15 Female UFC Fighters Of All Time

Raquel Len Pennington currently competes in the Women's Bantamweight Division and is ranked #2. She holds the record for the most bouts (16) in the division and the most total fight time of 3:52:33. 

Nickname: "Rocky"

Status: Active

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 15-8-0

UFC Record: 11-5-0

PFP Ranking: #12

Pennington ventured into martial arts at the age of 19 when she started practicing even though her parents would not allow her to fight. After recording a 7-1 amateur MMA record, she made her professional debut in 2012 against Kim Couture. She won the fight via TKO (knees to the body).

In her MMA career, Pennington has also been part of other promotions that started with Invicta Fighting Championships. She was then a member of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate in 2013.

She made her UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale against Roxanne Medafferi and won via unanimous decision.

Pennington is on a five-match winning streak and last lost a UFC fight in 2020 against Holly Holm.

On 30 November 2013, Julianna Pena became the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter. ESPN's 2021 Female Fighter of the Year is surely among the best fighters in the UFC.

Nickname: "The Venezuelan Vixen"

Status: Active

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 11-5-0

UFC Record: 7-3-0

PFP Ranking: #4

Pena is ranked as the No. 1 in the division and is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion when she beat Amanda Nunes via submission at UFC 269 in 2021.

She could not defend her title against Nunes in July 2022 at UFC 277. Her other two losses in the UFC have come through the hands of greats like Germaine de Randamie and Valentina Shevchenko.

Alexa Grasso has made it to the list of top female UFC fighters of all time since making her debut in 2016. She is the current UFC Women's Flyweight Champion since March 2023.

Nickname: N/A

Status: Active

Division: Flyweight

MMA Record: 16-3-1

UFC Record: 8-3-1

PFP Ranking: #1

The former Strawweight fighter began her MMA career in 2012 and went on to be part of Invicta FC in 2014. She had a 4-0 record in the promotion and made her UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson.

Since her UFC debut, she has only had three losses against Felice Herrig, Tatiana Suarez, and Carla Esparza. Her only draw came on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227 when she was defending her title against Valentina Shevchenko and retained her title in the rematch between the two.

The title holder is in hot form and is on a five-match win streak. She will be looking to defend her title once again in 2024.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt can not be missed out when we talk about the best UFC female fighters. Jessica Andrade is a former UFC women's Strawweight Champion.

Nickname: "Bate Estaca"

Status: Active

Division: Strawweight

MMA Record: 25-12-0

UFC Record: 16-10-0

PFP Ranking: #11

Andrade made her professional MMA debut in 2011 and started with two wins. She fought in different events until April 2013 and has amassed a 9-2 record.

On July 27, 2013, Andrade made her UFC debut by replacing Miesha Tate at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga. She began her UFC journey with a TKO loss to Liz Carmouche.

She has been a title contender after moving to the Strawweight category in 2016 and faced Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title. She lost via unanimous decision.

She eventually won the title in May 2019 at UFC 237 when she defeated Rose Namajunas via KO (slam) in the second round. Her one and only title defense came in August 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 15 when she faced Zhang Weili and lost in the first round via TKO.

She has earned the Performance of the Night six times and has the most bouts in UFC Women's history (26). She is also tied for the most bouts in a calendar year after she fought 5 fights in 2023. She won two and lost three this year.

Tatiana Suarez introduced herself to the MMA world by winning The Ultimate Fighter 23 in 2016. She defeated Amanda Cooper at TUF 23 Finale in July 2016 via submission.

Nickname: N/A

Status: Active

Division: Strawweight

MMA Record: 10-0-0

UFC Record: 7-0-0

PFP Ranking: #10

Suarez is among the fighters yet to lose a bout in her UFC career. The 32-year-old is a two-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion (2013, 2015) and began her MMA training in 2013. She did so after suffering a neck injury during her preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

After winning TUF 23, Suarez won four fights in a row including former champion Carla Esparza, and would be champion Alexa Grasso.

After her last fight in June 2019 against Nina Ansaroff, Suarez suffered an injury and had to pull out of UFC 266. She made her comeback at UFC Fight Night 220 against Montana De La Rosa in February 2023.

She has had two bouts in 2023 and has won both of them via second-round submissions. She now has six straight wins in the UFC Women's Strawweight division and is tied for the second-longest win streak.

Carla Kristen Esparza is without a doubt one of the best UFC fighters of all time to have competed in the Strawweight division and is a two-time champion.

Nickname: "Cookie Monster"

Status: Active

Division: Strawweight

MMA Record: 19-7-0

UFC Record: 10-5-0

PFP Ranking: #8

After only three fights into her professional MMA career, Esparza was called in by Bellator MMA and replaced Angela Magan at the last minute and was scheduled to go up against legendary fighter Megumi Fujii.

She then fought in other promotions such as XFC and Invicta FC before being signed by the UFC to partake in The Ultimate Fighter 20. The winner would be crowned as the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Champion.

Esparza defeated Namajunas via submission in the Finale and was crowned as the first champion in December 2014. She fought Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 to defend her title but lost via TKO.

She went on to win the title once again at UFC 274 in May 2022 against Namajunas via decision (split). Esparza would once again be unsuccessful in defending her title and lost it to Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in November of the same year. Her win streak of six fights came to an end due to this loss.

Holly Holm created headlines after UFC 193 when her high kick caught Ronda Rousey perfectly on the chin and knocked her out in the second round winning the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship.

Nickname: "The Preacher's Daughter"

Status: Active

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 15-6-0 (1 NC)

UFC Record: 8-6-0 (1 NC)

PFP Ranking: N/A

Holm has to be one of the most famous and one of the top UFC female fighters that has ever graced the octagon. She was responsible for Rousey's first MMA loss.

Holly Holm was a successful boxer before she ventured into MMA. She had 18 title defenses in three weight classes as a professional boxer and is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.

She started her MMA career in other promotions before signing with the UFC. Holm fought in Bellator MMA and Legacy FC in her initial years.

Holm signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC in 2014 and made her UFC debut at UFC 184 with a win over Raquel Pennington. After just two fights, she was handed an opportunity to win the title at UFC 193 and she did it in style.

She could not defend her title at UFC 196 against Miesha Tate and in 2017, she made her debut in the Featherweight category in a loss to Germaine de Randamie.

Her only NC (No Contest) decision came in her most recent fight at UFC on ESPN in July 2023 against Mayra Bueno Silva after Silva tested positive for Ritalinic acid. Holm is currently ranked #5 in the Bantamweight division.

Miesha Tate is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion and is currently ranked #12 in the division. She made her UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale against Cat Zingano in 2013.

Nickname: "Cupcake"

Status: Active

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 19-9-0 

UFC Record: 6-6-0

PFP Ranking: N/A

Apart from her MMA skills, Miesha Tate is also considered one of the hottest female UFC fighters to step into the cage. Even at 37, she has not lost her touch.

Tate did not make the best of starts to her UFC career having suffered losses in her first two bouts. They came in the hands of Zingano and Rousey. Rousey defeated Tate at UFC 168 via submission for the title.

She went on a hot streak of form recording five consecutive wins between 2014 to 2016. Her fifth UFC win against Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March 2016 won her the Bantamweight Championship along with the Performance of the Night.

Tate went on to lose her title against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 in July 2016 in the first round courtesy of a rear-naked choke. Her last fight was in July 2022 against Lauren Murphy which went the distance and Tate lost via a unanimous decision.

Miesha Tate will be taking on Julia Avila on December 2, 2023, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Rose Namajunas is one of the most ruthless hitters in the women's category. The former UFC Strawweight Champion is one of the pioneers of women's MMA.

Nickname: "Thug"

Status: Active

Division: Flyweight

MMA Record: 12-6-0 

UFC Record: 9-5-0

PFP Ranking: #7

Namajunas is seen as one of the most talented and complete fighters in the UFC. She has a Black Belt in Taekwondo and karate and a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Rose was only five when she started practicing Taekwondo and began her amateur MMA journey in 2010. She then went on to make her professional debut at Invicta FC in January 2013.

She signed with the UFC in December 2013 and similar to Esparza, she too battled for the inaugural Strawweight title. Namajunas was not as experienced as Esparza and lost the bout.

In 2015 and 2016, she went on to win three fights and registered her second loss at UFC 201 against Karolina Kowalkiewicz but earned the Fight of the Night.

At UFC 217, Namajunas tasted success for the first time when she beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk via TKO in the first round in November 2017 and became the new Strawweight Champion. She successfully defended her title at UFC 223 in a rematch with Jedrzejczyk in April 2018.

She could not defend her title for the second time as she lost via KO against Jessica Andrade at UFC 251. Namajunas became the champion for the second time at UFC 261 when she beat Zhang Weili via KO in April 2021.

In the rematch that was scheduled at UFC 268 in November 2021, Rose defended her title and won the fight via decision (split). She lost her title to Esparza in May 2022 and her recent fight against Manon Fiorot also ended in a loss in September 2023.

Ronda Rousey can not be missed when it comes to the best female MMA fighters of all time. The former UFC Bantamweight Champion retired in 2016.

Nickname: "Rowdy"

Status: Retired

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 12-2-0

UFC Record: 6-2-0

PFP Ranking: N/A

Ronda Rousey became the first female fighter to be signed by the UFC in November 2012. She was announced as the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Rousey was destined to become a terrific fighter and had started judo at the age of just 11. She won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics and became the first American woman to achieve that feat.

In 2010, she made her amateur MMA debut and made her Strikeforce debut in 2011. She was the Bantamweight title holder and also had a successful title defense.

Her six title defenses that started in 2013 until 2015 were as follows:

• Liz Carmouche - UFC 157
• Miesha Tate - UFC 168
• Sara McMann - UFC 190
• Alexis Davis - UFC 175
• Cat Zingano  UFC 184
• Bethe Correia - UFC 190

Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey was one of the most dominant figures in the women's category and was a force of nature. Her aggressive style and power were one of her plus points.

Holly Holm became the first woman to hand Rousey a loss in 2015. It was her first loss in her MMA career and lost her second straight fight in December 2016 at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes.

She did not fight in the UFC after her loss and went on to be part of WWE and is currently wrestling in the Independent Circuit.

She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and became the first female fighter to have been inducted. She has been an inspiration for many fighters around the world.

Joanna Jedrzejcyzk is considered the greatest among UFC women fighters to have competed in the Strawweight division. She has the most title defenses (5) in the division.

Nickname: N/A

Status: Active

Division: Strawweight

MMA Record: 16-5-0

UFC Record: 10-5-0

PFP Ranking: N/A

Jedrzejcyzk made her UFC debut at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown and faced Juliana Lima in 2014. She grabbed her first UFC win via unanimous decision and went on to win the next seven fights until 2017.

During her winning streak, and her third UFC fight, she won the UFC Strawweight title against Carla Esparza at UFC 185 in March 2015. She lost her title in her sixth title defense match against Namajunas at UFC 217 and was handed her first career loss.

She again lost against Namajunas in the rematch at UFC 223. She even contested for the vacant Flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 231 but lost via decision. 

Her last UFC fight resulted in a defeat against Zhang Weili at UFC 275 via a spinning back fist in June 2022. She has the second most title fights (10) in UFC Women's history and the most title fight wins in the Strawweight division (6).

She has the longest win streak in the division (8), most wins in the division (10), and the most title bouts in the division as well (9).

Although she has hinted that she wants to pursue other things in life, she has not officially announced her retirement but many believe that we have already seen her fight for the last time.

The 34-year-old Chinese fighter is someone who is really hard to beat in the UFC. She has only two defeats in the UFC since she made her debut at UFC 227.

Nickname: "Magnum"

Status: Active

Division: Strawweight

MMA Record: 24-3-0

UFC Record: 8-2-0

PFP Ranking: #2

Weili burst into the UFC with a 16-1 MMA record and recorded five consecutive wins in the UFC as well. Her first opponent in the UFC was Danielle Taylor.

At UFC Fight Night 157, Zhang was scheduled to fight Jessica Andrade for the Strawweight title in August 2019. she went on to win her first title by defeating Andrade via TKO in the first round.

She also successfully defended her title against Jedrzejcyzk at UFC 248 but lost it to Namajunas at UFC 261 in 2021. She had another title shot at UFC 268 but lost the bout via decision in the rematch. These are the only two losses in the UFC and is on a three-match win streak.

She went on to win back the Strawweight Championship at UFC 281 after beating Carla Esparza via submission in round two. She also defended her title against Amanda Lemos in August 2023.

The current Bellator Women's Featherweight Champion Cristiane Justino previously held the division title in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC.

Nickname: "Cris Cyborg"

Status: Bellator MMA

Division: Featherweight

MMA Record: 27-2-0 (1 NC)

UFC Record: 6-1-0

PFP Ranking: N/A

The powerhouse was as dominating as her ring name suggested. She was among the most dominant female fighters not just in the UFC but in other promotions as well.

She started her MMA career in 2005 and began with a loss to Erica Paes. That was her only loss in her career until 2018. That is how dominating she was. She had fought in Strikeforce and Invicta FC as well before signing for UFC in 2015.

She faced Leslie Smith in her UFC debut at UFC 198 in May 2016 and won via TKO in the first round. She went on to win the vacant UFC Women's Featherweight Championship in her third UFC fight via TKO against Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 in 2017.

She defended her title twice before bowing down to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 and lost the title via KO in the first round. This was her second loss in her entire MMA career.

The former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko is currently ranked #1 in the division. She has the most consecutive title defenses (7) in the division's history.

Nickname: "Bullet"

Status: Active

Division: Flyweight

MMA Record: 23-4-1

UFC Record: 12-3-1

PFP Ranking: #3

Shevchenko won eight gold medals at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships between 2003 and 2014. She has also won two gold medals at the World Combat Games in 2010 and 2013.

She had an 11-1 MMA record when made her debut in the UFC at UFC on Fox 17 as a short-notice replacement for Germaine de Randamie. She faced Sarah Kaufman and won via decision.

She tasted defeat in her second fight against Nunes and won her next two bouts only to lose to Nunes once again while fighting for the Bantamweight Championship.

After returning to the Flyweight division, she won the title by defeating Jedrzejcyzk at UFC 231. She had a winning streak that lasted seven fights while defending her title.

She lost the title to the current Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso in March and the only draw of her career came in September 2023 when they faced each other for a title rematch.

She has the most title wins in the Flyweight division (8) and was the first woman to successfully defend the title in history. She also holds the record for most consecutive wins (9) in the division.

Amanda Nunes is known for being the greatest female fighter in the history of the UFC. The G.O.A.T has 11 title fight wins in the UFC which is the most amongst women.

Nickname: "The Lioness"

Status: Retired

Division: Bantamweight

MMA Record: 23-5-0

UFC Record: 16-2-0

PFP Ranking: N/A

Winning a title in a division is already a monumental task and many retire without even getting a title shot. Nunes has gone on to win titles in two different weight classes in her UFC career.

"The Lioness" has been a dominant force since she made her debut at UFC 163 in August 2013. She won her next fight and recorded her first UFC loss against Zingano in 2014.

She went on to win the next 12 fights in a row and in that period, she won the Women's Bantamweight Championship and defended it five times. She also won the Women's Featherweight Championship and defended the title twice.

She lost the Bantamweight title to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 and once again won the title in the rematch at UFC 277. In her last UFC fight at UFC 289, she defended her title and immediately announced her retirement.