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Female fighters have made a lot of noise since joining the UFC in 2013.
A bunch of impressive champions and a few big stars have emerged over the past 11 years – but fans are struggling to agree on which woman is the best. MMA History
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Amanda NunesCris Cyborg and Valentina Shevchenko are all on the GOAT list, even if their order is often different.
the former UFC Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey She considers herself the best female fighter in history, and while many people disagree, no one is arguing against her superstar credentials.
Rowdy looked more women’s MMA than anyone else before suffering back-to-back losses and retiring from the sport in 2016.
TalkSPORT.com ranks the top 10 female UFC fighters by results, manner of wins, titles won and then defended, level of opposition and longevity.
10. Kayla Harrison (record: 18-1)
Harrison is a fighter who could rise to the top of this list in the next few years – but the Olympic gold medalist judoka has been overlooked for his success with PFL.
During his 15-0 start in the sport, Harrison won two $1 million tournaments and was widely regarded as the best fighter not signed to the UFC.
This American defeated Larisa Pacheco twice and fell short in front of her A triple fight and going to the UFC where he Posted by Holly Holm In his first advertising job
He then defeated Coltlan Vieira at UFC 307, and after that win, he could have a shot at a championship in the near future.
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9. Holly Holm (Record: 15-7 1NC)
Holm entered the UFC with a hall of fame His boxing career, which included 18 world championships in three weight divisions, was in his rearview mirror.
The 43-year-old will go down in history as an underdog with a famous knockout victory. Against Russia In 2015
Since then, she has suffered seven losses, but has been competitive in almost all of her fights, even picking up wins over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington.
Holm proved that boxers can transition to MMA and be successful.
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8. Misha Tate (record: 9-20)
Tate has been around since 2007 and is one of the true pioneers of women’s MMA.
“Cupcake” has won the UFC and Strikeforce lightweight titles during his time – but he will be best remembered for his two fights. Competition with Russia.
Even though she was beaten twice by Rowdy, Tate remains highly regarded among MMA fans after defeating Holm, Marloise Koenen, Liz Carmouche and a number of other great fighters.
The 38-year-old looked impressive in her December 2023 win over Julia Avila, but hasn’t fought at all in 2024.
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7. Zhang Willi (record: 25-3)
Zhang’s record is stellar, but it’s how he handles high-level opponents that makes him one of the best fighters around.
‘Magnum’ missed his MMA debut and suffered a couple of losses against Rose Namajunas, but other than that, he’s nearing perfection in the sport.
Former UFC champions Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade and Carla Esparza have all suffered dominant losses against the Chinese superstar.
Zhang is another fighter who could move to the top of the list very soon, especially if she beats Tatiana Suarez in February.
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6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (record: 16-5)
Jedrzejczyk’s appearance as the UFC strawweight champion was nothing out of the ordinary.
Top fighters, including Andrade and Esparza, couldn’t lay a glove on the Polish fighter, who looked set to reign over the 115-pound division forever.
But then Namajunas came and beat him before outlasting Jedrzejczyk in a rematch to end his career as champion.
“The Boogeywoman” lost her fear factor after that, but she still managed to wear one. The biggest fights in history With Zhang in 2020.
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Paige VanZant calls the return of MMA with the new promotion “a great opportunity” after nearly five years since her last UFC fight.
5. Rose Namajunas (record: 14-7)
Namajunas is arguably the most exciting female fighter in history.
‘Thug’ has insane striking ability and showed it on the biggest stage, KOing Zhang and Jedrzejczyk in world title fights.
The former strawweight queen has a resume most fighters can only dream of, but she’s looking to improve upon it after making the jump to flyweight.
Namajunas fell short in him 125 pounds of dustT But he bounced back with back-to-back victories to put himself on the verge of another title shot.
However, a unanimous decision loss to Erin Blanchfield last November means the 32-year-old may not have another chance at the top.
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4. Valentina Shevchenko (record: 24-4-1)
Shevchenko was absolutely dominant during her run as flyweight champion – no one could beat her until Alexa Grasso came along.
Nine straight opponents were dropped during her legendary 125-pound run, which followed an impressive run at the weight class with wins over Holm and Juliana Pena.
Shevchenko shared 10 rounds with Nunes and many fans think he was very unlucky to go winless in at least one of their fights.
“Bullet” lost to Grasso at UFC 285 before their rematch in September 2023 ended in a draw.
But he He finally got his revenge at UFC 306 A year later, he defeated his opponent by unanimous decision to bring his record to 24-4-1.
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3. Ronda Rousey (record: 12-2)
Rousey is the reason female fighters are stepping foot in the UFC.
The American Superstar is a worthy legend for everything he accomplished outside the Octagon, but he also did some pretty epic stuff inside.
Rousey’s 12-0 start in MMA was strange because she finished all of her opponents very quickly, which is unusual unless you’re a heavyweight KO machine. Tom Aspinall.
Holm and Nunes retired her, but Rowdy is still one of the best female fighters to ever wear the UFC’s famous gloves.
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2. Cris Cyborg (Record: 28-2 1NC)
Cyborg has been fighting world-class opponents for almost 20 years.
The 39-year-old is the only MMA fighter in history to win a Grand Slam and hold world championships in four major mixed martial arts events.
Cyborg’s glittering resume is full of big name wins.
And she won another PFL title by defeating Larissa Pacheco Francis Nanno‘s undercard in October.
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1. Amanda Nunes (record: 5-23)
Of course, Nunes tops the list of the best female fighters in the UFC.
“The Lioness” is the only fighter – male or female – to successfully defend both UFC two-weight titles.
The Brazilian defeated five other fighters on this list, but most notably she defeated Cyborg in 51 seconds during their 2018 fight.
Nunes retired from MMA in 2023.
However, in 2024, he was flirting with the idea He is back and could yet add another chapter to his legendary martial arts career.
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