission defeat.Other Contenders: Kanna Asakura, Ayaka Watanabe, Satomi Takano, Miki Motono, Jeong Eun Park.
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, Keith Shillan, John Brannigan, Tyler Treese, Lev Pisarsky and Rob Sargent.
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