Possible Women Who Could Hold The Next UFC Bantamweight Belt
With the dust settling from UFC 200, a new champion emerges in Amanda Nunes (13-4). The 28 year old Brazilian dominated Miesha Tate (18-6) to win the Women's Bantamweight Title. Following that win, Nunes is now the fourth woman to hold the Bantamweight belt within the last 8 months.
Rewind one year ago, Ronda Rousey (12-1) was the one and only champion the division ever knew. Rousey ran through the competition, finishing all but one of her fights in the first round. After defending the belt six times, title contenders were running in short supply.
This was until Rousey faced Holly Holm (10-1) last November when Holm won the fight with a highlight reel-worthy head kick and walked away with the stunning upset. Holm then lost the belt in her first title defense to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 back in March. Tate in turn lost the belt in her first title defense against Nunes on July 9th via rear-naked choke.
The Woman's Bantamweight division is easily becoming one of the most unpredictable in the UFC. However, thanks to this new surge of Bantamweight champions, plenty top contenders are now emerging and new title fights can be made. But who would be next to fight for the belt?
Valentina Shevchenko
You may be wondering who on earth Valentina Shevchenko (13-2) is. We don't blame you. The 28 year old Kyrgyzstani kickboxer is still relatively new with only three fights in the UFC.
However, Shevchenko has quickly made a name for herself after defeating Former Bantamweight Champ Holly Holm this past weekend. "Bullet" also holds a win over Sarah Kaufman from last December. Although Shevchenko has a short fighting resume with the UFC, she is currently ranked at #7, and is projected to rise with her decisive win over Holm.
Shevchenko also has history with the current champ, Amanda Nunes. Back in March, Nunes walked away from their bout with a unanimous decision win. Since then however, Shevchenko has greatly improved her stand up game, and her counter-striking is one of the strongest in the division. A rematch between the two could prove to be an exciting bout.
Julianna Pena
Julianna Pena was immediately put into the UFC spotlight after becoming the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter back in 2013.
Unfortunately, following her success in the reality tv show, Pena was injured in a grappling match at her gym, Sikjitsu. Pena tore her ACL, MLC, and LCL, an injury that could have ended her MMA career. Instead, Pena recovered and returned to the octagon with great success.
Pena is now 4-0 in the UFC, and holds wins over top contenders including Jessica Eye and now Cat Zingano in UFC 200. Her Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling would make for great bout against Nunes. Both women are incredibly aggressive and explosive, and who doesn't love a classic striker vs. grappler match?
Ronda Rousey
It's been rather quiet on the Ronda Rousey front ever since she lost her belt to Holly Holm back in November.
However, the 28 year-old judoka has been busy outside the octagon including starring in the Road House remake, posing for Sports Illustrated, and signing a 3-movie deal with Lifetime.
In an Fox Sports 1 interview following UFC 200, UFC president Dana White has made it clear that Ronda will get the next title shot when she is ready to come back. White states, "whoever the champion is at the time is who Ronda will fight."
Rousey is still one of the biggest draws the UFC has ever had, and her comeback would easily be one of the biggest headliners the promotion would ever have. The only question now is, when will "Rowdy" return?
