If you are looking for some new blood in the UFC Strawweight division, you'll find it with Marina Rodriguez. She has worked her way through the ranks of other young prospects in the division to cement herself as a top contender. She is not the greatest grappler but she has the best defense.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Strawweight Division) is one of UFC's best fighters. She is a former amateur star and her professional debut was in 2012. She won both her amateur matches, going 2-0. In July 2014, she made a UFC debut when she fought Lawler vs. Brown. Jedrzejczyk's first opponent was Juliana Lima, whom she defeated via TKO in the first round.
Valentina Shevchenko is a Polish martial arts fighter who has also trained in Muay Thai. She started her MMA journey in 2012 at flyweight and later moved up to the strawweight class. She has also competed at the 135-pound bantamweight.
Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza was a former UFC strawweight champion. She is also the first woman ever to defend the title two times. Esparza beat Rose Namajunas by a split decision at UFC 274 in May. She has won six fights in a row and will defend her title vs Zhang Weili at UFC 281
The fight will take place in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12 and will be a co-main event. Although the UFC has yet confirm this bout, bout agreements have been sent and both fighters have shared information on social media. Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting reporter, reported the first news.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas has a great record against top opponents and is the UFC strawweight champ. Carla Esparza (currently ranked No. 2. The fight was originally scheduled to feature Namajunas as the co-main event, but she was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols. Esparza won by rear-naked choke.
Rose began her professional combat career with Invicta FC, in 2013. Rose moved on to the Ultimate Fighter Series in 2013, where she was a finalist. She has been fighting in UFC for 10 years. Her record is now 10-4-0. Her success has been largely due to her nutrition support system, PERFECT sports, which she uses to fuel her growth, performance, recovery, and improvement.
Jessica Andrade
UFC strawweight Jessica Andrade holds a strong record that has attracted fans throughout the course of her career. She was a three fight winner before her first loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a 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 an expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and Muay Thai) and has built a solid reputation. She was the Women's Strawweight Champ when she signed with UFC in 2013. She will likely be one the main event fighters and title challengers in the fight card. UFC events rely on large crowds for prize money.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zim is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC strawweight category. Before becoming a professional MMA fighter, she worked as a kindergarten teacher, fitness instructor, and supermarket cashier. In 2012, she joined Beijing's Black Tiger Fight Club and began training in MMA. She made her professional debut against Meng bo at the China MMA League in November 2013. She lost the fight in a split decision but went on to win her seven subsequent fights. Kunlun Fight 54 was the culmination of her winning streak.
Zhang didn't have a smooth fight. Although she was able get a takedown, Namajunas was strong enough to defend it and force the fight on the mat. Namajunas was finally able to get a takedown after a brief stand up exchange.