The UFC is failing its strawweight fighters. There is no other way to look at its handling of the division.
In the time since Bleacher Report rolled out the State of the Flyweight Division (the first in the State of the UFC series), there has been precisely two strawweight fights in the UFC. For the sake of comparison, there has been 10 in the light heavyweight division and 11 in the heavyweight division.
It most certainly isn’t because the division lacks talent or excitement. One hundred and 15 pounds has the strongest crop of fighters in women’s MMA and is overrun with finishers. It also isn’t because the fighters aren’t looking to stay active, either, since the easiest retweet on Twitter is fantasy matchmaking.
There is a sliver of hope for the division, however, given how The Ultimate Fighter season 23 will feature UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk coaching a team of 115-pound women (and 205-pound men). That said, TUF 18 did little to buck the UFC’s indifference toward the women’s bantamweight division so WMMA fans ought not hold their breath.
The Champion
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
When Jedrzejczyk debuted she was, functionally, an afterthought. The UFC’s promotional efforts were focused on The Ultimate Fighter season 20, a special installment of the long-running reality series based around crowning the inaugural strawweight champion, made possible by a mass acquisition of the Invicta FC strawweight roster.
Jedrzejczyk was signed by the UFC to compete with one of the Invicta FC fighters who didn’t get slotted on the show, Juliana Lima. Both women unceremoniously debuted at UFC on Fox 12 on the Fight Pass portion of the card, with Jedrzejczyk taking the win via unanimous decision. She would earn a shot at the title by edging out Claudia Gadelha at UFC on Fox 13 and, from there, set her sights on TUF 20 winner and reigning strawweight champion Carla Esparza.
To say Jedrzejczyk won easily would be an understatement. Jedrzejczyk bullied Esparza around the cage, stuffing takedowns and tagging her with strikes before putting her out of commission in the second round. It was a serious upset that forced fans to take notice of a woman not named Ronda Rousey.
While her win over Esparza was impressive, she one-upped herself in a big way at UFC Fight Night 69. Facing Jessica Penne, Jedrzejczyk put on a striking clinic, boxing up the former Invicta FC champion and slowly turning her into a bloody, broken mess. It was a genuinely horrific sight that sent a clear message—Jedrzejczyk is the scariest woman in the UFC.
The Contenders
Claudia Gadelha
Gadelha is officially next in line for a title shot, and will face Jedrzejczyk in July. She is easily the most well-rounded fighter in the division, combining wrestling, striking and clinch work with a physicality not many in the division can match. She came a hair shy of beating Jedrzejczyk last year, and is easily the greatest threat to her throne.
Tecia Torres
The Tiny Tornado had a rough start to her UFC career, losing twice on The Ultimate Fighter season 20 to Randa Markos and Esparza, but it’s impossible to deny her overall body of work. She combines a diverse striking background with a smothering clinch game, enabling her to contend with anyone in the division at any range. Unfortunately, she has absolutely no stopping power, which is a serious liability when she is at a serious reach disadvantage to much of the roster.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas transformed from a submission specialist to a one-woman wrecking crew in the 18 months between her final fight in Invicta FC and her official UFC debut. Her most recent win over Paige VanZant, where she beat the Dancing with the Stars contestant into a bloody mess, showed a rare combination of excellent submissions, brutal striking and legitimate athleticism. If she continues to improve, she will quickly become a pound-for-pound great.
Carla Esparza
The UFC put no effort into promoting Esparza as champion and it most likely has no interest in fast-tracking her back to a title shot. That said, she still owns wins over both Namajunas and Torres (though she “only” beat Torres on TUF 20) and that puts her on strong footing should either of them end up with the belt. In the meantime, she should be able to run through the competition with her wrestling.
Long Way to Go
Joanne Calderwood
The Scottish knee machine was upended by Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 64 and she is still recovering from that. She is a fighter the UFC would like to capitalize on but she will need a few more wins before she returns to the title picture.
Maryna Moroz
Speaking of Moroz, she is probably the most underrated fighter in the division. A coach for the Ukrainian Olympic boxing team with a penchant for locking up armbars, there’s no doubt she has the skills to compete both standing and on the ground. Unfortunately, she lost her chance to challenge for the belt when she came up short against Valerie Letourneau last year and will need to add a couple of impressive wins in order to get back on track.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Jedrzejczyk isn’t the only top-10 fighter coming out of Poland. Kowalkiewicz racked up a solid 7-0 record in KSW and Invicta FC before making the jump to the UFC. She debuted with a win over Markos in December and, if she can keep that up, should be able to get into title contention by year’s end…assuming the UFC doesn’t just bench her for a year.
Final Word
The strawweight division could be one of the UFC’s best. There are so many fresh matchups to be made and so many interesting rivalries that could be developed. It’s genuinely saddening that the UFC plain and simple isn’t interested in keeping fighters active, never even mind making it a featured division.
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