It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon. Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at […]
It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon.
Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at 10 women who are best placed to fill the void left by Rousey, from existing stars with the potential to take their fame to the next level, to up-and-coming prospects who have shown promising signs they could be the next big thing in WMMA.
To be clear, what we’re looking for here are not just talented fighters, but rather those who, like Rousey or indeed Gina Carano before her, also have that elusive ‘it factor’ that could enable them to gain mainstream recognition and become a major draw on pay-per-view.
Before we begin though, here’s a few honorable mentions to these talented ladies who just missed out on making the list but are worthy of recognition: Michelle Waterson, Ilima Macfarlane, Alexa Grasso, Julianna Pena, Holly Holm, Megan Anderson and Kayla Harrison.
10. Anastasia Yankova
In some circles, Anastasia Yankova is already being touted as the ‘Russian Ronda Rousey’.
The 26 year-old has gained considerable attention for her stunning looks and has over 180,000 followers on Instagram, but she has been training in martial arts since she was six and is a former Russian Muay Thai champion.
Her star potential was quickly recognized when she transitioned to MMA and with just two wins under her belt, Bellator jumped at the chance to sign Yankova in 2016.
She’s since improved to 5-0 and demonstrated that she’s more than just a striker by claiming three victories by way of submission.
There’s no doubt Yankova is a marketer’s dream and she’s already struck up sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Reebok, been featured in the Russian edition of Vogue, and speaks English fluently enough to have been interviewed by TMZ.
The caveat here is that though she remains unbeaten her performances in the cage so far suggest she’s still a work in progress, and so doubts remains as to how she’ll cope when the level of competition increases, with another rising Bellator star, Ilima Macfarlane being among those eager to derail her hype train.
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes. The main
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes.
The main attraction featured a heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and ex-titleholder Junior Dos Santos. The co-main event played host to a strawweight title fight between 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade.
The rest of the card featured pivotal fights as well, as top contenders faced off with major implications on the line.
Let’s take a look at six fights to make after UFC 211:
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier Rematch:
A highly anticipated lightweight fight between exciting contenders Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier headlined the preliminary portion of UFC 211, although it didn’t end without controversy.
Alvarez, a former champion who hasn’t competed since losing his title in brutal fashion to Conor McGregor last November, was looking to bounce back against Poirier, who had won four of his last five up until that point. The two went back-and-forth throughout the first round, but things went south when Alvarez landed an illegal knee in the second round that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the bout and rule it a no contest.
Being that this bout had such high expectations surrounding it, it only seems right to run back and both fighters appeared to be interested in doing so.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Frankie Edgar vs. Ricardo Lamas:
At UFC 211, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar reminded everyone that he is still an elite level featherweight, dominating red hot rising contender Yair Rodriguez over the course of two rounds before the bout was stopped between the second and third frames.
The win made it two straight for “The Answer” and he could campaign for another 145-pound title shot, although it’s unlikely he’ll receive one at this moment, especially if Jose Aldo beats Max Holloway next month. Edgar has already lost twice to Aldo.
With that being said, a bout between Edgar and No. 3-ranked Ricardo Lamas makes the most sense.
Lamas has won two of his last three bouts and he even called out Edgar on Twitter prior to “The Answer” being booked against Rodriguez. Edgar seemed interested in a fight with “The Bully” then and now it lands as the fight to make.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada USA Today Sports
Jorge Masvidal vs. Stephen Thompson:
Jorge Masvidal came up short in a title eliminator with Demian Maia on UFC 211’s main card, but he still put on a solid showing, picking Maia apart on the feet and avoiding the Brazilian’s submissions, albeit losing a split decision.
In his next fight, “Gamebred” should take on top contender and two-time title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Thompson is coming off of back-to-back fights with champion Tyron Woodley, battling “The Chosen One” to a majority draw last November before suffering a decision loss to the champion in their rematch this past March. “Wonderboy”, however, still represents a big name in the sport and exciting fighter to watch at 170 pounds.
Masvidal and Thompson should do battle in a bout that could propel the victor back towards title contention.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Demian Maia vs. Tyron Woodley:
With his win over Masvidal, Maia extended his winning to streak to seven straight and he can no longer be denied a title shot. In fact, he kneeled before UFC President Dana White and asked for the shot after his win over Masvidal. White appeared to have granted him his wish.
A bout between Woodley and Maia not only makes sense from a rankings standpoint, but it is also an intriguing bout stylistically.
Woodley is an explosive and powerful fighter with brutal knockout power and a division one wrestling background. Maia, on the other hand, is arguably the very best submission artist to have ever competed inside of the Octagon, and although opponents know what’s coming, few have been able to stop it in recent memory.
It’ll be interesting to see which man can implement his game plan first when these two inevitably meet.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas:
Strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her 115-pound title for the fifth consecutive time last night, winning every round in a one-sided decision victory over the tough but overmatched Jessica Andrade. “Joanna Champion” is now one win away from tying Ronda Rousey’s record of most consecutive title defenses made by a female fighter.
In her sixth defense, Jedrzejczyk should meet surging contender Rose Namajunas. The 24-year-old “Thug” Rose has won four of her last five bouts and is coming off of an impressive submission win over former Invicta champion Michelle Waterson. Namajunas has improved each and every time out and she may be able to supply “Joanna Champion” with a legitimate test.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Stipe Miocic vs. Cain Velasquez:
Stipe Miocic continued to establish himself as an all-time heavyweight great, scoring yet another first round knockout victory over Junior Dos Santos in the second defense of his heavyweight title.
In my opinion, there’s only one opponent who makes sense for Miocic next: ex-champion Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez was scheduled to compete against Fabricio Werdum in a title eliminator last December, but he was forced to withdraw with a back injury. He hasn’t competed since.
Werdum, on the other hand, will take on Alistair Overeem in July in a bout that could potentially produce the next title challenger, although Miocic has already scored first round stoppages over both Werdum and Overeem.
With that being said, Velasquez should be the next title challenger. A bout between him and Miocic would pit two well-rounded, elite level, athletic heavyweights against each other with a title on the line.
It has yet to be confirmed that No. 4-ranked UFC strawweight Rose Namajunas will receive the next shot at the division’s crown, however, the fact that “Thug” was brought to Dallas to witness tomorrow’s (Sat. May 13, 2017) title bout spells that she is likely next in line. Namajunas comes off of a big win
It has yet to be confirmed that No. 4-ranked UFC strawweight Rose Namajunas will receive the next shot at the division’s crown, however, the fact that “Thug” was brought to Dallas to witness tomorrow’s (Sat. May 13, 2017) title bout spells that she is likely next in line.
Namajunas comes off of a big win over No. 6-ranked Michelle Waterson after submitting “The Karate Hottie” in the second round via rear-naked choke. The victory marked only the sixth win of the 24-year-old’s young mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
After open workouts yesterday (Thurs. May 11, 2017) in Dallas, Namajunas got the opportunity to talk to reporters and discuss possibly challenging for the title next. “Thug” believes it’s only fitting she fights for the gold next, because – who else is there? (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“I guess who else is there, really?” Namajunas said. “You got Claudia (Gadelha) and Karolina (Kowalkiewicz), but they already fought the champ once before – and Claudia twice, so I don’t know. It just seems fitting.”
Current division champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is looking to make her fifth consecutive title defense when she meets No. 3-ranked Jessica Andrade in to co-main event of tomorrow’s UFC 211 pay-per-view (PPV).
When asked for a prediction, Namajunas said she’s putting her money on the champ:
“I see Joanna probably winning,” Namajunas said. “Joanna, I think, is just the better technical and overall complete fighter.”
As noted, Namajunas is still fairly young in her MMA career as she has not even competed in 10 professional fights yet. She had the opportunity to become the youngest champion in UFC history when she challenged Carla Esparza for the inaugural women’s strawweight title back in 2014, however, she unfortunately suffered a submission loss.
After having racked up some more experience inside the Octagon, Namajunas feels as though that experience will pay dividends once she gets her second crack at the belt:
“When you think about my age, my experience level in just fighting, itself – those things combined – I wasn’t supposed to really be to the level at which I was at at that age,” Namajunas said. “Not based on history in other fighters. If I would have won against Carla, I would have been the youngest champ in the UFC ever, beating Jon Jones, and he’s young. I think that right now it means a lot to me to be experienced, not just as a fighter, but as a woman.”
“Even with my zombie self sometimes, I’m a dangerous mother(expletive), I tell you that,” Namajunas said. “But just when I’m mentally right, there’s no one that can beat me.”
This has the potential to be a big year for Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
As the Pole prepares to put her UFC strawweight title on the line against the streaking Jessica Andrade Saturday at UFC 211, the many looming possibilities are simply too big to ignore.
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This has the potential to be a big year for Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
As the Pole prepares to put her UFC strawweight title on the line against the streaking Jessica Andrade Saturday at UFC 211, the many looming possibilities are simply too big to ignore.
During her 26 months as 115-pound champion, Jedrzejczyk has rapidly established herself as a darling of MMA‘s hardcore set. If the dominos fall correctly for her in 2017, it could be enough to launch the woman dubbed “Joanna Champion” even further into the stratosphere.
Or, at the very least, into the UFC record books.
Jedrzejczyk needs just two more wins to tie Ronda Rousey‘s record of six consecutive title defenses.
It’s a symbolic milestone, but given that Rousey is still the mark by which greatness is judged in women’s MMA, it would be meaningful for Jedrzejczyk to tie and perhaps pass her as the UFC’s greatest female champion.
In somewhat more concrete news, the UFC confirmed Tuesday—after one false start—it will add a women’s flyweight class later this year with season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter.
This presents a perhaps even more tantalizing opportunity for Jedrzejczyk. In the past, she’s talked openly about her desire to compete at 125 pounds, so it’s at least possible she might follow in the footsteps of ConorMcGregor as the second UFC fighter to simultaneously hold two titles in two different weight classes.
Rousey and McGregor? That’s not bad company to be in for one of the organization’s brightest developing stars.
It’s equally difficult not to notice that those future possibilities are beginning to take shape just as competition in Jedrzejczyk‘s own strawweight division is swiftly heating up.
Her last two title defenses—against Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, respectively—were surprisingly competitive affairs. Now, the next two figure to offer up the greatest challenges of Jedrzejczyk‘s 13-fight career.
Andrade has been impressive since dropping from bantamweight to strawweight in June 2016. She’s won three straight fights, including two stoppages, while showing off a hard-charging style that could feature the best aspects of Gadelha‘s grappling-based game plan while packing more power on the feet than Kowalkiewicz.
After watching both those bouts, Andrade thinks she’s got Jedrzejczyk figured out. One of the keys, she says, will be to pressure the champion as a way of disrupting her technical, point-point accurate kickboxing skills.
“Karolina was a girl that didn’t back away from Joanna when she was getting pressured, which was something new,” Andrade told Fox Sports’ Damon Martin.
“Pretty much everybody that fought her before, once Joanna put pressure they would walk back. We noticed that she didn’t do as well with other people that [wouldn’t] back away from her.”
Still, Jedrzejczyk is going off as the favorite here, according to OddsShark, and it’s hard to doubt her. She’s been so good since winning the title from Carla Esparza in March 2015 that the smart money says she’ll find a way to be successful against Andrade.
The two are already well-acquainted with each other. Jedrzejczyk quipped during a recent UFC-sponsored media lunch that she and the Brazilian used to train with each other on-and-off while both were making their way up the ranks.
Dare she say they used to be friends?
“Friends may be a bit too much—we were colleagues. Is that a good word?” Jedrzejczyk said, via MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi. “[I know] that I can submit her and I can knock her out [in training], but the fight is different. It was in the past. Jessica is a very dangerous opponent. She drops from 125. She’s very strong in the strawweight division.”
If she manages to get by Andrade, it’s possible Jedrzejczyk has an even bigger fight waiting for her against perennial contender Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas is one of the few fighters at 115 pounds who could match Jedrzejczyk for popularity. She exited her appearance on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter riding a substantial wave of hype, and she appears at the height of her powers after a couple of slip-ups along the way.
Still just 24 years old, Namajunas‘ recent second-round submission win over Michelle Waterson at UFC on Fox 24 appears to have her poised as the No. 1 contender in waiting.
If everything goes according to plan, a matchup between Namajunas and Jedrzejczyk later this year would stack up as the biggest strawweight attraction since the UFC started the division in 2014.
If the two fighters did a reasonably good job selling a rivalry and it could be billed as the event where Jedrzejczyk was out to tie Rousey‘s record, it could be a modest success for all involved.
From there, she might think about testing the waters at flyweight, once the UFC has its 125-pound class up and running.
And perhaps therein lies the rub for Jedrzejczyk this weekend. The Andrade fight smacks of one she needs to get through in order to have a chance to make those bigger opportunities come to fruition. It also smacks of a very difficult matchup.
That’s not always the most advantageous combination for a champion who could be on the cusp of bigger things.
A defeat here might cost Jedrzejczyk more then her title. It could cost her the chance to join people like Rousey and McGregor in the annals of UFC history.
Get up close and personal with the fighters from UFC on FOX 24 in this edition of “Fight Motion.” Thanks to the super-slow motion cameras equipped by FOX, you can see great detail in several of the bone-crunching finishes from this past weekend. Featured are the performances of Robert Whittaker, Rose Namajunas and UFC flyweight […]
Get up close and personal with the fighters from UFC on FOX 24 in this edition of “Fight Motion.” Thanks to the super-slow motion cameras equipped by FOX, you can see great detail in several of the bone-crunching finishes from this past weekend. Featured are the performances of Robert Whittaker, Rose Namajunas and UFC flyweight […]
Rose Namajunas has made it clear that she’s gunning for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold. This past Saturday night (April 15), Namajunas pulled off an emphatic second-round submission victory over Michelle Waterson. The victory improved “Thug’s” professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 6-3 and put her in prime position to challenge for the strawweight […]
Rose Namajunas has made it clear that she’s gunning for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold. This past Saturday night (April 15), Namajunas pulled off an emphatic second-round submission victory over Michelle Waterson. The victory improved “Thug’s” professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 6-3 and put her in prime position to challenge for the strawweight […]
This has the potential to be a big year for Joanna