Pound for pound Women’s UFC rankings: Valentina Shevchenko rises after UFC 306 revenge

By Jason Burgos

·Updated: September 18, 2024

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

*Rank*	*Fighter*	Record	*Last 3 Results*
#1	Zhang Weili	25-3	W-W-W
#2	Valentina Shevchenko	24-4-1	W-D-L
#3	Alexa Grasso	16-4-1	L-D-W
#4	Manon Fiorot	12-1	W-W-W
#5	Yan Xiaonan	17-4	L-W-W
#6	Rose Namajunas	13-6	W-W-L
#7	Erin Blanchfield	11-2	L-W-W
#8	Julianna Pena	12-5	L-W-W
#9	Tatiana Suarez	10-0	W-W-W
#10	Raquel Pennington	15-8	W-W-W

The pound-for-pound women’s UFC rankings are a showcase of the best female fighters in MMA. It features world-class talents, a few division GOATs, and several champions across the company’s four female weight classes.

With that in mind, here is the official Sportsnaut top-10 for the organization’s pound-for-pound women’s UFC rankings.

Top 10 pound-for-pound women’s UFC rankings

10. Raquel Pennington (15-8)

After a decade in the UFC, Raquel Pennington’s long 18-fight odyssey to be a champion finally came to an end at UFC 297. Over five rounds, the American finally showed he was the best fighter in the world in her division when she defeated Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant bantamweight title. Now, she will likely face former titlist Julianna Pena in her first defense later this year.

9. Tatiana Suarez (10-0)

Tatiana Suarez has been one of the best strawweight prospects on the planet since she entered the company in 2016. She has yet to taste defeat in her seven UFC bouts and has rarely received serious resistance. The only thing that has derailed her in her career is a serious knee injury that sidelined her for nearly four years. However, she has bounced back since then and did so again dominantly at UFC Nashville.

In defeating Jessica Andrade she stamped her place as a serious title contender in the UFC 115-pound division and worthy of being among the top 10 pound-for-pound women’s UFC rankings.

8. Julianna Pena (12-5)

Julianna Pena is one of several stars who has proven “The Ultimate Fighter” is a legitimate resource for future stars and champions. Her win against Amanda Nunes in December 2021 will go down in history as one of the biggest upsets of all time and has forever cemented her place in the sport. However, the injury bug again bit her and she will not get to compete in a trilogy fight against Nunes in June. It is unclear when she will be back inside the Octagon.

Also Read: New UFC Rumor Claims Joanna Jedrzejczyk To End Her Retirement And Create First Women’s BMF Belt

7. Erin Blanchfield (12-2)

New Jersey native Erin Blanchfield seemed like the next big thing at flyweight. She was unbeaten over her first six bouts in the UFC and won nine straight overall. At only 25 years old, her potential seems limitless and she is set up to be a title contender at some point during her career.

However, it won’t be in 2024 after she came up well short in a title eliminator main event opportunity against fellow rising star Manon Fiorot. It was a major setback that likely pushed her title hopes to 2025.

Also Read: Conor McGregor next fight – When will “Notorious” make his UFC return?

6. Rose Namajunas (13-6)

Two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas is one of the best female fighters of ever. When she is on, she is an elite-level striker and tactician. However, there have been a few times when she has lost mental focus in the cage. As she did in her shocking June 2022 loss to Esparza.

The former champ took over a year away from the sport and finally made her return in September 2023 but at flyweight. It did not prove to be a beneficial change as she was decisively defeated by Manon Fiorot. However, she has followed that up with a pair of wins and is moving her name closer to title contention at 125 pounds.

5. Yan Xiaonan (17-4)

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After falling in consecutive bouts to former strawweight queen Carla Esparza and top contender Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xionan moved up the pound-for-pound women’s UFC rankings off a pair of huge wins against MacKenzie Dern and a KO victory against Andrade in May.

She was rewarded for her efforts with a title fight against Zhang Weili at UFC 300 and despite her best efforts (including better striking), she was outwrestled en route to the most frustrating loss of her career.

Also Read: UFC Heavyweight Rankings – Looking at the 10 best at the UFC’s heaviest division

4. Manon Fiorot (12-1)

Manon Fiorot has quickly become the best French female fighter in UFC history. She is unbeaten in her first seven bouts inside the Octagon and has scored big wins over former title challengers and champions like Jennifer Maia, Rose Namajunas, and most recently Erin Blanchfield.

It would be surprising if her most recent victory over a fellow rising star and top-five fighter doesn’t land her a flyweight title shot later this year.

3. Alexa Grasso (16-3)

Many doubted Alexa Grasso could beat Shevchenko, but in March the 29-year-old showed her four-fight win streak was no fluke when she made the division great tap out. In becoming just the second Mexican-born champion in UFC history she turned herself into a fighting legend in her home country. Now, the hard work of trying to hold on to the belt and pad her legacy is next.

She began that path with a rematch against Shevchenko that led to a questionable majority draw. Unfortunately, she was unable to quiet the remaining doubters when she gave up her gold in a trilogy fight loss to “Bullet” at UFC 306.

2. Valentina Shechenko (23-4)

Valentina Shevchenko will go down as one of the greatest female fighters ever, and the best that women’s flyweight has ever seen. If not for two razor-thin losses to Amanda Nunes, she would be considered the women’s GOAT. However, in March she showed that even legends make mistakes.

In a rare moment of weakness in the UFC 285 co-main event, she flubbed and young star Alexa Grasso took full advantage and made her tap for the first time in her career. “Bullet” got her chance at revenge in Sept. and fought well. However, a close fight and some questionable judging led to a surprising majority draw in her rematch at Noche UFC.

But at UFC 306 she used dominant wrestling to avenge her loss and become a two-time flyweight champion.

1. Zhang Weili (25-3)

Outside of two losses to Namajunas, Weili Zhang has been everything the UFC could have hoped for. She is 8-2 in the Octagon with four finishes and has begun her second reign as strawweight champion. The Chinese superstar is a mix of power and technique that makes her the best MMA fighter ever out of China.

She showcased her overall game when she dominated talented contender Amanda Lemos for five rounds at UFC 292. However, she received serious resistance at UFC 300 from Xionan Yan, but she showed the heart of a champion and used her grappling to grind her way through another successful title defense against her countrywoman.