Marina Rodriguez is an excellent choice if you are looking for new blood in UFC Strawweight. To cement her status as a top contender she has worked her own way through the ranks. She is not the greatest grappler but she has the best defense.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is one of the best fighters in the UFC's strawweight division. She was a former amateur standout and made her professional debut in 2012. She won both her amateur fights, going 2:2. She made her official UFC debut at Lawler vs. Brown in July 2014. Juliana Lima was Jedrzejczyk’s initial opponent. She beat her via TKO the first round.
The Polish martial arts fighter has similar backgrounds to Valentina Shevchenko, having trained in Muay Thai. She started her MMA journey in 2012 at flyweight and later moved up to the strawweight class. She has competed in the 135-pound bantamweight.
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 via split decision against Rose Namajunas. She has won six fights in a row and will defend her title vs Zhang Weili at UFC 281
The co-main event will be held at Madison Square Garden on November 12. Although the UFC has yet not officially confirmed this bout, both fighters shared details on social media. Ariel Helwani (MMA Fighting reporter) first reported the news.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas is currently the UFC strawweight champion. She has a strong record against top contenders. Carla Esparza is her next opponent. She is currently ranked No. 2. Namajunas was originally scheduled as the comain event. But, due to COVID-19 protocols, she had to pull out. In the end, Esparza won the bout via rear-naked choke.
Rose began her professional combat career with Invicta FC, in 2013. 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 fights since 2015 and currently holds a record 10-4. Her success is due in large part to her nutrition support program, PERFECTSports. This fuels her growth performance and recovery.
Jessica Andrade
UFC strawweight Jessica Andrade holds a strong record that has attracted fans throughout the course of her career. She was a three-time winner before she lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her title fight. Andrade is currently on a winning streak over Claudia Gadelha in her quest to climb up the ladder for the title.
She is a well-respected expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as Muay Thai. In 2013, she signed with UFC and is the current Women's Strawweight Champion. She is likely to be one of the main card fighters or title contenders on the upcoming fight cards. UFC events are dependent on large crowds to pay the prize money.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zim is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC strawweight category. Before she became a professional MMA fighter in 2012, she was a kindergarten teacher as well as a fitness instructor and a cashier at a supermarket. She joined the Black Tiger Fight Club, Beijing in 2012 and started training in MMA. In November 2013, she made her professional debut against Meng Bo at the China MMA League. She lost the fight on a split decision, but then went on to win her next seven fights. Kunlun Fight 52 was the result of this streak.
Zhang didn't have a smooth fight. While she was able initially to score a takedown, Namajunas was in a position to defend her takedown to force the fight to a halt. Namajunas was finally able to get a takedown after a brief stand up exchange.