As International Women’s Month is about to come to a close, it’s high time to recognize women not only for their beauty and grace but also for the strength and competitiveness they bring to the table.
One arena that women prevail in the 21st century is the Ultimate Fighting Championship – a world-renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. It has revolutionized the business of fighting and has become a global sports brand. Women have also started joining the UFC in 2012, led by its first female champion, Ronda Rousey.
As of 2021, a lot more females have conquered the MMA fighting arena. Here are the three women who are dominating the UFC as of the moment:
Amanda Nunes
Currently on MMA and UFC updates, the Queen of the Hill in the UFC Female Division, Amanda Nunes earns the top spot, garnering first place in the Women’s Pound-for-Pound ranking. She is also the current champion in the women’s BantamWeight (135 lbs) and Women’s Featherweight Division (145 lbs). Nunes is also the first woman to champion in 2 divisions in the UFC.
A native to the country of Brazil, her roots are founded in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where she first ventured into martial arts. She later pursued professional fighting and trained at the AMA Fight Club in New Jersey before training at MMA Masters. She had her professional debut in Prime MMA Championship 2 on March 8, 2008.
Since then, Amanda Nunes went on a winning streak as she beat women’s division champions one-by-one, including the GOAT of UFC Women, Ronda Rousey. As of the moment, her closest competitor for the Pound-for-Pound ranking is Valentina Schevchenko, who she first encountered in UFC 196.
With a record of 21-4-0, Nunes indeed lives true to her nickname – “Lioness.”
Valentina Schevchenko
Next up on the list is Amanda Nunes’ most significant threat to her defense title, Valentina Schevchenko. As mentioned, the two women fighters first encountered UFC 196, wherein Amanda Nunes won by unanimous decision. In their rematch during UFC 213 in 2017, Nunes had a close call to relinquish her title to Schevchenko but won by a split decision.
The rematch has put Schevchenko on the map as one of the best female UFC fighters next to Nunes. Considered as the Dark Horse of this era in the UFC, Schevchenko is the current Women’s Flyweight Division Champion (125lbs).
Her martial arts background is deeply embedded in her upbringing, as her family extensively participated in Martial Arts, especially her mother, who is president of the Kyrgyzstan National Muay Thai Association and is also a former muay-Thai champion herself. Her older sister Antonina is also currently fighting in the UFC.
Earning the moniker “Bullet,” Schevchenko also uses kickboxing in her fighting style, which she started at the age of 12 and beat a 22-year old opponent. She officially debuted in mixed martial arts at 15 years old at the Kyrgiz Federation of Kulatuu.
At 32, Schevchenko has faced co-legends in women’s competitive fighting, such as Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. An all-rounder who perfected different fighting styles, and an outstanding record of 19-3-0, Valentina “Bullet” Schevchenko should surely leave her future opponents shaking in their knees.
Her next scheduled fight would be with Jessica Andrade of Brazil, a worthwhile contender for Schevchenko’s title. Andrade comes second in the rankings under the Women’s Flyweight Division.
Zhang Weili
Last but not least is the Chinese UFC Women’s Strawweight Division champion (115 lbs), Zhang Weili. She has made UFC history as being the first Chinese and East Asian female champion. She has also made it to #3 in the Women’s Pound-for-Pound rankings, following Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko.
Zhang Weili’s humble beginnings start from her hometown in Handan, Hebei. She started learning martial arts at a young age, particularly beginning with Shaolin Kung Fu, which she started becoming interested in after watching their local kung fu films.
As the years went by, she developed her skills further and embraced different fighting styles, such as Shuai Jiao, a Chinese wrestling style, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. She later transitioned to MMA. Eventually, Zhang made her debut in MMA fighting in 2013, blazing onward to become the Kunlun Fight Female Strawweight Champion at Kunlun Fight MMA 11.
As to her career in the UFC, she made her professional debut in UFC 227 on August 4, 2018. Her first opponent was Danielle Taylor, in which Zhang won via unanimous decision. Later on, she went up against the top women contenders in UFC, such as Jessica Andrade. In such a fight, Zhang was given her first Performance of the Night award.
She succeeded in her first defense title against former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, in which fight she won by split decision in a match dubbed as the greatest UFC women’s MMA fight. For her next defense for her title, Zhang is scheduled to go up against Rose Namajunas on April 24, 2021. Landing in Top 3 with a record of 21-1-0, Zhang “Magnum” Weili is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
Takeaway
Women’s MMA fighting has never been the same since these powerful ladies and the other female champions who came before them have dominated the arena. Sure enough, Nunes, Schevchenko, and Zhang got their eyes on the prize, which means their successive win or defense title, and are meant to stay.
