We've gone through each weight class one by one and looked at how it sets up for this next year in the UFC. For most divisions, we know who is getting the next title shot, so the intrigue sets up for the following shot and who is fighting for the right to get that shot. As we've covered the top of each division. It only makes sense that we put together a pound for pound ranking as we enter 2022. Now, there was one fight that potentially changed things for the women when Katyln Chookagian defeated Jennifer Maia. Nothing happened in that fight that I didn't really see coming, so I don't think it changes anything drastically, but had Maia gotten the upset, it could have changed things between their divisional look ahead post and the making of this list. Anyways, since the UFC does their rankings as a top 15, I'll be doing the same here. I will be putting my own restriction on it and for me, I am saying that anyone who had a fight on the schedule in 2021 is eligible. They didn't even have to appear, they just had to be booked to fight. With so much chaos and fighters dropping out and taking short notice fights, I won't hold that against someone. As long as they planned to fight during the last calendar year, they're eligible to appear for me. I don't think that effects the women as much to be honest. On the men's side, that means no Jon Jones, Zabit Magomedsharipov, and Henry Cejudo just as some well known examples. We're not talking about the men today, so that's enough of that. Let's get into it.
1. Valentina Shevchenko
I think you could have argued that Valentina was number one even before Amanda Nunes lost, but now that she did, her spot at the top was made clear. The way Valentina has been dispatching her opponents lately has been nothing short of phenomenal. Her dominance both on the feet and on the ground is nothing short of amazing. I could rattle off a bunch of stuff, but I don't think you guys need any of that. If you've found this website, you're already all in. I think this is pretty much a foregone conclusion.
2. Rose Namajunas
Some people may not like this one. The reason why I have Rose in this spot is mostly due to her strength of schedule. She's beaten a really nice list of opponents over the last couple of years and has regained her title with consecutive wins over Zhang Weili. Rose also has a really well rounded game that makes her a tough out for anyone. She can take advantage of her opponents weaknesses, wherever that may be. She can out-strike and out-grapple her opponents if necessary. I think her overall game has risen to a different level now and she could be starting a really long title reign.
3. Amanda Nunes
I can't drop Amanda Nunes any farther. She lost to Julianna Pena and while she didn't look particularly good in the process, but let's be honest with ourselves. Nunes wasn't a -1600 favorite or whatever it was for no reason. She is the best female MMA fighter to ever live and that didn't change with 1 loss. Maybe Amanda isn't quite as good as she used to be, but who could blame her. She has a family now is getting a little bit older. She's still the GOAT and I'm not going to let 1 fight cloud my judgement of her too much.
4. Julianna Pena
It feels a little disrespectful to have Julianna Pena all the way at 4 and right behind Amanda, but it is what it is. Julianna put on an amazing performance when she took the bantamweight title from Amanda Nunes in December. When you're ranking people at the very top of these lists, you're really splitting hairs and I think I have to give Amanda the edge based on overall resume. Pena's strength is her grappling and being submitted by a kick boxer in Germaine de Randamie is a just enough for me to give Amanda the edge. Obviously we'll be getting the rematch at some point in 2022, so this will all be settled in the cage soon eough.
5. Zhang Weili
Outside of the 4 champions, I believe Zhang Weili is the best woman fighter in the UFC. Her strength and well rounded skill set put her in this spot for me. She has solid takedown offense and good top control once she gets the fight down. Her striking is both crisp and powerful and we've seen that on full display multiple times now. She's as talented a fighter as we have in female MMA right now and it wouldn't surprise me at all if she was able to win another belt before he career comes to a close.
6. Marina Rodriguez
Marina Rodriguez is so talented. Her striking is seriously next level. We've seen her out-strike so many opponents now and it's been in impressive fashion. Her combinations are fast and powerful. She's just more advanced than so many others right now that it looks like she's almost doing a different sport at times. What puts Marina this high in the rankings is what she was able to do against Mackenzie Dern. Marina was able to hang with Dern on the ground for the exchanges they had and was able to stuff a lot of takedowns. Knowing Marina can keep the fight standing and the way she can dominate in the striking, I have an extremely high opinion of her.
7. Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza is one of least talked about fighters in MMA it seems. A title shot makes all the sense in the world, but the UFC seemed a little hesitant on it. She has 5 wins in a row and 2 of them are on this list, so she's on a great run. She's not the flashiest fighter or biggest talker, but Carla is still one of the best fighters going right now. Her wrestling is still really good and it's brought her to the top again. It seems like she is going to get the next title shot and I can't wait to see it.
8. Jessica Andrade
If Carla Esparza is the least talked about, then Jessica Andrade is the most forgotten. For all the talk surrounding MMA, Jessica Andrade never comes up. She's another former champion who when she's not on the schedule, just seems to disappear. She lost in dominant fashion to Valentina Shevchenko and maybe that has something to do with it. Andrade isn't a perfect fighter, but she's still a really tough opponent. She's extremely powerful and strong. This is on display in both her striking and her wrestling. She throws big, power shots and uses them to set up her takedowns. She has a good top control game and can hold her opponents in place as well. She's fallen on a little bit of a rough patch, but she's still a really good fighter.
9. Yan Xiaonan
Another fighter that doesn't get talked about nearly enough. She's quietly found herself in a number one contender's fight against Marina Rodriguez. She lost her last time out to Esparza, but had won 11 in a row before that, which predated her time in the UFC. She's a volume striker and was unfortunately controlled by Carla's wrestling last time out. Had she won that fight, she would be way higher on this list. Her fight with Marina should be fantastic and the striking battle those two will put on will be great tv as well. If she can improve her takedown defense, that will take her to the next level.
10. Holly Holm
Holly Holm is probably more well known to the general public than her standing in the sport would suggest. That's not to say she's trash, but as she's aged, she has taken a step or two back. She looked phenomenal in her last fight against Irene Aldana, but had to pull out of another potential fight due to injury. She's 40 now and I'm not sure how much longer she'll choose to be in the game, but she'll always be competitive and fighting the biggest fights in the sport. Holly of course is known for her kick boxing and her style is what it is at this point, but she still gets the most out of all of her skills.
11. Katlyn Chookagian
Chookagian is very overlooked these days. She's already had her title shot and when she lost in the way she did, everyone just sort of forgot about her. She's such a good fighter, but her style paired with Valentina's dominance has interest in her way down. Chookagian uses her volume striking and reach to get decision wins as consistently as anyone. She's beating almost everyone else in the decision without much of an issue, but I don't hear anyone being all that interested in her getting a rematch. She's really good, but we'll see where her career goes.
12. Ketlen Vieira
I admit that Vieira being in this spot may be more based on potential than actual in cage performance, but it's hard not to see how high the ceiling is for her. She has a size advantage to go with a well rounded skill set. She's not the most polished in striking or grappling, but she has legitimate skills in both areas that with the proper training can really blossom into something. She was able to beat Miesha Tate despite being really tentative at times. She's beating really high level fighters while still improving herself.
13. Mackenzie Dern
As we've gotten towards the bottom of this list, I'm starting to repeat myself a lot. I keep saying that they do one thing really well and needs to improve somewhere else. That applies to Mackenzie Dern about as strongly as it applies to anyone in the sport. Dern is as good a BJJ practitioner as this sport has and we've seen her absolutely dominate fighters at times. Unfortunately, Dern needs to add an element to her game. Her striking has made huge strides already and she's in a spot now that she can trade strikes for brief moments if she has to. Her main thing now is that she needs to improve her wrestling. BJJ is only useful once she can get fighters to the ground and as we saw against Marina Rodriguez, her takedown game needs to catch up. If she can improve her ability to get the fight down, she could really make a push for the title.
14. Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy is the type of fighter we all love. She earns everything she gets through toughness and hard work. Murphy showed all of that heart in the Shevchenko fight when she just wasn't the best version of herself. Murphy thrives when she can make the fight dirty and gritty and can test the will of the other fighter. She tends to struggle when the fight is a cleaner display of technique and skill, which isn't a knock on Murphy, it's just the nature of her style. Not everyone can be Israel Adesanya and Valentina Shevchenko. There's people out there who thrive on being Michael Bisping and Forrest Griffin, which is much more of Murphy's style. She gets the most out of her tools and is not an easy or fun opponent to get in the cage with.
15. Taila Santos
Taila Santos may be the next challenger for Valentina Shevchenko. She's a bit inexperienced, but she's the best freshest face and she's still a really good fighter. Santos has shown good power in her striking and a good submission game at times. She's not a finished product just yet, but she has a great skill set already with room to build. She's had trouble finding the finish in the UFC so far, but across her career she has 13 finishes in 9 wins.
Honorable Mentions: Casey O'Neill, Manon Fiorot, and Irene Aldana
I left Aldana off because I was just a little down on her after the loss to Holly Holm. She's still a really good fighter and is probably the 16th woman, but I had to make the cut off somewhere. O'Neill and Fiorot are both just too inexperienced for me to justify putting them on this list. I believe they're great fighters who can both be on this list in the near future, but their level of competition requires too much speculation on my part. I have high hopes for them, but just couldn't put them on quite yet. Also, I said earlier that I didn't think my rule of no fights booked in 2021 didn't effect the women, but at the time, both Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Germaine de Randamie slipped my mind somehow.
What do you guys think? Am I off base with Rose and Nunes in the top 3? Should Pena be higher than Nunes out of principle? Who did I have too high? Who did I have too low? Did I leave anyone off that should have made it? As always, thanks for reading and have a good one. Be on the lookout for the men's list tomorrow.
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