By MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts is among the fastest-growing sport in the world. Each year, MMA gains new eyes, which can be seen in fighter pay, as an average UFC fighter’s earnings increase by 15% yearly. However, the growth of MMA is dependent on the performances of the fighters, both male and female. For that reason, we share a list of the top 10 best female mixed martial artists in the world.
Best Female MMA Fighters To Grace The Mat
This list is based on the number of titles held, the number of days the title was held for, the calibre of opponents faced and their influence on the sport of Women’s MMA.
10- Megumi Fujii
A true pioneer of the Women’s MMA, Megumi Fujii is a Japanese mixed martial artist who is often considered one of the best female MMA fighters of all time. Megumi had a pretty decent resume as well. At the beginning of her career, she was an undefeated fighter with a record of 22-0. She only lost 3 fights in her 29-fight career and retired with a record of 26-3. She doesn’t hold any belts or championships and the only reason why she is on this list is because of her influence on the women’s MMA.
Title Fight Wins: NA
Title Reign: NA
Notable Opponents: Mei Yamaguchi, Mika Nakano and Emi Fujimo
9- Holly Holm (The Preacher’s Daughter)
Holly Holm is an Australian mixed martial artist who is considered one of the best female MMA fighters ever because she gave us one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when she head-kicked and knocked out Rhonda Rousey. In doing so, she became the second Bantamweight Women’s champion in the history of the UFC. She is also a former professional kickboxer and boxer.
Title Fight Wins: 1
Title Reign: 111 Days
Notable Opponents: Rhonda Rousey, Bethe Correia and Megan Anderson
8- Alexa Grasso
Alexa Grasso is a Mexican professional fighter and also the latest champion on this list. She was born in Guadalajara and started training when she was a kid. She became champion after defeating one of the best female MMA fighters ever, Valentina Schevchenko. Moreover, she was also able to defend her championship once again against the former champion.
Title Fight Wins: 2
Title Reign: 350 Days
Notable Opponents: Valentina Schevchenko, Maycee Barber and Joanne Wood
7- Zhang Weili (Magnum)
Zhang Weili is a Chinese mixed martial artist who is the first-ever MMA world champion from China. She has a background in Sanda and Muay Thai. She is a 2-time and the current Women’s world strawweight champion and one of the best female MMA fighters ever. Also, she has defeated every champion or former champion in UFC’s strawweight history.
Title Fight Wins: 4
Title Reign: 602 Days during 1st reign; 445 days and counting during 2nd reign.
Notable Opponents: Carla Esparza, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Jessica Andrade
6- Rose Namajunas (Thug Rose)
An American mixed martial artist, Rose Namajunas is among the best female MMA fighters in the world. Rose entered the UFC when she was just 21 and has been in the promotion ever since. She is also the youngest female champion in the history of the UFC. Rose became the Women’s strawweight champion when she was just 25 years and 4 months old. Namajunas is also the first-ever 2-time world champion in the women’s strawweight division.
Title Fight Wins: 4
Title Reign: 553 days during the first title reign; 378 days during the 2nd title reign
Notable Opponents: Jessica Andrade, Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk
5- Joanna Jedrzejczyk (JJ)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is a Polish mixed martial artist known for her precise and clean striking. She is the longest-reigning strawweight champion in the history of UFC’s strawweight division. Many people consider her the best Strawweight female MMA fighter ever. She is also a 5-time Muay Thai world world champion. During her reign, she fought the who-is-who of UFC’s women’s strawweight division and butchered everybody with her crisp striking.
Title Fight Wins: 6
Title Reign: 966 Days
Notable Opponents: Carla Esparza, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Andrade
4- Cristiane Justino Venâncio (Cris Cyborg)
Cristiane Justino Venâncio is a Brizillia-American mixed martial artist who is hands down the scariest female MMA fighter ever. Cris has shared the octagon with pretty much every female MMA legend. She was the Strikeforce Women’s featherweight champion, Invicta Women’s champion and the UFC women’s champion and has the most title fight wins in the history of women’s MMA. The only reason why she is not number one is because she spent most of her championship career outside the UFC and also because the calibre of opponents she faced isn’t very high.
Title Fight Wins: 16 ( 9 in StrikeForce, 4 in Invicta and 3 in UFC)
Title Reign: 3048 days ( including title reigns across different promotions)
Notable Opponents: Holly Holm, Gina Carano and Tonya Evinger
3- Rhonda Rousey (Rowdy)
The baddest woman on the planet, Rhonda Rousey is one of the best female MMA fighters ever. She was the very first Women’s UFC bantamweight champion. Her title reign was a thing of beauty where she manhandled every single opponent put in front of her. She is also the first-ever American Olympic gold medallist Judoka and has a 6th-degree black belt in Judo. Before her title reign was cut short by the head kick heard around the world, she was the most dominant female MMA fighter ever seen.
Title Fight Wins: 8
Title Reign: 1352 Days
Notable Opponents: Meisha Tate, Cat Zingano and Liz Carmouche
2- Valentina Shevchenko ( The Bullet)
Are you familiar with the Marvel comic’s ‘Black Widow’ character? If she was real, she would be Valentina. Hailing from Kyrgystan, Valentina Shevchenko is one of the best female MMA fighters ever. Her style is second to none, and skill for skill, she might be the best female MMA fighter. For years, she terrorised the UFC’s women’s flyweight division with her signature kicks and hard slams. Many people also consider her the greatest female fighter ever. But for now, she takes the 2nd spot in our list of best female MMA fighters ever.
Title Fight Wins: 8
Title Reign: 1548 Days
Notable Opponents: Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Eye
1- Amanda Nunes (The Lioness)
Amanda Nunes is a Brazillian mixed martial artist who is considered the greatest female MMA fighter ever. Her accolades speak for itself. She is the only 2-division world champion in women’s MMA history, and she is also the longest reigning female champion ever. Her ring name is the lioness, and this name describes her the best. She is fierce and walks forward without any worries. So, it’s no surprise that she gets the number one position on our list of the best female MMA fighters ever and is considered among the best UFC Fighters of all time.
Title Fight Wins: 11 (Including 8 wins in Bantamweight and 3 wins in Featherweight)
Title Reign: 2450 days in the bantamweight and 1625 Days in Featherweight
Notable Opponents: Rhonda Rousey, Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenk
Our Take
Women’s MMA has gained a lot of traction in the last couple of years, and every one of the female MMA fighters ranked on this list is responsible for the rise of women’s MMA. These women fighters have sacrificed their family, fun, sweat and blood to be where they are right now and deserve nothing but respect. All of these women are legends of the sport, and some are still writing their chapters. So, which one of these female MMA fighters is your favourite? Drop a comment and let us know.
FAQs
What is the top level in MMA?
There are many regional promotions in MMA and many top-tier promotions as well, but the biggest and most reputed promotion is UFC.
What martial arts does Valentina Shevchenko do?
Valentina Shevchenko is a 2nd-degree black belt in Taekwondo, Master of sports in Muay Thai, kickboxing, and boxing, and she is a black belt in Judo as well.
What does UFC stand for?
UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Who is the female MMA fighter from India?
Puja Tomar is the first-ever Indian female MMA fighter in UFC
