UFC women’s bantamweights at a glance: UFC 196 edition

The women’s bantamweight division has a decidedly different look to it now than it did a year ago. Last March, Ronda Rousey was still running roughshod over legitimate contenders at 135 pounds, and Holly Holm had just earned a lackluster decision win in her UFC debut.

Now, Holm reigns as champion after a one-sided knockout victory over Rousey in a bout some wondered Holm had earned to begin with. Rousey remains on hiatus from the sport since the November loss while doing some film work.

Holm is set to make her first title defense against Miesha Tate in the co-headliner of Saturday’s UFC 196 in Las Vegas as the division moves forward without its biggest star.

As an update to our women’s bantamweight primer last summer, here are the names worth knowing in the division, both within the UFC and beyond. For convenience, they’ve been sorted into descending tiers.

Champion

Holly Holm (10-0, 3-0 UFC)

Holm is an unlikely champion, to be sure. Just don’t call her an undeserving one.

Despite entering the UFC with some hype thanks to her exceptional professional boxing career, fans cooled on Holm as she took seemingly lesser competition to decisions in her first two UFC bouts.

But 5:59 in the cage against Rousey showed that the pre-debut expectations were warranted, and her status as champion reopens the door for several women who seemed like long shots to fight for the title in the near future, Tate included.

True Contenders

Alexis Davis (17-6, 4-1), Amanda Nunes (11-4, 4-1), Ronda Rousey (12-1, 6-1), Miesha Tate (17-5, 4-2), Cat Zingano (9-1, 2-1)

Rousey’s loss knocks her down a tier, although it’s clear she is miles ahead of the other true contenders. She has defeated all but Nunes and submitted Tate twice. UFC president Dana White suggested Rousey could return in November in a title fight.

Speaking of Tate, this may be her last chance at UFC gold in the bantamweight division. If she falls to Holm, her future in the sport becomes cloudy. It’s possible the UFC adds a flyweight division in the future, at which point Tate would be an early favorite to become the division’s champion.

Neither Davis nor Zingano has competed in roughly a year, although we know the joyous reason why Davis has been on the shelf: She has been pregnant. If she decides to return to the octagon, it likely won’t be until the end of the year or later.

Nunes made the leap from the middle of the pack to contender status with a submission win over Sara McMann in August. Her only UFC loss is to Zingano in a bout she had dominated for the first half.

Upper Echelon

Sara McMann (8-3, 2-3), Julianna Pena (7-2, 3-0)

There’s a great separation between the top fighters and the rest. Only McMann and Pena bridge the gap right now in a discernible way, and the former’s status is tenuous.

McMann was knocked down from contender status after consecutive losses to Tate and Nunes. Another loss would be crippling for the former Olympic wrestler’s career prospects.

Pena surges up two tiers, shedding the prospect label with a convincing win over Jessica Eye. However, a December arrest for assault in her native Spokane, Washington is an obstacle in the way of career progress.

Muddled Middle

Liz Carmouche (10-5, 2-3), Bethe Correia (9-1, 3-1), Jessica Eye (11-4, 1-3), Sarah Kaufman (17-4, 1-2), Valentina Schevchenko (12-1, 1-0)

Schevchenko was a revelation in her late-notice victory over Kaufman in her December UFC debut. Her kickboxing and takedown defense will make her a player in the division. If she beats Nunes on Saturday, the Kyrgyzstani fighter might be just a win away from a title shot.

Correia, Eye and Kaufman all dropped from the upper echelon with losses. Correia was knocked out by Rousey in their August title fight. The other two lost in aforementioned bouts.

Corriea remains young in her career, but Eye and especially Kaufman are more veteran fighters who may be on the decline.

Carmouche has not competed since an April win over Lauren Murphy, and she has no upcoming bout scheduled.

Best of the Rest

Ashlee Evans-Smith (4-1, 1-1), Lauren Murphy (9-2, 1-2), Rin Nakai (16-1-1, 0-1), Raquel Pennington (6-5, 3-2), Marion Reneau (6-3, 2-2), Leslie Smith (7-6-1, 1-2)

Nakai falls due to inactivity and lack of a signature win. She could be dropped from the next edition of these division glances if she has a poor showing against Smith later this month or is forced to pull out.

Murphy finally got her first UFC win last month, although it was far from easy. She’s a veteran who can climb higher, but she needs to beat a ranked foe.

Pennington and Smith are newcomers to the list. Pennington joins on the strength of her win over Jessica Andrade in September, avenging a previous loss. However, she won’t ascend much farther if she can’t string together consecutive wins for the first time in four years.

Evans-Smith, also new to the rankings, topped Reneau via close, controversial split decision last month after returning from suspension. At 38, Reneau likely has peaked. Evans-Smith is 10 years younger, but her upside appears limited at this point.

Outside the Octagon

Tonya Evinger (16-6, 0-0)

Invicta FC champion Evinger strengthened her claim as the best 135-pound woman not fighting in the UFC, brutalizing Pannie Kianzad in September to earn a TKO victory. A winner of eight in a row dating back to 2011, she is running out of women to fight. A bout at 145 pounds against featherweight queen Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is a possibility. Evinger deserves to be in the upper echelon alongside McMann, the last woman to defeat Evinger, and Pena.