Fighter image: Sachiko Hotaka/Rizin FF | Illustration: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com
Women’s Atomweight
1. Seika Izawa (14-0) | Rizin [1]
Izawa kept her undefeated record intact at Rizin 48, outdueling Kanna Asakura over three entertaining rounds in a non-title, super atomweight bout at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sept. 29. The reigning Rizin and two-division Deep champion threatened her opponent with submissions throughout the contest but was unable to get the finish, ending her run of consecutive submission victories at four. Nonetheless, Izawa solidified her position as one of the top female fighters in the world regardless of weight class. The 27-year-old figures to be a heavy favorite when she meets Lucia Apdelgarim at Rizin 49 on New Year’s Eve.2. 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. Namiko Kawabata (5-4) | Jewels [3]
Kawabata halted a three-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision victory against Saki Kitamura in a super atomweight bout at Deep Jewels 46. By securing her first triumph since September 2022, the 37-year-old Mouri Dojo product maintains her standing in the division.4. Si Yoon Park (6-4) Jewels [4]
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.5. Elisandra Ferreira de Oliveira (8-2) | Invicta [5]
Ferreira de Oliveira continued her momentum in the main event of Invicta FC 57, as she captured the promotion’s atomweight crown with a five-round verdict against Andressa Romero at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. “Lili” has won four consecutive contests within the all-female promotion, a run that also includes triumphs over Katie Saull, Flor Hernandez and Marisa Messer-Belenchia. The 26-year-old Brazilian hasn’t demonstrated much finishing ability thus far — seven of her eight career victories have gone the distance — but that does mean she has accumulated plenty of experience in longer fights.6. Andressa Romero (7-5-1) | Invicta [6]
One bout removed from her upset victory over Deep Jewels microweight queen Saori Oshima, Romero was unable to claim atomweight gold at Invicta FC 57, where she fell to Elisandra Ferreira de Oliveira via unanimous decision at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. It marked the second consecutive atomweight appearance for “Gauchinha,” who moved down from strawweight after losing three of her last four outings at 115 pounds.7. Ayaka Hamasaki (25-6) | Rizin [7]
Returning after more than two years away, Hamasaki was in vintage form at Rizin: Landmark Vol. 10, grounding Yu Ri Shim multiple times before catching her with a painful-looking kimura in the second round. With the impressive win, the longtime divisional queen showed that even at age 42, she remains one of the top atomweights in the world. While her road back to a title remains difficult so long as her two-time conqueror Seika Izawa holds the crown, there is no shortage of interesting matchups for Hamasaki for as long as she wishes to continue competing.8. Saori Oshima (14-5) | Jewels [8]
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.9. Rena Kubota (15-5) | Rizin [9]
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.10. Kanna Asakura (20-8) | Rizin [10]
Asakura gave a game effort in a non-title bout against Seika Izawa at Rizin 48, as she defended multiple submission attempts and made her opponent work in a competitive unanimous decision defeat. Afterward, the former Rizin grand prix champion was given a farewell ceremony by the Japanese promotion to honor her retirement. If the decision sticks, Asakura’s rankings eligibility will expire on Sept. 29, 2025.Other Contenders: Ayaka Watanabe, Satomi Takano, Chihiro Sawada, Anastasia Nikolakakos, Ana Palacios.
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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