After years of saying no, UFC president Dana White finally budged earlier this year when he made the landmark move to allow females to fight in the UFC, something which had never been done in the previous 20 years of the UFC’s history. Since the historical first female matchup between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche went down at UFC 157, the women’s bantamweight division has quickly become one of the most exciting divisions in all of the UFC, and as the sport continues to evolve, so will the number of talented women fighting in the Octagon.
For now, though, there are 13 talented women fighting in the UFC, and I’ve split them into three groups – the champion, the contenders, and the pretenders — in order to dissect the current state of the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
Let’s start at the top with the champ.
The Champion
Ronda Rousey (7-0) – What more needs to be said about Rousey that hasn’t already? The UFC women’s champion and Olympian judoka has been nothing short of dominant since she began her MMA career in 2011, as she’s finished all seven of her opponents so far in the first round with her exceptional armbar, and it really seems like she’s destined to remain undefeated for a long time.
However, it’s possible that Hollywood may eventually pull the 26-year-old away from MMA, as she recently made comments that she may only have two more years in the sport before pursuing movies full time. But until then, look for Rousey to keep doing her thing, as she strengthens her position as one of the sport’s biggest pay-per-view draws and as one of the most violent and aggressive fighters in all of MMA.
The Contenders
Miesha Tate (13-4) – Tate already lost to Rousey in Strikeforce, but after a knee injury to #1 contender Cat Zingano, Tate will now take on Rousey with the title on the line in the co-main event of UFC 168, but only after the two first coach TUF 18. And while I fully expect Tate to be armbarred yet again, she is tough as nails, and if she can keep Rousey from getting her down, who knows what could happen?
Cat Zingano (8-0) – Zingano defeated Tate at the TUF 17 Finale to claim a title shot, but after she blew out her knee, the UFC gave Tate the title shot and told Zingano she’ll be next in line when she returns in 2014. When she does return, she might be the one woman on this list with all the tools needed to defeat Rousey.
Sarah Kaufman (16-2) – Kaufman, the former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, was set to make her UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 27, but after Sara McMann pulled out of the fight she is now linked to a fight against Jessica Eye at UFC 166, in a match that could certainly see the winner move into a title eliminator position.
Alexis Davis (14-5) – Davis was a huge favorite against Rosi Sexton at UFC 161, and although she got her hand raised, it was still a disappointing performance by her. Still, she has all the skills necessary to become a top contender, and I expect her to get slotted against another top fighter her next time out.
Sara McMann (7-0) – McMann was due to fight Kaufman but pulled out for undisclosed reasons. When she returns to the cage, though, expect the Olympian to be fast-tracked to a title shot, as the UFC knows a fight against Rousey could potentially be huge.
Jessica Eye (10-1) – Eye is the latest member of the UFC women’s bantamweight division, and the former Bellator standout has already been linked to a fight with Kaufman at UFC 166. Although she will be small for 135, Eye is an extremely talented fighter and she has all the tools necessary to move up the ladder.
Liz Carmouche (8-3) – Carmouche lost to Rousey at UFC 157, but it was a competitive fight, and after a big TKO win over Jessica Andrade at UFC on Fox 8, look for Carmouche to once again try to make a run for the title and try to get the better of Rousey in a rematch.
The Pretenders
Germaine de Randamie (4-2) – de Randamie is an exceptional muay Thai fighter, but she hasn’t been that impressive in MMA so far, and while she did win her UFC debut over Julie Kedzie at UFC on Fox 8, I didn’t think it was a good performance at all, and she has a lot of work to do before making a title run.
Amanda Nunes (8-3) – Nunes had a strong UFC debut, as she TKO’d Sheila Gaff at UFC 163, and as one of the few Brazilian women in the UFC, I see them fast tracking her up the ladder. However, I still think she has holes in her game, and until she closes them I don’t feel confident calling her a contender.
Julie Kedzie (16-12) – Kedzie is one of the pioneers of the women’s divisions, but with three straight losses, it appears as though her days as a title contender are over. Also a color commentator for Invicta, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kedzie called it a career and just focused on her media gigs, but I think she still has one more fight left in her, and I think the UFC will give her one more shot, since the division is so thin.
Rosi Sexton (13-3) – Sexton is another long-time vet, and while she is undersized for 135, she is tough as nails, and showed that against Davis at UFC 161. Still, she’s in her thirties now and has been in some wars, so unless the UFC opens up a women’s flyweight division, I don’t see Sexton contending for a belt anytime soon.
Jessica Andrade (9-3) – The young Brazilian Andrade made her UFC debut at UFC on Fox 8 as a late replacement opponent against Carmouche, and while she fell to a second-round TKO, she’s only 21, and the sky is the limit for her. But for now she still has holes in her game and will only be seen as a pretender until she fixes them.
While there may be only 13 fighters in the division at the moment, expect more top women from Invicta and other organizations to be signed in the near future, and with TUF 18 bringing even more talented female fighters into the big show, the future of the UFC women’s bantamweight division is most definitely bright.
