Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings: March 2020

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. Felicia Spencer (4)
5. Megan Anderson (5)
6. Arlene Blencowe (6)
7. Pam Sorenson (7)
8. Jessy Miele (8)
9. Talita Nogueira (9)
10. Kaitlin Young (10)

Two top-five fighters scored wins in February, both while fighting at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Virginia. Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson were able to score wins over Zarah Fairn and Norma Dumont, respectively. Their victories allow them to hold steady in the fourth and fifth spots in our poll. In March, Jessy Miele will be the only top-10 featherweight in action when she fights Leslie Smith at Bellator 241.

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

No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged. In March, No. 5 bantamweight Aspen Ladd fights No. 9 Julianna Peña at UFC on ESPN 8.

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. Roxanne Modafferi (9)
10. Lauren Murphy (-)

• Dropped from the rankings: Andrea Lee (10)

Valentina Shevchenko continued to prove her dominance as the best 125-pounder in the world in February when she defended her UFC title with a win over Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247. On the same card, Lauren Murphy bested Andrea Lee in a close decision. The win puts Murphy in the top 10 in place of her UFC 247 opponent.

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 (tie-9)/Marina Rodriguez (tie-9)
10. Alexa Grasso (10)

No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged. Former UFC champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk looks to reclaim her top status in the division when she takes on UFC champ Weili Zhang at UFC 248 on March 7.

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

• Dropped out of the rankings: Kelly D’Angelo (9)

Jinh Yu Frey retains her third-ranked status and Invicta championship after besting Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 39. On the same card, Alesha Zappitella defeated Kelly D’Angelo. Zappitella climbs up to ninth with the win, while D’Angelo departs the top 10. Lindsey VanZandt takes over at No. 10.