Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings: September 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 weight classes from strawweight up to featherweight, 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)

Julia Budd returned to the win column in August, when she bested fellow top-10 featherweight Jessy Miele at Bellator 244. Both ladies retain their respective positions as the No. 2 and No. 8 featherweights in the world.

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. Yana Kunitskaya (10)
10. Julianna Peña (9)

Yana Kunitskaya moves up one spot to ninth in our poll with a victory in her August bout against Julija Stoliarenko. In September, Cat Zingano will move up to the featherweight division to take on Gabrielle Holloway in her Bellator debut. Meanwhile, Ketlen Vieira will meet Marion Reneau under the UFC banner.

1. Valentina Shevchenko (1)
2. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (2)
3. Cynthia Calvillo (4)
4. Liz Carmouche (3)
5. Jessica Eye (5)
6. Katlyn Chookagian (6)
7. Jennifer Maia (7)
8. Vanessa Porto (8)
9. Lauren Murphy (9)
10. Joanne Calderwood (10)

Jennifer Maia secured a UFC title shot when she bested fellow top contender Joanne Calderwood. Despite the victory, Maia remains at No. 7 in the rankings, while Calderwood holds onto her No. 10 spot. In September, Liz Carmouche is set to fight DeAnna Bennett under the Bellator banner.

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

Alexa Grasso moved up to flyweight in August and scored a decision win over Ji Yeon Kim. For now, Grasso remains at No. 10 in the strawweight division. On deck is the other woman who co-holds the 10th spot: Michelle Waterson. In September, Waterson will fight Angela Hill.

1. Seo Hee Ham (1)
2. Ayaka Hamasaki (2)
3. Ashley Cummins (3)
4. Alesha Zappitella (4)
5. Kanna Asakura (5)
6. Jessica Delboni (6)
7. Rena Kubota (7)
8. Lindsey VanZandt (8)
9. Mina Kurobe (9)
10. Kelly D’Angelo (10)

Ayaka Hamasaki keeps her second spot in the rankings after besting Tomo Maesawa at Rizin 22 in Japan. Kanna Asakura, who sits at No. 5 in the rankings, scored a win over Mizuki Furuse at the same event, and No. 9-ranked Mina Kurobe decisioned Megumi Sugimoto under the Shooto banner. In September, Alesha Zappitella and Ashley Cummins square off at Invicta FC 42 for the championship belt.