Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings: November 2019

With the growing popularity of women’s MMA, it is important to recognize these women with a rankings system of their own. Between the UFC’s inclusion of a bantamweight division, its addition of the strawweight and flyweight divisions, Bellator’s increasing attention to the women’s side of the sport, and the all-female promotion of Invicta FC, more and more women are being exposed to casual and hardcore fans alike. Every month, Combat Press compiles the staff’s individual rankings from featherweight to atomweight to create the Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings.

Note: the numbers in parentheses represent the fighter’s ranking from the previous rankings.

1. Amanda Nunes (1)
2. Cris “Cyborg” Justino (2)
3. Julia Budd (3)
4. Holly Holm (4)
5. Felicia Spencer (5)
6. Megan Anderson (6)
7. Pam Sorenson (10)
8. Arlene Blencowe (7)
9. Olga Rubin (9)
10. Jessy Miele (-)

Dropped from the rankings: Talita Nogueira (8)

Talita Nogueira took a loss under the Bellator banner and falls out of the top 10. Her Bellator 231 opponent, Jessy Miele, slides into the 10th spot with the victory. Megan Anderson scored a win at UFC 243 on her home soil in Australia, where she submitted Zarah Fairn. In November, Arlene Blencowe goes up against the surging Leslie Smith and Olga Rubin takes on Sinead Kavanagh.

1. Amanda Nunes (1)
2. Germaine de Randamie (2)
3. Holly Holm (3)
4. Ketlen Vieira (4)
5. Aspen Ladd (5)
6. Raquel Pennington (6)
7. Cat Zingano (7)
8. Julianna Peña (8)
9. Yana Kunitskaya (9)
10. Lina Länsberg (10)

No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged.

1. Valentina Shevchenko (1)
2. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (2)
3. Liz Carmouche (3)
4. Jessica Eye (4)
5. Katlyn Chookagian (5)
6. Jennifer Maia (6)
7. Vanessa Porto (7)
8. Joanne Calderwood (8)
9. Viviane Araujo (9)
10. Roxanne Modafferi (10)

No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the past month, so the rankings remain unchanged. In November, Katlyn Chookagian looks to potentially score a UFC title shot when she takes on fellow contender Jennifer Maia. Elsewhere, Invicta champion Vanessa Porto is set to defend her belt against Karina Rodriguez in the main event of that promotion’s Invicta FC 38 card.

1. Weili Zhang (1)
2. Jessica Andrade (2)
3. Rose Namajunas (3)
4. Joanna Jędrzejczyk (4)
5. Tatiana Suarez (5)
6. Nina Ansaroff (6)
7. Claudia Gadelha (7)
8. Carla Esparza (8)
9. Michelle Waterson (9)
10. Marina Rodriguez (10)

Joanna Jędrzejczyk may not have moved up the rankings after beating Michelle Waterson at UFC on ESPN+ 19, but the win could give the Polish star another shot at the title. Her victory in the main event was a classic performance that suggests she is capable of dethroning newly minted champ Weili Zhang.

1. Ayaka Hamasaki (1)
2. Seo Hee Ham (2)
3. Jinh Yu Frey (3)
4. Minna Grusander (4)
5. Ashley Cummins (5)
6. Kanna Asakura (6)
7. Jessica Delboni (9)
8. Lindsey VanZandt (10)
9. Kelly D’Angelo (8)
10. Alesha Zappitella (7)

Seo Hee Ham solidified her position in the rankings by besting Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin 19. Lindsey VanZandt dispatched of Shino VanHoose in just 39 seconds at Invicta FC 37. Jessica Delboni suffered a loss to Julia Polastri at Shooto Brazil 97, but the fight was contested in the strawweight division and doesn’t harm her standing as a 105-pounder.