Ranking all 5 UFC women's strawweight champions
In the history of the UFC women's strawweight division, there have only been five champions. Incredibly, they all continue to remain at the top of the division today. The champions in question are Carla Esparza, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade and Zhang Weili.
#UFC274
Carla Esparza defeats Rose Namajunas a second time to become the strawweight champion 🏆 #UFC274 https://t.co/kVbs5Q0JdG
Only Namajunas and Esparza have won the UFC strawweight title on two separate occasions. However, none of these champions have been able to put together a lengthy reign atop the division like the one Joanna Jedrzejczyk had while she was the champion.
Here are all five UFC women's strawweight champions ranked.
#5. Jessica Andrade - former UFC strawweight champion
Jessica Andrade comes in at the No.5 spot as she has only won the title once and was unable to successfully defend the belt. She first fought for the belt in 2017 when she lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision. Andrade then bounced back with three straight victories to earn another title opportunity.
May11.2019
Jessica Andrade slams Rose Namajunas on her head,
to become the UFC Strawweight Champion https://t.co/HWHu0xgBxC
On this occasion she faced Rose Namajunas and after losing the first round, she produced a huge KO slam to win the belt in her home country of Brazil. She was then scheduled to face Zhang Weili in Shenzen, China. Zhang was able to finish Andrade in the first round to put a quick end to the Brazilian's short title reign.
Andrade later moved up to flyweight and challenged for the title but ultimately lost to the champion Valentina Shevchenko. However, she has now returned to strawweight and is looking to reclaim the title she once held. She recently submitted Amanda Lemos in the first round, but for now, she will likely need one or two more wins to earn another shot at gold.