In honor of Women’s History Month, we decided to discuss 15 of the most epic female MMA fighters of all time. During March, we celebrate women throughout history who have made significant contributions to history, culture, and society. These important contributions include the fantastic contributions of female fighters in the MMA as well. Looking back at the first female MMA fight in the United States between Becky Levi and Betty Fagan in 1997, it was definitely challenging to create this list of the best female MMA fighters of all time, as there have been so many outstanding female fighters. However, after much thought, here is our list!
We top our list with Amanda Nunes, who is widely considered the best female MMA fighter of all time. She simultaneously ruled two divisions with her UFC® bantamweight, and featherweight title wins. Nunes also crushed Ronda Rousey’s big comeback by defeating her in only about a minute when they headlined UFC 207.
Ronda Rousey was the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. There were many reasons for her being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, including securing seven submission victories via armbar. Rousey is also largely credited with making female MMA fighting more popular among mainstream audiences.
Cris Cyborg has an impressive record and has conquered almost every notable opponent in WMMA. Outside of MMA, she has also won gold at the IBFF and is an established BJJ competitor.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk recently retired and has earned her place as a future Hall of Famer. She had the most wins in strawweight history at one point in her career. Her matchup with Zhang Weili is largely considered the best women’s UFC fight in history.
Rose Namajunas was a significant underdog when she had a shocking defeat against the formidable Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She is also the only fighter to beat current champ Zhang Weili twice in the UFC.
Holly Holm was the first fighter to defeat fan favorite Ronda Rousey. Before joining MMA, she was also an accomplished boxer and considered one of the greatest female boxers in history. She has won world championships in the welterweight and light-welterweight divisions.
Zhang Weili became the first Chinese champion in UFC history to win the UFC Women’s strawweight title. She has had many impressive fights during her career, including her defeat against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She is currently the number 1 fighter in the Women’s strawweight division.
Valentina Shevchenko’s fast and devastating fighting style won her the nickname “The Bullet.” She has an awe-inspiring fighting record and won the vacant flyweight title when the title was first established. She is also a multiple kickboxing and muay thai champion and is credited with introducing elite-level striking in modern-day MMA.
Marloes Coenen had an impressive 17-year MMA career until she retired in 2017. She had eight consecutive MMA victories in the first year of her career, which led to her winning the ReMix World Cup. Following these victories, she became the first female MMA champion. She also went on to win the Strike Women Bantamweight Championship in 2010.
Miesha Tate has defeated many big names in her career, including Holly Holm, which led to her winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
Megumi Fujii stayed undefeated for most of her career with a 22-fight win streak. She has competed in many promotions, including Bellator, and was the first female to fight in the legendary Saitama Super Arena.
Cat Zingano has beaten several highly formidable opponents throughout her career, including Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes. She has faced much adversity in her personal life, but she continues to fight. She currently competes in Bellator.
Ayaka Hamasaki has an impressive record and is currently ranked fifth as the Best Female Atomweight. She is also currently the Lightweight Queen title holder. She holds a perfect 8-0 record in submission grappling.
Jessica Andrade is the first female MMA fighter to compete in three weight classes: bantamweight, strawweight, and flyweight. She holds the record for the most knockouts in the female strawweight division. One of these knockout wins includes a victory over Rose Namajunas.
Carla Esparza is a former two-time strawweight champion. She has conquered many formidable opponents throughout her career, including Rose Namajunas twice.
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