The growing popularity of women’s mixed martial arts has seen an exponential growth in participation within the sport, not to mention a rapidly expanding talent pool of elite fighters. In no particular order, let’s take a closer look at the best of the best.
6) Cat Zingano
Cat Zingano is an American mixed martial artist who competes at bantamweight in the UFC. On April 13, 2013, she became the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout. With a mixed martial arts record of 9-1, with 5 wins by (T)KO, Zingano is currently ranked as the #3 female bantamweight contender by the UFC. She previously had a perfect record before meeting her match fighting for the bantamweight championship at UFC 184— losing to Ronda Rousey by way of armbar submission.
5) Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is an American mixed martial artist and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. She was also the last Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion and was the first U.S. woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo— capturing the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. With a professional MMA record of 12-1, she has won eleven of her fights in the first round and nine by armbar submission. Rousey is currently ranked as the #2 female bantamweight contender by the UFC.
4) Holly Holm
Holly Holm is an American mixed martial artist and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. She is also a former professional boxer and kickboxer. A multiple-time world champion in boxing, she defended her titles 18 times in three weight classes. Holm’s most notable MMA victory came at UFC 193 when she captured the coveted women’s bantamweight belt and served UFC superstar Ronda Rousey her first loss in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Holm is currently ranked as the #1 female bantamweight contender by the UFC.
3) Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate is an American mixed martial artist and current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, after defeating former champ, Holly Holm, with a dramatic fifth-round rear-naked choke submission at UFC 196. After her win, she became the #15 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC mixed gender rankings. Tate was also the former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion, which helped her gain increased recognition, and FILA Grappling Championship silver medalist.
2) Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino
Cris “Cyborg” is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and current Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion. She was also the former Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Champion— winning the inaugural Strikeforce title after defeating Gina Carano via first-round TKO in their 2009 bout. With a mixed martial arts record of 15-1-1, with 13 wins by (T)KO, Cyborg is unquestionably a force to be reckoned with.
1) Joanna Jędrzejczyk
Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a Polish mixed martial artist and current UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. With a mixed martial arts record of 11-0, she is the #1 female strawweight in the world and the #14 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC mixed gender rankings.
Jędrzejczyk is also the third European champion in UFC history— after Bas Rutten in 1999, Andrei Arlovski in 2005 and before Conor McGregor in 2015— not to mention a six-time world champion and four-time European champion in Muay Thai.
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