Women’s Bantamweight
1. AmandaNunes (23-5) | UFC [1]
Nunes was rarely threatened in a lopsided unanimous decisiontriumph over Irene Aldana in the UFC 289 headliner, and she cappedoff that performance by announcing her retirement from mixedmartial arts. “Lioness” exits the sport as a two-division championand arguably the most accomplished female fighter of all-time witha resume that includes wins over the likes of Cristiane Justino,Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, MieshaTate, Germaine de Randamie and Julianna Pena. While Nunes leaves apotential trilogy with Pena on the table, she really had nothingleft to accomplish in a decorated career. If her retirement holdsup, Nunes’ rankings eligibility will expire on June 10, 2024.
2. RaquelPennington (16-8) | UFC [2]
Persistence paid off for Pennington, who became a champion 18 boutsinto her promotional tenure with a grinding five-round verdictagainst Mayra Bueno Silva in the UFC 297 co-main event. “Rocky”wore her opponent down with a superior gas tank and grueling clinchwork, earning her sixth consecutive UFC triumph in the process. Atitle defense against Julianna Pena could be next forPennington.
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3. JuliannaPena (11-5) | UFC[3]
The fairy tale ended for Pena at UFC 277, as she was battered anddominated for five rounds in a clear-cut unanimous decision loss toAmanda Nunes in their bantamweight championship rematch at AmericanAirlines Arena in Dallas. Pena’s grit was on full display againsther “Ultimate Fighter 30” coaching counterpart, but other than afew fleeting moments of success, the fight belonged to Nunes.Thanks to her massive upset of the two-division champ in theirfirst meeting, “The Venezuelan Vixen” was booked for an immediaterubber match at UFC 289, but it fell through when Pena withdrewwith a reported rib injury. She was replaced by Irene Aldana butseems unlikely to fall far from the immediate title picture, nomatter who is holding the belt when she is ready to return.
4. KaylaHarrison (17-1) UFC [NR]
Harrison’s Octagon debut couldn’t have gone much better, as sheragdolled ex-bantamweight champ Holly Holm before locking in arear-naked choke in the second round their UFC 300 encounter at theT-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In addition to answering questionsregarding her ability to cut to 135 pounds, the two-time Olympicjudo gold medalist looks like a ready-made championship contenderat 135 pounds.
5. MayraBueno Silva (10-3-1, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Silva had no answers for the grinding approach of RaquelPennington, as the Brazilian dropped a unanimous decision in theUFC 297 co-headliner at the Scotiabank Center in Toronto on Jan.20. Not only did “Sheetara” see a four-fight unbeaten streak cometo an end, but she missed an opportunity to claim the vacantwomen’s bantamweight throne. Silva will likely need a couple moresignature wins before she can climb back into title contentionagain.
6. Holly Holm(15-7, 1 NC) | UFC[5]
Holm employed a questionable game plan against Kayla Harrison andpaid the price at UFC 300, suffering a second-round submission lossto the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist. While some might haveexpected “The Preacher’s Daughter” to rely on her striking skills,she instead elected to clinch and was overwhelmed by a powerful foewho previously competed at 155 pounds. While a win would have keptHolm in the title picture, the 42-year-old Jackson-Wink MMAstandout has now won just one of her last four Octagonappearances.
7. IreneAldana (15-7) | UFC [6]
Aldana collaborated with Karol Rosa to produce one of the bestfights of 2023 at UFC 296, going back and forth for three furiousrounds. While Aldana’s decision to ignore Rosa’s leg kicks andsimply keep punching rather than defend them directly may have beenquestionable, it resulted in a fantastic fight, and there are fewwomen at bantamweight who have demonstrated the kind of commitmentto low kicks that Rosa showed. The win redeems Aldana’s gun-shyshowing against Amanda Nunes in June and leaves her very much inthe running for a future bantamweight title shot.
8. KetlenVieira (14-3) | UFC [7]
Vieira relied on takedowns and top pressure to roll to athree-round verdict over Pannie Kianzad at UFC Fight Night 224 inLondon. The Brazilian has won three of her last four outings, andwith a resume that includes victories over the likes of Holly Holm,Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, remains very much in themix at 135 pounds. However, she was forced to withdraw from aproposed clash against Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night 234 due toan apparent knee injury.
9. Yana Santos(14-8, 1 NC) | UFC[8]
Santos tried her hand at 145 pounds at UFC on ESPN 48, where shedropped a closely contested split decision to Karol Rosa. Thatmakes three consecutive defeats for the former Invicta FC titleholder, who will look to return to the win column in her nextOctagon appearance.
10. MacyChiasson (9-3) | UFC [9]
After about a year and a half on the sidelines, Chiasson returnedwith a vengeance at UFC Fight Night 239, where she scored afirst-round submission of Pannie Kianzad in a rematch of “TheUltimate Fighter 28” finale. The Fortis MMA product seems confidentin her ability to consistently make the bantamweight limit now, andshe has her sights set on championship gold in the future. In arelatively thin division, Chiasson becomes an immediatecontender.
Other Contenders: NormaDumont, Karol Rosa,PannieKianzad, TalitaBernardo, MieshaTate.
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