Welcome to Year 13 of the annual “Prospects the UFC Should Sign” series, in which we’ll examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign in the upcoming year.
This series started during my time as a writer for Bleacher Report, continued through my tenures at Today’s Knockout and FanSided, and now it stays alive another year here at Combat Press.
Let’s examine the women’s strawweight division, the second women’s weight class to be added to the UFC. It’s been thinned out due to the recent addition of the women’s flyweight division, so the UFC needs to look to replenish its talent.
In picking these prospects, I’ll try my hardest to stay away from fighters who are currently in top organizations, such as ONE Championship or the Professional Fighters League, but a couple may pop up. In the past, I’ve had some great picks on the list, and some that haven’t worked out. Below are the previous year’s selections, followed by the five men the UFC should offer roster spots to in the coming year.
2014: Justine Kish, Kalindra Faria, Aisling Daly, Mizuki Inoue, Stephanie Eggink
2015: Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Alexa Grasso, Livia Renata Souza, Mizuki Inoue, Zoila Frausto
2016: DeAnna Bennett, Alexa Grasso, Livia Renata Souza, Viviane Pereira, Angela Lee*
2017: Mackenzie Dern, Weili Zhang, Virna Jandiroba, Angela Lee*, Kinberly Novaes
2018: Weili Zhang, Marina Rodriguez, Virna Jandiroba, Ariane Carnelossi, Kali Robbins
2019: Ariane Carnelossi, Miranda Granger, Melissa Martinez, Alesha Zappitella*, Magdalena Sormova
2020: Kanako Murata, Melissa Martinez, Julia Polastri, Svetlana Gotsyk, Pauline Macias
2021: Lupita Godinez, Emily Ducote, Julia Polastri, Alesha Zappitella*, Micol di Segni*
2022: Emily Ducote, Micol di Segni*, Jessica Delboni, Maria Silva, Ewelina Wozniak*
2023: Josefine Knutsson, Giovanna Canuto, Seika Izawa*, Valesca Machado*, Ewelina Wozniak*
2024: Fatima Kline, Katharina Dalisda, Seika Izawa*, Danni McCormack*, Maria Silva*
2025: Valesca Machado*, Danni McCormack*, Melissa Amaya, Jacinta Austin, Julieta Martinez
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
The Fighting Nerds team has recently become one of the hottest teams in MMA, but most of their talent comes from the male side. One of their top women is Natalia Alves, an undefeated Fighting Nerd who looks ready to test herself in the big leagues of MMA.
Alves combines aggressive striking with good takedowns and a strong submission game on the mat. She has five finishes in eight outings, including four submissions and a knockout. She ran a 2-0 record in 2025, scoring a decision over Nawira Ferreira before choking out top Russian prospect Aleksandra Savicheva.
Alves is just 25 years old, so she’s yet to hit her prime and she’s already this good. She definitely seems like a fighter that should find her way into the UFC this year.
For the second year in a row, undefeated American Melissa Amaya has made this list. She continues to be a top strawweight outside the big-three organizations while competing exclusively for Combate Global.
Amaya represents Sikjitsu in Washington and has a typical style, which is tough on-the-feet presence and an overwhelming ground game. She has solid submissions and ground-and-pound, scoring finishes in five of her eight wins. She fought just once in 2025, where she needed just one round to put away 18-fight veteran Megumi Sugimoto in impressive fashion.
Amaya is 30 years old, so she’s in the prime of her athletic career. She’s a proven finisher and undefeated, something that should put her at the top of the UFC’s strawweight prospect list. She could compete right now.
There have been a number of LFA Champions on the list this year, and for good reason. They have a great set of talent holding their belts, including their impressive strawweight champion Aieze Bertolso.
Bertolso has been on most scout’s radars since she was an amateur along with other top Brazilian prospects Beatriz Consuli and Sabrinna de Sousa. All are now pros and all are living up to their potential. Bertolso went 2-0 in 2025, scoring a rear-naked choke over Samara Santos before winning the LFA title over Lany Silva via armbar.
Brazil is currently the home to most of the top prospects in women’s MMA right now. Bertolso is among the best right now outside the UFC and is just 24 years old, meaning she could be fighting for a UFC title in the near future.
Speaking of Brazilian gyms that have really become hotbeds of talent in recent years, KO Squad MMA has provided some great talent, including now-UFC fighter Michael Oliveira. Another of their top prospects is Gabriela Fujimoto, who has a very bright future at the age of 22.
Fujimoto is a strong grappler known for her takedowns, ground-and-pound and submissions. As a pro, four of her seven wins have come by finish, two knockouts and two submissions. She’s spent her entire pro career fighting for the LFA promotions, though she fought just once in 2025, a guillotine choke of 17-fight vet Xiomara Piriz.
Fujimoto has proven herself against strong Brazilian regional talent, so I think it’s time to step up to more exotic challenges. She looks to have the skillset to be able to hang in the UFC right now. Plus, as mentioned, she’s 22, so she’s yet to even reach her prime and she’s already this skilled.
The last of four Brazilians on this strawweight list, Laura Vasconcelos is indicative of the type of female talent the country offers to the sport. The Jungle Fight Champion is a young, talented fighter that has already proven herself against quality, experienced opposition.
Possessing strong Muay Thai skills and some solid top grappling, Vasconcelos is a tough out anywhere the fight ends up. She took some time off after the birth of her child, but is back and looks better than ever. She fought just once in 2025, but it was a highlight-reel head kick knockout of 10-fight vet Laura Fontoura, slingshotting her back into the prospect limelight.
Vasconcelos is 25 years old, so she’s still yet to see her best days in the sport of MMA. With a Jungle Fight belt around her waist and an undefeated pro/amateur record, she’s about as close as undeniable to getting on the UFC roster as possible.