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Women’s Flyweight
1. Valentina Shevchenko (19-3)
Shevchenko continues to look unstoppable in the UFC women’s flyweight division. “Bullet” absolutely overwhelmed Katlyn Chookagian in the UFC 247 co-main event in Houston, eventually trapping her opponent in a mounted crucifix and raining down strikes for a technical knockout stoppage at the 1:03 mark of the third round. Shevchenko has won five straight since dropping a closely-contested split verdict to Amanda Nunes at UFC 215, and at the moment, it appears that the most serious challenges for her would come in a trilogy with Nunes or a superfight against strawweight queen Weili Zhang. However, Shevchenko will continue her quest to clean out the flyweight division when she defends her belt against Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 on June 6.2. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0)
Macfarlane was rarely threatened in her latest title defense, as she cruised to a unanimous decision over Kate Jackson in the Bellator 236 headliner at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. Macfarlane was on the verge of a finish in the fourth and fifth rounds, but Jackson relied on her tenacity to survive until the final bell. Macfarlane now has four successful championship defenses to her credit since winning the inaugural 125-pound belt in November 2017. Interesting future challenges loom in the form of streaking flyweight Juliana Velasquez along with recently-signed training partner — and two-division UFC title challenger — Liz Carmouche.3. Liz Carmouche (13-7)
Carmouche simply had no answers in her title bout against reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko at UFC Uruguay. “Girl-Rilla” was outclassed on the feet and on the mat as she saw a two-fight winning streak come to an end in lopsided fashion. Carmouche has now unsuccessfully challenged for UFC gold at both 125 and 135 pounds. The two-division title challenger was surprisingly released from her UFC contract while doing a promotional appearance for the organization ahead of UFC on ESPN 7. It didn’t take Carmouche long to find a new home, however, as she quickly signed an exclusive deal to compete in Bellator’s flyweight division.4. Vanessa Porto (22-8)
When opponent Karina Rodriguez missed weight prior to their bout at Invicta FC 38, Porto’s flyweight championship defense became a non-title bout. Despite the lowered stakes, Porto was able to earn her fourth consecutive triumph, utilizing takedowns and ground-and-pound to sway the scorecards in her favor in a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph. The 35-year-old Brazilian has won seven of her last nine bouts, with six of those triumphs coming under the Invicta FC banner.5. Jessica Eye (15-7)
Eye missed weight by five pounds at UFC 245, but she was able to rely on superior takedown defense and standup to take a competitive unanimous decision over Viviane Araujo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 14. It was a nice bounce back effort for Eye, who suffered a devastating head kick KO loss to Valentina Shevchenko in a title bout at UFC 238 last June. More importantly, it keeps the Ohio native in the thick of things at flyweight.6. Katlyn Chookagian (13-3)
Simply put, Chookagian had nothing to offer Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 247. The New York native could never find her range as she was dominated en route to a third-round technical knockout loss in the evening’s co-main event at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 8. Considering that Chookagian was the largest underdog on the card, her loss isn’t much of a surprise, but she nonetheless faces a long road back to the top as long as Shevchenko is champion.7. Jennifer Maia (17-6-1)
It was not the most memorable UFC 244 for Maia, who missed weight and then dropped a unanimous decision to rising contender Katlyn Chookagian in a preliminary 125-pound affair. After entering the Las Vegas-based promotion on a six-bout winning streak, the 31-year-old Brazilian is 2-2 in the Octagon. However, Maia is always a tough out, as suggested by her streak of eight consecutive decisions.8. Joanne Calderwood (14-4)
In a competitive, back-and-forth affair, Calderwood managed to edge Andrea Lee via split-decision in a preliminary contest at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Calderwood has won three of her last four bouts at 125 pounds and owns four UFC flyweight victories overall — tying her for the most in the history of the division. That success has translated into a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 251 on June 6.9. Roxanne Modafferi (24-16)
Despite being the largest underdog on the card, Modafferi spoiled the coming out party of highly-touted prospect Maycee Barber at UFC 246, winning an impressive unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old remains one of the most respected veterans in women’s MMA, and as she proved against Barber, is capable of providing a difficult challenge on any given night. Modafferi has won two of her last three Octagon appearances.10. Molly McCann (10-2)
McCann has been on a roll since being submitted by Gillian Robertson in her Octagon debut, posting successive decision victories over Priscila Cachoeira, Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbita in her next three UFC appearances. “Meatball” will look to continue her momentum when she squares off against Ashlee Evans-Smith at UFC Fight Night 171 in London on March 21.Other Contenders:Lauren Murphy, Andrea Lee, Maycee Barber, Rin Nakai, Juliana Velasquez.
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