Women’s Atomweight
1. Ayaka Hamasaki (14-2)
Before she was Invicta champion and the top atomweight in the world, Hamasaki was a pretty good strawweight and had only ever lost to UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha. Her return to 115 pounds, however, saw her knocked out by another Brazilian, and this time, it was much nastier. Hamasaki stepped up to strawweight to face former Invicta titleholder Livia Renata Souza on March 25 and got blistered with punches in less than two minutes.2. Jinh Yu Frey (5-2)
Frey’s slated bout with unbeaten Brazilian prospect Janaisa Morandin looked like it could steal the show at Invicta 22. Unfortunately, the highly appealing clash of styles never happened, as Morandin came in five pounds overweight and Frey was unwilling to accept more than a three-and-a-half pound allowance, canceling the contest on weigh-in day.3. Herica Tiburcio (10-4)
Brazil’s Tiburcio got a brilliant breakout win in December 2014, when she choked out Michelle Waterson in the third round to grab the Invicta 105-pound title. However, back-to-back losses to Ayaka Hamasaki and Jinh Yu Frey have since relegated the 25-year-old to third-banana status at 105 pounds. Tiburcio got back into the win column in November, earning a unanimous decision over tough Simona Soukupova at Invicta 20.4. Mina Kurobe (10-2)
Going on 40 years old, Kurobe is starting to hit her stride. At Deep Jewels 15 on Feb. 25, she took a unanimous decision over Naho Sugiyama to earn the organization's atomweight title and avenge her November 2015 defeat to “Sugi Rock.” The rep for Kuniyoshi Hironaka's Master Japan gym has now won five in a row, a run that also includes quality wins over Tomo Maesawa and Saori Ishioka.5. Naho Sugiyama (12-5)
Sugiyama topped Emi Tomimatsu in June to become Deep Jewels atomweight champion. Unfortunately, in her first title defense on Feb. 25, she could not replicate her November 2015 win over Mina Kurobe, dropping a unanimous decision and the strap to her fellow 39-year-old.6. Tessa Simpson (5-1)
Simpson has had a ton of bad opponent luck over the last 18 months, with bouts against Celine Haga, Gina Iniong, Mei Yamaguchi and Julia Jones all falling apart. Even so, “Typhoon” managed to hammer out two quality victories at 105 pounds in 2016, tapping Satomi Takano in Pacific Xtreme Combat in March before earning a unanimous decision over Simona Soukupova in Invicta four months later.7. Janaisa Morandin (9-0)
With a perfect 9-0 record and an exciting fight style that has resulted in six stoppages, it seemed like everything was coming together for Morandin when she was lined up to face former Invicta title challenger Jinh Yu Frey on March 25. The 22-year-old Brazilian even received a sponsorship and fight gear from comedian Hannibal Burress. Unfortunately, “The Evil Princess” blew weight by five pounds, nixing the bout.8. Julia Jones (5-0)
Jones in May was scheduled to take on fellow top-10 talent Tessa Simpson at Invicta FC 17. However, the bout -- which would have provided some clarity for the 105-pound division -- was scrapped. Instead, “Jewels” returned in September, dominating Stephanie Skinner and choking her out in the first round to run her pro record to 5-0.9. Ashley Cummins (5-3)
Cummins lost three in a row at 115 pounds in the Invicta cage and then got knocked out by Lanchana Green in the opening round of “The Ultimate Fighter 23.” Undeterred, “Smashley” has bounced back in style. First, she choked out Nicole Smith in a 110-pound bout at Bellator 157 and then made her official drop to 105 pounds at Invicta 22, earning an exciting unanimous decision over former Invicta title challenger Amber Brown.10. Paulina Granados (4-2)
After suffering back-to-back defeats against top-10 entrants Julia Jones and Tessa Simpson, Granados bounced back with a pair of atomweight wins in Combate Americas in 2016, earning decisions over Stephanie Alba in May and Jenna Serio in October. “Firefox” has since taken to calling out fellow Combate Americas signee Kyra Batara in what would be a rock solid 105-pound bout.Other Contenders: Amber Brown, Tomo Maesawa, Simona Soukupova, Bianca Sattelmayer, Emi Tomimatsu