Women’s Bantamweight
1. Amanda Nunes (15-4)
Nunes was initially supposed to defend her bantamweight title for a third time against Raquel Pennington at UFC 219 on Dec. 30, but her challenger suffered a broken leg in an ATV accident and nixed those plans. After a brief flirtation regarding a superfight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, Nunes and Pennington have a date locked down for their showdown. They will collide at UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro.2. Holly Holm (11-4)
At UFC 219 on Dec. 30, Holm came up short in her title challenge against Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. It was the second time in 2017 that “The Preacher’s Daughter” failed to win the UFC women’s featherweight title, as she also fell short earlier in the year against Germaine de Randamie in a battle to crown the inaugural champion. Holm remains a viable, high-level fighter, but there is no way to overlook the fact that she is 36 years old and has now lost four of her last five contests.3. Ketlen Vieira (10-0)
Do not be fooled by the split decision result: Vieira was largely dominant in her victory over Cat Zingano at UFC 222 thanks to her takedowns and suffocating top game. After having handily dispatched ex-title challengers in Zingano and Sara McMann in her last two outings -- and with a 4-0 record overall in the Octagon -- the 24-year-old Brazilian should be on the short list of top contenders at 135 pounds.4. Julianna Pena (8-3)
Despite having just turned 28 years old and still just scratching the surface of her potential, Pena is not long for the 135-pound rankings. In recent months, it seemed like her exit from the bantamweight list would be as a result of Pena’s comments that she was interested in dropping to 125 pounds. Not so fast: “The Venezuelan Vixen” announced in mid-October that she is pregnant, a development that will take her out of the cage for the foreseeable future.5. Raquel Pennington (9-5)
A broken leg suffered in an ATV accident on a hunting trip nixed a potential title shot for Pennington at UFC 219 on Dec. 30. Now that “Rocky” appears to have healed from her injuries, she will challenge Amanda Nunes for 135-pound gold at UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro.6. Tonya Evinger (19-6)
An Invicta bantamweight championship and eight-bout unbeaten streak finally punched Evinger’s ticket to the UFC, though “Triple Threat” was forced to move up to 145 pounds and take a Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino beatdown in July to actualize it. The 36-year-old was scheduled for a proper 135-pound debut in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 126 on Feb. 18 but was forced out of her bout with Marion Reneau due to injury.7. Marion Reneau (9-3-1)
It did not look good for Reneau after a round against Olympic silver medalist wrestler Sara McMann at UFC on Fox 28 in Orlando, Florida. Potentially down 10-8 on the scorecards after a discouraging opening five minutes, “The Bruiser” dropped her opponent with a counter right hand and eventually secured a triangle choke submission at the 3:40 mark of the second frame for arguably the biggest win of her career to date. Reneau is unbeaten in her last four Octagon appearances.8. Sara McMann (11-5)
McMann was in complete control against Marion Reneau in their UFC on Fox 28 clash, as she pounded away on her defenseless opponent from the mounted crucifix in the waning seconds of Round 1. Not getting the finish would come back to haunt the Olympic silver medalist, however, as Reneau rallied to drop McMann and then submit her with a triangle choke in the second stanza. McMann, a former title challenger, has lost two straight for the second time in her UFC tenure.9. Aspen Ladd (6-0)
One of the hottest prospects at 135 pounds, Ladd finally made her UFC debut on Oct. 21, pounding out Lina Lansberg in the second round. The 22-year-old is certainly moving up in the world after a successful first Octagon appearance, as Ladd is lined up to face rugged veteran Leslie Smith in April.10. Sarah Kaufman (19-4)
Kaufman has re-emerged as player at 135 pounds following her exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015. The former Strikeforce champion has recorded back-to-back victories over Jessica-Rose Clark and Pannie Kianzad -- the latter coming in the Invicta 27 main event on Jan. 27.Other Contenders: Irene Aldana, Bethe Correia, Yana Kunitskaya, Lucie Pudilova, Leslie Smith
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