Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Strawweight

1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0)

Jedrzejczyk failed to record a third consecutive knockout but retained her title nonetheless with a gritty and technical five-round decision over Valerie Letourneau at UFC 193. “Joanna Champion” has now defended the UFC 115-pound strap twice since snatching it from Carla Esparza in March and has racked up five Octagon victories in just 16 months under Zuffa employ. After a successful November surgery to repair a broken right hand, Jedrzejczyk will coach on Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and then defend her belt against Claudia Gadelha in July.

2. Claudia Gadelha (13-1)

Gadelha rudely welcomed Jessica Aguilar to the Octagon on Aug. 1 in a three-round unanimous decision which saw the Brazilian utilizing powerful and precise striking, along with some well-timed takedowns. The win secured a title shot for the Nova Uniao black belt, who will rematch Joanna Jedrzejczyk on July 8 after coaching opposite the champion on the 23rd season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

3. Jessica Aguilar (19-5)

The former World Series of Fighting titlist was outgunned and outclassed in her Octagon debut, as “JAG” was busted up by Brazilian bruiser Claudia Gadelha at UFC 190. The loss snapped a 10-fight winning streak for Aguilar, who held the division’s top ranking only months ago. She was ticketed for a match with Juliana Lima at UFC 197 on April 23 but had to withdraw after tearing her ACL.

4. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (8-0)

There were no “Octagon jitters” for Kowalkiewicz on Dec. 20, when she put on an impressive and well-rounded performance to claim a unanimous decision against Randa Markos. The unbeaten Polish strawweight silenced the “Quiet Storm” by shutting down nearly all of Markos’ takedown attempts while nearly doubling up on the Canadian in total strikes landed. Kowalkiewicz will square off with Heather Clark at a UFC Fight Night event on May 8.

5. Livia Renata Souza (9-0)

In her first defense of the Invicta strawweight title, Souza made an impressive statement by blasting through previously unbeaten DeAnna Bennett in just 90 seconds. The Jan. 16 victory was the Brazilian’s first win by way of knockout after submitting seven of her first eight opponents. Souza will put her title and undefeated record on the line against Angela Hill on May 7.

6. Rose Namajunas (5-2)

Namajunas avenged one of the two losses on her ledger when she took a hard-fought split decision from Tecia Torres on April 16. “Thug Rose” has looked increasingly impressive in each bout since her failed bid for UFC gold, choking out Paige VanZant and Angela Hill prior to making it three in a row against Torres.

7. Valerie Letourneau (8-4)

Letourneau proved tougher competition than most expected for Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193, where the challenger became the first woman to take the Polish titlist into championship rounds. After a solid start on the feet, however, “Trouble” was gradually busted up by Jedrzejczyk’s crisp striking, and the Canadian’s Octagon winning streak was halted at three.

8. Maryna Moroz (7-1)

Moroz could not consolidate her upset of Joanne Calderwood with a second straight UFC victory, as she wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Valerie Letourneau on Aug. 23. The 23-year-old Ukrainian boxer rebounded on April 10 with a decision victory over Cristina Stanciu in Croatia.

9. Tecia Torres (7-1)

Four months after putting on the most dominant performance of her young career, Torres came up short in an April 16 rematch against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” Rose Namajunas. The decision defeat put the first official blemish on Torres’ record, though “The Tiny Tornado” suffered exhibition losses to Carla Esparza and Randa Markos during her time on “TUF.”

10. Joanne Calderwood (10-1)

Fighting before a hometown crowd in Glasgow on July 18, Calderwood survived a first-round assault from last-minute replacement Cortney Casey and pushed back to take a unanimous decision from the UFC debutante. “Jojo” was set for her first headlining slot opposite Paige VanZant on Dec. 10, but a knee injury forced Calderwood to withdraw.

Other Contenders: DeAnna Bennett, Kalindra Faria, Mizuki Inoue, Juliana Lima, Jessica Penne.