Marina Rodriguez is the perfect candidate if you are looking to find new talent in UFC Strawweight. To be a top contender, she has worked her way up through the ranks with other young prospects. She's not the most skilled grappler, but she does have the best defense.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is one of the best fighters in the UFC's strawweight division. She is a former amateur standout who made her professional debut in 2012. She was victorious in both of her amateur fights. In July 2014, she made a UFC debut when she fought Lawler vs. Brown. Juliana Lima was Jedrzejczyk’s first opponent. She defeated her via TKO in round one.
Valentina Shevchenko is a Polish martial arts fighter who has also trained in Muay Thai. She started her MMA career at flyweight in 2012. Later, she switched to the strawweight weight division. She also competed as a bantamweight at 135 pounds.
Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza has been a UFC strawweight champion in the past and is the first woman who has defended the title twice. Esparza won UFC 274 by split decision against Rose Namajunas in May. She has won six straight bouts and will defend the title against Zhang Weili at UFC281.
The fight will take place in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12 and will be a co-main event. Although the UFC is yet to confirm the bout, it has sent out bout agreements and both fighters have posted about their fight on social media. Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting reporter, reported the first news.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas currently holds the UFC strawweight title and has a stellar record against top fighters. Her next opponent is Carla Esparza, who is currently ranked No. 2. Namajunas was initially scheduled to fight in the co-main, but she was forced out by COVID-19 protocols. Esparza won by rear-naked choke.
Rose began her professional fighting career in 2013 with Invicta FC. Rose continued her professional fighting career with Invicta FC in 2013. She was then promoted to the Ultimate Fighter Series and reached the finals. She has been fighting in UFC for 10 years. Her record is now 10-4-0. Her nutrition support system, PERFECT, has been a key part of her success. It fuels her growth and performance as well as her recovery.
Jessica Andrade
UFC strawweight Jessica Andrade is a solid fighter who has attracted many fans throughout her career. Before she lost her first title fight to Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Andrade was a three-fight winner. Andrade is on a win streak with Claudia Gadelha and she hopes to move up the ladder to the title.
She is a well-respected expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as Muay Thai. She was the Women's Strawweight Champ when she signed with UFC in 2013. She will likely be one or more of the title challengers or main event fighters on the UFC's upcoming fight card. UFC events are dependent upon large crowds to pay their prize money.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zhu is a Chinese mixed-martial artist who fights at the UFC strawweight. Before becoming a professional MMA Fighter, she was a kindergarten instructor, a personal trainer, and a grocery cashier. She joined the Black Tiger Fight Club, Beijing in 2012 and started training in MMA. In November 2013, she fought Meng Bo in her professional debut at the China MMA League. She lost the fight via split decision, but she then won seven of her subsequent fights. Kunlun Fight 54 was the culmination of her winning streak.
Zhang was not an easy fight. She was able a score a quick takedown but Namajunas was able defended her takedown and force the fight down to the mat. After a brief stand-up exchange, Namajunas was able get a takedown of her own.