Jessica Aguilar competed for the second time in 2014 earlier in June, and she showcased why she is the No. 1-ranked strawweight fighter in the world.
Not only is she the best 115-pound female on the planet, she may be the best fighter—regardless of weight or gender—on the World Series of Fighting roster.
The WSOF roster is not a treasure trove of talent, but that is to be expected. The UFC is the premier mixed martial arts organization on earth, and they hold the vast majority of talent. WSOF does not hold too many elite fighters outside of Aguilar.
That is not to discredit everyone on the roster.
WSOF houses some quality fighters such as Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman, Yushin Okami and JZ Cavalcante. It also plays home to several up-and-coming fighters like Marlon Moraes, Justin Gaethje, Nick Newell and Tyrone Spong.
What they lack are fighters who could conceivably compete at the highest levels of their respective divisions right away. That is not the case with Aguilar who has already proved her ability to defeat the elite.
Aguilar has won nine straight fights including two over former No. 1 Megumi Fujii and one over the Invicta FC strawweight champion Carla Esparza (a cast member of the upcoming 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter).
WSOF created a women’s strawweight title after signing Aguilar, and she easily defeated Alida Gray to capture the gold. She defended it against Emi Fujino on June 21.
Aguilar is a strong grappler with good submission skills. She is able to submit her opposition (eight career submissions), and is good at defending against top-level submission artists. Recently, Aguilar has shown a propensity for striking.
In her most recent bout, against Fujino, she defeated a striker at striking. It shows that Aguilar is constantly improving in spite of being at the top of the mountain.
It is unclear how WSOF will continue to find legitimate competition for Aguilar, but she will need to continue to hone her skills against quality fighters in order to remain at the top of the heap. The UFC’s newly minted strawweight division will do just that right out of the gate on The Ultimate Fighter.
As women’s MMA continues to garner more interest, it would be a shame if Aguilar went under the radar. Her accomplishments and skills should come to light as more casual fans take note, and the WSOF’s television partnership with NBC will also assist in highlighting her profile.
Aguilar is an elite fighter and brings it in the cage. She deserves greater notoriety. Whenever she steps back into the cage to compete, everyone should take notice at the current best in the deepest division of women’s MMA.
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