Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings: July 2021

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 month.

1. Amanda Nunes (1)
2. Cris “Cyborg” Justino (2)
3. Kayla Harrison (4)
4. Julia Budd (3)
5. Megan Anderson (5)
6. Cat Zingano (6)
7. Norma Dumont (7)
8. Felicia Spencer (8)
9. Arlene Blencowe (9)
10. Leah McCourt (10)

Kayla Harrison’s ascent continued in June. The Olympic gold medalist scored another dominant win over formerly ranked Cindy Dandois, albeit at lightweight.

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. Yana Kunitskaya (7)
8. Ketlen Vieira (8)
9. Julianna Peña (9)
10. Macy Chiasson (10)

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

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

Liz Carmouche solidified her No. 2 spot in the rankings in June. The Bellator title contender took out top prospect Kana Watanabe with a quick knockout at Bellator 261. Meanwhile, Lauren Murphy and Joanne Calderwood shuffled spots after Murphy was able to defeat “JoJo” by split decision in their UFC 263 clash.

1. Rose Namajunas (1)
2. Zhang Weili (2)
3. Joanna Jędrzejczyk (3)
4. Carla Esparza (6)
5. Yan Xiaonan (4)
6. Claudia Gadelha (5)
7. Marina Rodriguez (7)
8. Michelle Waterson (8)
9. Tecia Torres (9)
10. Amanda Ribas (10)

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

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

Jessica Delboni secured another Invicta title shot in June. She notched an impressive win over Lindsey VanZandt to close out the latest Phoenix Series tournament.

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Editor’s Note: Fighters are eligible to be ranked if they have competed in the last 18 months. Fighters who announce their retirement will remain ranked for a period of six months following their final bout.