5 greatest female fighters in UFC history
UFC president Dana White once claimed that female fighters would never compete in the octagon. Thankfully, that changed in 2013 when Ronda Rousey fought Liz Carmouche in the first ever UFC women’s bantamweight title bout. Since then, countless talented women have fought in the promotion.
Since 2013, we’ve seen a total of 15 different women hold UFC titles, but who is the greatest female fighter in UFC history?
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy booked for #UFC flyweight title fight at #UFC266 in September (@DamonMartin) mmafighting.com/2021/7/13/2257… https://t.co/8jItYYSTua
It’s definitely an interesting question and there are almost certainly a number of worthy contenders to choose from. Naturally, though, a handful of fighters stand out above all of the others.
With that said, here are the five greatest female fighters in UFC history.
#5. Rose Namajunas – current UFC women's strawweight champion
Reigning UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas can lay claim to a feat that no other female fighter in UFC history has been able to accomplish.
Unlike her fellow female champions, ‘Thug Rose’ is the only female fighter to regain her title after losing it inside the octagon. That alone makes her one of the greatest female fighters in UFC history. Of course, there’s a lot more to her than just that.
Namajunas initially rose to fame as part of the cast on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Despite being one of the youngest and least experienced cast members, she made it all the way to the final, submitting three opponents along the way. She did, however, fall to Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC women's strawweight title bout.
Undeterred, ‘Thug Rose’ returned to action almost a year later and put together an impressive run of four wins with just one loss. Her form put her in position for a second crack at the title.
Despite then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk looking unbeatable, Namajunas pulled off one of the UFC’s all-time great upsets by knocking out the Polish fighter in the first round and claiming gold in the process. After defending her title successfully against Jedrzejczyk in a rematch, Namajunas took a year away for personal reasons. She subsequently lost her crown to Jessica Andrade upon her return.
However, since then, she’s defeated Andrade in a rematch and most recently unseated Weili Zhang to reclaim her title. Her victory over 'Magnum' at UFC 261 began her second reign as 115-pound champion.
ON THE BUTTON! 🎯
Rose Namajunas finishes Zhang Weili in the first round to become UFC strawweight champion once again! 🏆
#UFC261 https://t.co/zRxH9GFWZp
How long Namajunas can hold onto her title this time is anyone’s guess, but her accomplishments thus far definitely earn her a spot on this list.