Main Card Media

The UFC Women’s Bantamweight division at 135 pounds has long been one of the promotion’s most competitive weight classes, shaped by the dominance of Amanda Nunes and now contested by a new generation of elite fighters. Here is a comprehensive look at the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Rankings in 2025.

The Legacy of Amanda Nunes

Any discussion of the women’s bantamweight division must begin with Amanda Nunes, who dominated it more completely than any fighter has dominated any UFC division in the women’s side of the sport. Nunes won the bantamweight title in 2016 and defended it multiple times while simultaneously holding the featherweight championship — a double-champion achievement matched only by Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes herself in the UFC’s history.

Her victories over Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Miesha Tate, and Germaine de Randamie created a list of opponents that reads like a women’s MMA hall of fame. Nunes retired as the most decorated women’s fighter in UFC history.

Current Division Overview: Julianna Peña

Julianna Peña is one of the division’s most significant figures in the post-Nunes era. “The Venezuelan Vixen” shocked the MMA world by submitting Amanda Nunes in the second round at UFC 269 in December 2021 — one of the biggest upsets in women’s MMA history. Her grappling-heavy style and relentless pressure proved that Nunes could be stopped.

The rematch saw Nunes reclaim the title by decision, but Peña’s competitive level remains elite, and she continues to be among the most challenging matchups in the division for any fighter who lacks elite submission defense.

Top Women’s Bantamweight Contenders

Raquel Pennington

Raquel Pennington is one of the most experienced and respected fighters in the division. A former title challenger with an iron chin and excellent wrestling, Pennington has been in the top tier of women’s bantamweight competition for nearly a decade. Her performances against the division’s best have consistently shown the kind of toughness and skill that make her a permanent contender.

Irene Aldana

Irene Aldana is Mexico’s most successful women’s MMA fighter and one of the bantamweight division’s hardest hitters. Her one-punch knockout power is exceptional at 135 pounds, and her combination of boxing ability and durability has produced performances that regularly rank among the division’s best. A title shot has been discussed for several years, and her resume supports that conversation.

Aspen Ladd

Aspen Ladd was once considered one of the division’s most dangerous prospects, with a combination of wrestling and punching power that suggested a future champion. Her path has been complicated by weight-cutting issues and some inconsistent results, but her overall skill level remains high enough to threaten elite contenders when she performs to her ceiling.

Holly Holm

Holly Holm remains one of the division’s most technically skilled strikers even in the later stages of her career. A former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion who ended Ronda Rousey’s undefeated streak, Holm’s precision boxing and leg kick game have kept her competitive against the division’s best fighters long past what her age might suggest.

Macy Chiasson

Macy Chiasson is a versatile and dangerous bantamweight who has shown the ability to finish fights both on the feet and on the ground. Her combination of size, reach, and technical development has made her one of the division’s most feared young competitors.

Historical Context: How Women’s Bantamweight Shaped the UFC

The UFC Women’s Bantamweight division was established in 2012 with Ronda Rousey as the inaugural champion — a choice that would transform both women’s MMA and the UFC’s commercial trajectory. Rousey’s combination of mainstream appeal, undeniable skill, and willingness to engage outside the sport made her one of the most significant athletes in the world during her championship reign.

Holly Holm’s head kick knockout of Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015 produced arguably the most shocking result in UFC history — a 10-1 underdog completely dismantling the sport’s most celebrated star. The bout was watched by 1.1 million pay-per-view buys in Australia alone, a record that stood for years.

The division’s history since then has been marked by Miesha Tate’s brief title reign, followed by the long Nunes era and the subsequent emergence of a competitive post-Nunes landscape. The division remains one of the most compelling in women’s MMA, with a deep enough contender pool to support multiple high-quality title fights annually.