The Ultimate Fighter 20 is in full swing. The UFC signed 11 of Invicta FC’s strawweights to join the organization, and eight are competing on the show with a chance to become the first-ever UFC strawweight champion.
Eight others joined the cast via a tryout in Las Vegas. Among those who joined were former ranked flyweight Aisling Daly and former Invicta FC atomweight champion Jessica Penne.
The promo and hype surrounding TUF 20 states that the 16 best strawweights are involved in the season. That is just a bold-faced lie. Period.
In fact, of the three Invicta FC fighters the UFC signed who are not performing on TUF, there is one glaring omission. Claudia Gadelha is the current No. 2-ranked strawweight in the world and arguably could be the No. 1. Also signed to the organization but not in the cast is Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Yet, let’s not focus on who is signed to the organization. They will get their shot eventually. Who are three of the top fighters not signed to the UFC’s strawweight division, let alone not on this season of TUF?
Katja Kankaanpaa
The Killer Bunny has been in the top 10 for some time, but she secured her spot with a come-from-behind win over Stephanie Eggink at the latest Invicta FC event to capture the Invicta FC strawweight title. She currently sits at No. 5 in the division.
At 10-1-1, her lone loss came at the hands of Joanne Calderwood. She also holds a victory over Aisling Daly.
Kankaanpaa has good submissions and solid striking. The Finnish fighter has all the tools to be a threat in the UFC’s strawweight division, should the company ever sign her.
Mizuki Inoue
The 20-year-old is a marvel to watch. Inoue possesses some of the most technical boxing in all of women’s MMA.
Inoue has two losses on her professional record: a loss to Ayaka Hamasaki when she was just 17 years old and a disqualification to Emi Tomimatsu earlier this year when she missed weight. Inoue won the actual contest and the rematch.
She has fought and beaten two members of the TUF 20 cast. She submitted Alex Chambers in 2012 and pummeled Bec Rawlings in Invicta.
Inoue is still growing as a fighter, and she could be a legitimate top contender sooner than later. If the UFC wants to have the best of the best, it needs to ink Inoue as soon as possible. She is a special talent.
Jessica Aguilar
The biggest omission is certainly Aguilar. She is currently the No. 1-ranked strawweight in the world and the WSOF strawweight champion.
Aguilar slowly made her way up the ranks and got notoriety when she defeated longtime No. 1 Megumi Fujii.
Aguilar has four career losses, and two of those are to current cast members. However, they happened a long time ago. She dropped her professional debut to Lisa Ellis in 2006 and a majority decision to Angela Magana in 2009. Aguilar had two previous wins over Magana—one via submission and one due to blood in Magana’s eye. She avenged the loss to Ellis in 2011.
Aguilar’s last loss came in 2010 to Zoila Frausto Gurgel in Bellator by split decision.
The current top-ranked strawweight also holds a split-decision win over former Invicta FC champion and current No. 1 seed on TUF 20, Carla Esparza. She is also the American Top Team teammate of Tecia Torres.
Aguilar has a lot to offer the division, and it would have been amazing to see her on the show. She still has a couple of fights left on her WSOF deal, but once that obligation is fulfilled, it would be a travesty for the UFC not to sign her.
If the UFC wants the best fighters in the world, it will look into picking up these three women sooner rather than later. They will add quality depth to the newest UFC division.
All rankings courtesy of MMARising.com.
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