Dana White announced on a conference call this week that the UFC has acquired 11 strawweight fighters from Invicta FC. Those 11 will compete in a tournament on The Ultimate Fighter‘s 20th season to determine the first ever UFC Strawweight Champion.
The 115-pound division has long been considered the deepest division in women’s MMA. However, it has not been a long time where the elite have been able to compete against one another.
It was Bellator who signed several of the top female athletes to have them compete in a tournament back in 2010. Longtime divisional standout Megumi Fujii would take on Zoila Frausto Gurgel in the finals and lose a controversial decision.
Since then, the division has changed. Gurgel moved to 125-pounds, Jessica Aguilar moved to the top of the division with a seven-fight win streak and Invicta FC appeared on the scene.
Invicta finally began to build a true elite 115-pound division, and Carla Esparza would take their inaugural title. The organization brought in several of the top ranked women from around the world and helped foster prospects such as Tecia Torres.
A lot of hard work has paid off, and now the deepest division of women’s MMA will be under the big top of the UFC.
This is what you need to know in advance of TUF 20.