The women’s bantamweight division in the UFC runs the gamut of talent. There are standouts such as former champion Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano, fighters who find themselves losing as much as winning and a handful who just can’t make anything happen, for whatever reason.
Ruled over for nearly two years by Rousey, the first UFC women’s bantamweight champion, the division once appeared to lack in any real contenders. With each successive win, Rousey’s capabilities seemed to so outclass the rest of the division that she developed almost mythical qualities. A fighter that dominant is bound to attract attention, but for the first female champion in the history of the UFC, and one who was so photogenic, relatable and subversive?
It’s no wonder she became a star.
Former boxer Holly Holm sent the division into a state of upheaval when she knocked Rousey out cold in November 2015. The loss was unbelievable, coming in Round 2 after Holm baited and dodged and snapped Rousey’s head back with her precision striking.
The second champion’s reign was short-lived; in Holm‘s first title defense in March, high school and collegiate wrestler Miesha Tate put everything she had into the fight, and it paid off. With Tate as the current champ, the division is wide-open.
The Champion
Miesha Tate, 18-5
Tate is just the third fighter to hold the title of UFC women’s bantamweight champion. She surprised everyone—or most everyone—by finishing Holm with a rear-naked choke at 3:30 of the fifth round at UFC 196.
Tate’s career in the UFC began with two losses; Zingano stopped her with a TKO in her debut, and Rousey armbarred her in Rousey’s first title defense. But from there, she racked up four decision victories before her second bid for the belt.
Her two losses to Rousey—one from their Strikeforce days in 2012—paired with the latter’s contemporary dominance cast an also-ran pallor over Tate’s potential. However, she’s a skilled wrestler with a continually evolving game and seems to elevate her aggression with each fight.
Tate is a somewhat underutilized talent for the promotion; she’s media-savvy, articulate and charismatic, but thus far, the UFC has relegated her to a supporting role in other fighters’ stories. Her rivalry with Rousey was a focal point during their time on The Ultimate Fighter and in anticipation of their second fight…and then she fell off the radar. Despite taking two fights per year, the UFC hardly promoted her. It appeared that Tate, like most other bantamweights, were fodder for the Rousey hype machine.
But now she’s the champ. With a solid record over some of the UFC’s top bantamweight players, Tate could potentially keep the belt for a while. She also has victories over pioneers Marloes Coenen, Julie Kedzie and Zoila Frausto. Her first title defense comes at UFC 200 in July against Amanda Nunes.
The Contenders
Amanda Nunes, 12-4
The Brazilian has been fighting professionally for 10 years and has earned a record of 5-1 in the UFC, emerging as a top contender in the division. Her most recent victory came via decision over relative newcomer Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 196, but her other wins were finishes. Nunes is typically a finisher—the Shevchenko fight was the first and so far only decision win in her career—who is known for her aggression.
Like Tate, Zingano stopped Nunes with a TKO. Since then, Nunes says her progress has positioned her as the best contender for Tate. “In order to be a champion, you have to know at least a little bit of everything. With all due respect to the other athletes, I’m the most well-prepared one,” she told Combate (h/t Lucas Rezende of Bloody Elbow). With the upcoming title shot, expect Nunes to bring her trademark aggression in a play for a definitive win.
Cat Zingano, 9-1
Zingano was undefeated right up until she challenged Rousey for the belt in February 2015, which was also her last fight. The loss came in short order, a 14-second armbar that was, until Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds, the fastest title defense in the history of the UFC.
Prior to the loss, Zingano had racked up wins over both Tate and Nunes. She’s a well-rounded fighter who is dangerous on the feet and the mat—of her nine wins, five are via KO/TKO and three are by submission. She’s one of the more powerful strikers in the division and was next in line for the title shot after she finished Tate in April 2013. Waylaid by injuries and recovering from the death of her husband, Zingano was out for 17 months. Upon her return, she stopped Nunes with elbows and punches.
Her next fight was against Rousey. Following the loss, she took time off to focus on healing, both physical and mental, according to an interview with Michael Martinez of UFC.com. “This was a really good thing to do for myself, to give myself the time,” she said. “I’m watching the results with my body, I’m watching the results with my spirit and my personal life. I’m excited that I gave myself this gift.”
Zingano will return to the Octagon after another hiatus of 17 months at UFC 200, where she fights The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate winner Julianna Pena.
Ronda Rousey, 12-1
Who ever imagined Rousey would not only be among the contenders but the No. 2 contender? While it wasn’t a secret that her game had holes, no one expected Holm to beat her so soundly and with such dominance. After a difficult first round for the champ, Holm landed a head kick that sent Rousey to the mat, where she sealed the finish with hammerfists.
The women’s bantamweight division owes its very existence to Rousey; in an interview with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, UFC President Dana White referred to the induction of women into the UFC as “the Ronda Rousey show.” And that’s how the UFC treated her, with plentiful public appearances and heavy marketing.
The UFC also booked her consistently, culminating with three fights in 2015 alone—the last of which resulted in her first loss. White told Off the Record’s Michael Landsberg (h/t MMAFighting.com) that Rousey said of the loss: “I was exhausted going into that fight. I was exhausted mentally, physically, emotional.”
Prior to facing Holm, Rousey had a 12-fight unbeaten streak, with all of her fights ending in finishes. She trounced her competition handily, including Tate. Despite the loss to Holm, Rousey remains a formidable threat among the bantamweights. With Tate the current champion and her inability to threaten Rousey thus far, Rousey’s chances in a title fight against her are solid. She seems to think so too; upon hearing of Holm’s loss, Rousey reportedly said, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com, “Back to work for me.”
Holly Holm, 10-1
In only her third fight in the UFC, Holm dethroned Rousey. Her first two fights had a lukewarm reception and were both decisions—one split—that saw Holm somewhat passive and not pushing the pace.
But in the title fight, the highly decorated boxer stepped up her game in response, employing her footwork and head movement to make Rousey chase her after rocking the champ in the first round. Holm fought unlike any of Rousey’s previous opponents, and the result was the head kick that changed the bantamweight division. Her performance was breathtaking.
However, Holm‘s ground game is still developing, and that’s where Tate caught her. Holm wanted an immediate rematch but didn’t get it. Seeing how she progresses in the time off should be fascinating.
Cristiane Justino*, 15-1
Cyborg gets an asterisk because it seems unlikely she’ll ever be able to make 135 pounds, but if she does, she’s an instant contender. She’s making her UFC debut at UFC 198 against Leslie Smith in a catchweight bout at 140 pounds.
Justino is a veteran fighter with just one loss in her professional career, which came in her first fight. Since then, she has been a finishing machine, blitzing through most of her competitors in the first round—eight of her 13 KO/TKOs. Her onslaught of sheer overwhelming power has rendered most of her opponents incapable of reciprocating much at all; instead, they spend the time surviving or trying to escape until the ref stops the fight.
This might be why it was so difficult to find her an opponent. In a tweet, per Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com), White said Smith was the only athlete interested in fighting Cyborg. Smith, however, was more than interested. “As fighters, we’re adrenaline junkies. We’re just straight up adrenaline junkies. This is gonna be one of the biggest rushes that I possibly could have asked for,” she said.
UFC 198 is set for May 14 in Curitiba, Brazil.
A Long Way To Go
Raquel Pennington, 6-5
Although Rocky boasts a professional record that’s nearly 50-50, her potential remains. With five fights in the UFC, her two losses came via split decision—one to Holm and the other to Jessica Andrade—which she rectified in September 2015 when she ended their rematch with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Pennington has an advanced ground game, finishing Ashlee Evans-Smith with a bulldog choke. With the gradual development of the division and the back-and-forth records of so many bantamweights, Pennington could eventually emerge as a contender for a title eliminator. She faces Bethe Correia on Saturday on UFC on Fox 19. Correia’s only loss was to Rousey, and a victory over the Brazilian could put Rocky in the Top 10.
Lauren Murphy, 9-2
The former Invicta bantamweight champ recently achieved her first official Octagon win when she TKO’d the debuting Kelly Faszholz in the third round in February. It was a welcome return to finishing her opponents; her first two fights in the UFC were controversial decision losses to top names Liz Carmouche and Sara McMann. While many considered her the victor for one or both of those fights, her most recent win put her back in the Top 15 and earned a Fight of the Night bonus.
Murphy is a naturally athletic and high-output, aggressive athlete who trains at the MMA Lab, among other high-level fighters such as Benson Henderson and John Moraga. Her joy while putting a beating on her opponent is evident; with these natural gifts and affinity for violence, Murphy may not be next in line for a title shot, but her run in the UFC is only just beginning.
The Prospects
Julianna Pena, 7-2
Although she’s been fighting since 2009, Pena really surfaced when she choked highly regarded veteran Shayna Baszler to win the first tournament fight on TUF. Viewed as raw and inexperienced, she proceeded to also choke Sarah Moras before knocking out Jessica Rakoczy in the finale.
Soon after, she injured her knee, which kept her out of the cage for more than 16 months, slightly dulling her momentum from winning TUF. In her return, she faced Milana Dudieva, ending the fight in the first round with a TKO. She most recently defeated Jessica Eye via unanimous decision, bringing her record in the UFC to 3-0. She hasn‘t had many fights, but she was one of the more impressive records in the division so far.
In December 2015, her fighting career was derailed again when Pena was arrested for assault after being denied entry to a bar. In early April 2016, the UFC announced Pena had agreed to counseling and could resume fighting, following the findings of an independent investigation into the incident.
It didn’t take long; just days after that announcement, the UFC confirmed her fight at UFC 200 with Zingano in what is likely a title eliminator. Pena’s style is still rough, but her berserker aggression and power make her a promising bantamweight.
Valentina Shevchenko, 12-2
While the Kyrgyzstani has only had two fights in the Octagon, one of which resulted in her second career loss, she’s nonetheless established herself as a prospect. She beat the veteran Sarah Kaufman by split decision on short notice and then forced her fight with Nunes to go all the way, marking Nunes‘ first decision victory.
Shevchenko is actually a veteran as well; her first professional MMA fight was in 2003, and her first loss was to Carmouche in 2010. She also reportedly boasts a 60-2 record in muay thai, according to Bloody Elbow, with victories over current UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Given her essentially lifelong training in multiple martial arts, it shouldn’t be surprising that she has held her own in the Octagon.
Her loss to Nunes was just last month, and so far her next fight hasn’t been announced. Keep an eye out, because she’s proving to be a challenge for some really skilled fighters.
The Best of the Rest
Sara McMann: The Olympic wrestler so far hasn’t been able to fully employ that ability in the cage—although she did last for 66 seconds against Rousey. She fights Jessica Eye in August.
Bethe Correia: Her three Octagon wins came over two fighters on the verge of retirement and one who was largely untested. She may have the skills to stay active in the division, but unless she improves in leaps and bounds, another title shot seems unlikely.
Liz Carmouche: Girl-illa hasn’t fought in more than a year, although according to her Twitter, she’s in training. No fight has been announced yet, but with her debut loss to Rousey and a record of 2-3 in the Octagon, her days as a contender are probably over.
The Last Word
The UFC women’s bantamweight division feels slightly adrift; for so long, it trucked on as the Ronda Rousey Show, with nearly all of the excitement orbiting around her and her fights. Few, if any, in the division could generate the same furor; in a sport as young as women’s MMA, the talent simply isn’t as developed as in divisions that have existed for decades. And now with a third champion in place, the ranks are in a mad dash to capitalize on the opportunity.
Rousey’s ousting seems to have also infused the division with new lifeblood. This is not only because Rousey isn’t the champ, but because she lost. Her unbeaten rule is over, which may do as much for morale as the opportunities it creates. Holm’s subsequent loss supplements this; for the first time, the division feels like the Bantamweight Show—at least until Rousey returns.
With Tate at the helm, the door is open for fighters old and new to prove themselves. Neither Rousey nor Holm has fights scheduled yet, and while some are advocating for a title eliminator between them, Rousey’s standing in the UFC will likely afford her whatever pairing she wants. In this way, it’s still kind of the Ronda Rousey Show and will continue to be until she loses again or retires.
The UFC is almost certainly less invested in Tate as champion. Until Rousey returns, the bantamweight fighters will scramble to fill the void left in her absence.
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