Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Women’s Featherweight
1. Cristiane“Cyborg” Justino (27-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [1]
“Cyborg” turned away another challenger with ease, as Cat Zinganofound herself outstruck and outwrestled before succumbing to atorrent of ground-and-pound in the first round of theirco-headlining tilt at Bellator 300. The win was Justino’s fifthstraight in Bellator and sixth since her shocking knockout loss toAmanda Nunes almost five years ago. With Professional FightersLeague’s recent purchase of Bellator, Justino appears to be on acollision course with Larissa Pacheco after Kayla Harrison signedwith the UFC.
2. LarissaPacheco (23-4) PFL [2]
Pacheco became the first-two division champion in ProfessionalFighters League history, as she cruised to a unanimous verdict overMarina Mokhnatkina at the organization’s championship event on Nov.24. Outside of a leglock attempt in Round 1, Pacheco was rarelythreatened in securing her 10th consecutive victory in PFLcompetition. After upsetting Kayla Harrison to win the lightweightcrown in 2022, Pacheco stands out as one of the PFL’s mostestablished stars as the league moves forward following thepurchase of Bellator MMA.
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3. NormaDumont (11-2) | UFC [3]
Dumont relied on takedowns and top control to earn a unanimousdecision triumph against the returning Germaine de Randamie at UFCFight Night 240. The Brazilian has won four straight in the LasVegas-based promotion, and with a successful cut to 135 poundsbehind her, looks to be a person of interest in a shallow division.However, it doesn’t appear that a return to featherweight is in thecards for Dumont, whose rankings eligibility at 145 pounds willexpire on Jan. 15, 2025.
4. Cat Zingano(14-5) | Bellator[4]
Zingano had built up a good head of steam in her three years sincejoining Bellator, winning four straight fights to earn a shot atCristiane Justino’s featherweight strap at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7.That momentum came to a crashing halt in barely four minutes, as“Cyborg” shrugged off Zingano’s takedown attempts, outstruck hersoundly and finally buried her under an avalanche of ground punchesin the first round. While she remains on the short list of greatestwomen never to win a major title, the 41-year-old is left without aclear way forward in Bellator, which does not have a women’sbantamweight division and may be reluctant to let her knock offpotential fresh challengers for Justino.
5. LeahMcCourt (8-3) Bellator [5]
“The Curse” showed up big at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7, pushing SaraMcMann around on the feet as well as on the ground en route to aTKO stoppage late in the first round. With the emphatic win, the31-year-old from Northern Ireland put her competitive loss to CatZingano earlier this year in the rearview and reaffirmed her statusas one of the top women in the division. An injury suffered insparring forced McCourt to withdraw from a proposed rematch againstSinead Kavanagh on March 22.
6. Sara McMann(14-7) | Bellator[6]
McMann came up short, literally as well as figuratively, in herclash with Leah McCourt at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7. The onetime UFCbantamweight title challenger struggled on the feet with severedeficits in height and reach, but more concerning for the formerOlympic medalist in wrestling was the fact she struggled to bringthe fight to the canvas on her terms, while McCourt threw her morethan once with apparent ease before the ground-and-pound stoppagelate in the first round. The loss blunts the positive momentum ofMcMann’s successful Bellator debut in April against ArleneBlencowe, and at 43, represents a step back that her title hopescan ill afford.
7. SaraCollins (5-0) Bellator [7]
Collins continued her ascent at Bellator 299, taking a hard-foughtsplit verdict against hometown favorite Sinead Kavanagh at 3Arenain Dublin. The Australian prospect has made a big impression withvictories over ranked foes Kavanagh and Pam Sorenson in her firsttwo promotional appearances, and she figures to be in the thick ofthe 145-pound title picture going forward. Next, she’ll square offa*gainst Olena Kolesnyk at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on June22.
8. SineadKavanagh (9-6) | Bellator [8]
Fighting on home soil in Dublin, Kavanagh dropped a split decisionto undefeated featherweight prospect Sara Collins at Bellator 299on Sept. 23. That snapped a two-bout winning streak for the formertitle challenger, who was coming off back-to-back victories overJanay Harding and Leah McCourt under the Bellator banner. She’llattempt to get back on track when she faces Arlene Blencowe atBellator Dublin on June 22.
9. Aspen Ladd(12-5) Bellator[9]
After Professional Fighters League eliminated its featherweightdivision for the 2024 season, Ladd transitioned to Bellator MMA,where she earned a three-round verdict against Katerina ShakalovaBellator Champions Series Paris on May 17. Ladd is now 3-1 in145-pound bouts in PFL and Bellator — her loss to Kayla Harrisonoccurred at a 150-pound catchweight — with victories overShakalova, Karolina Sobek and Julia Budd to her credit.
10. ArleneBlencowe (15-10) | Bellator [10]
Blencowe lost her second straight outing at Bellator 294, droppinga three-round verdict to former UFC bantamweight title challengerSara McMann. Options currently appear to be limited for 40-year-old“Angerfist” who has twice come up short in featherweight titlebouts against reigning Bellator featherweight queen CristianeJustino. Blencowe will next face Sinead Kavanagh at BellatorChampions Series Dublin on June 22.
Other Contenders: Julia Budd,JosianeNunes, MarinaMokhnatkina, PamSorenson, KaterinaShakalova. Jump To »
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WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
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