Women’s MMA has advanced a lot and that is due to the outstanding performances of its leading ladies. This article highlights six legendary athletes who have shaped the sport: Amanda Nunes, Cristiane Justino, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Rose Namajunas. All the fighters have come, conquered, and set records that have never been touched since. Their tales of grit, finesse, and reign remain unshaken, and they have further raised the bar in women’s mixed martial arts.
Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg
Amanda Nunes
Key accomplishments: UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Most wins in UFC title fights amongst women
Amanda Nunes stopped her MMA career in 2023 because she could not achieve anything more in her profession. She dominated all opponents the UFC could bring her at 135 and 145 pounds often making mincemeat out of them. Her run before her recent retirement was 14-1 and the only loss she had at this time was to Julianna Peña in 2022, which was avenged. Nunes shot to controversy when she KO’d Ronda Rousey in December 2016 but that is not the full story. This lady is recognized as the best female fighter in the history of MMA.
Cris Cyborg
Key accomplishments: Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion, UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion, Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Champion, Invicta FC Featherweight World Champion
Before Nunes and Rousey, Cris Cyborg was considered the most feared woman in MMA. She made her professional boxing debut in 2005 and suffered a defeat but she backed with a series of 21 fights without being defeated. Her reign came to an end when she fought Nunes at UFC 232 and was defeated in 51 seconds. When Nunes retired and Rousey left the UFC, Cyborg remained the top draw. Now at 39 years old she is the Bellator MMA Women’s Featherweight Champion and still wants to compete. She had a pair of knockout victories and now wants to get back to the cage.
Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko:
Ronda Rousey
Key accomplishments: Inaugural UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, UFC Hall of Famer
UFC CEO Dana White famously said women would never fight in the UFC—until he saw Ronda Rousey. She became a massive celebrity and put Women’s MMA on the map. An Olympic judoka with an unstoppable armbar, Ronda Rousey was ahead of her competition. She quickly became the biggest attraction in MMA, rivaling even Conor McGregor. During 2014-2015, Rousey finished four fights in a combined 2 minutes and 10 seconds. She took Women’s MMA to new heights, and her influence is still felt today.
Valentina Shevchenko
Key accomplishments: UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion, Most wins in Women’s Flyweight Division History
Normally, Shevchenko’s mother and siblings live in Kyrgyzstan, and Shevchenko has been engaging in martial arts from the early days of her life. Regarded as one of the greatest female Muay Thai competitors in history, she has world titles to her name. She is much shorter than Nunes but came close to dethroning her as the UFC Bantamweight Champion in 2017. She was later able to reduce her size to Flyweight class, and she managed to acquire nine fights, ranging from eight titles.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas:
Joanna Jędrzejczyk
Key accomplishments: UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, UFC Hall of Fame inductee
Joanna Jędrzejczyk was not the first UFC strawweight champion but she is the one who popularized the weight class. She won the title in 2015 and had five successful defenses of the belt. Despite eventually losing the belt, she continued to be among the best fighters for two years before announcing here retirement. The fight she had with Zhang Weili in 2020 is recognized as the most exciting fight in women’s MMA history.
Rose Namajunas
Key accomplishments: UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion
Rose Namajunas or ‘Thug Rose’ is well recognized for her striking and ability to outsmart her opponents. She first won the UFC Strawweight Championship in 2017 by knocking out Jędrzejczyk. After a loss to Jessica Andrade, she regained her title through a head-kick knockout of Zhang Weili. Namajunas is now fighting in the Flyweight division and she wants to be a two-division champion.
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