Fighter image: Sachiko Hotaka/Rizin FF | Illustration: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com
Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (13-0) | Rizin [1]
Izawa captured the Deep Jewels atomweight title with a second-round ninja choke submission of Si Yoon Park at Deep Jewels 44 on March 24 at New Pier Hall in Tokyo. With the victory — her fourth straight via submission — Izawa claimed her third championship belt and continues to solidify herself as one of the sport’s most impressive lighter weight female fighters2. Si Woo Park (12-5) | Rizin [2]
Park outpointed Machi Fukuda to claim the Deep Jewels interim strawweight title at Deep Jewels 45. Since the bout was contested at strawweight, it does not affect Park’s standing at atomweight. Nonetheless, the “Korean Queen Bee” has won seven of her last eight outings, with her lone setback coming to Rizin champ Seika Izawa at Rizin 40. With a resume that also includes 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 (14-7) | Invicta [4]
Dos Santos’ Octagon debut didn’t go as planned, as she dropped a split decision against Talita Alencar at UFC Fight Night 233 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, ending a three-bout winning streak in the process. All is not lost for the former Invicta FC atomweight title holder, however, because a vast majority of observers felt that the Brazilian deserved to get the nod in the bout. Only time will tell if the decision to move to 115 pounds will pay off for dos Santos, who is in the prime of her career at 28 years old.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 (4-4) | Jewels [6]
Kawabata lost her third consecutive fight at Deep Jewels 45, falling to Rin Nakai in a short-notice bout at 128 pounds. Despite her recent struggles, Kawabata's loss to Nakai doesn’t affect her standing here at atomweight, and her resume is still bolstered by a triumph over the ranked Saori Oshima in March 2022.7. Si Yoon Park (6-4) Jewels [7]
Park’s bid to retain her atomweight belt came up short in the Deep Jewels 44 main event, where she succumbed to a Seika Izawa ninja choke in the second round of their encounter in Tokyo. That setback snaps a five-bout winning streak for the South Korean, who remains the reigning atomweight queen in the Black Combat promotion.8. Andressa Romero (7-4-1) | Invicta [8]
Romero pulled off a stunner at Invicta FC 55, taking a unanimous decision over Deep Jewels microweight queen Saori Oshima at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Missouri on June 28. The victory marked a successful move from strawweight to atomweight for the Nova Uniao product, who entered the bout having lost three of her last four professional appearances.9. Saori Oshima (14-5) | Jewels [9]
Oshima suffered an upset loss in her United States debut, dropping a unanimous verdict to converted strawweight Andressa Romero at Invicta FC 55 on June 28. The setback snapped a two-bout winning streak for “Little Giant,” who was coming off a first-round stoppage of Aya Murakami to unify the Deep and Deep Jewels microweight titles in May.10. Rena Kubota (15-5) | Rizin [10]
Kubota shone at Super Rizin 3 on July 28, busting up Kate Oyama with second-round punches at Saitama Super Arena. While the popular kickboxer remains near the bottom of the Top 10 for now thanks to some head-to-head losses, she figures to have plenty of chances to elevate her stock in the near future, thanks to Rizin’s working relationships with most other promotions with atomweight divisions.Other Contenders: Kanna Asakura, Ayaka Watanabe, Satomi Takano, Chihiro Sawada, Anastasia Nikolakakos.
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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Sayan Nag, Christian Stein and Rob Sargent.
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HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN'S ATOMWEIGHT Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
Jump To »
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN'S ATOMWEIGHT