Marina Rodriguez is a new talent in the UFC Strawweight division. She has worked her way through the ranks of other young prospects in the division to cement herself as a top contender. Although she isn't the best grappler, her defense is the best.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is one of the best fighters in the UFC's strawweight division. She is an ex-amateur standout, who made her professional debut back in 2012. She won both of her amateur fights, going 2-0. 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.
Valentina Shevchenko's Polish martial artist has a similar background to Valentina Shevchenko. They both trained in Muay Thai. She began her MMA career in 2012 as a flyweight, but later switched to the strawweight division. She also competed as a bantamweight at 135 pounds.
Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza is an ex-UFC strawweight champion who was the first woman in UFC history to defend the title twice. Esparza won UFC 274 via split decision against Rose Namajunas. She has won six straight fights, and will defend her title against Zhang Weili in UFC 281.
The fight will take part in the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, on Nov. 12. Although the UFC has not confirmed this fight, both fighters posted about it on social networks. Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting's reporter, first reported the news.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas has a great record against top opponents and is the UFC strawweight champ. Carla Esparza (currently ranked No. 2. Namajunas was originally to take part in the fight, but she was forced from her position due to COVID-19 protocols. Esparza won the fight via rear-naked.
Rose started her professional fighting career with Invicta FC in 2013. Rose moved on to the Ultimate Fighter Series in 2013, where she was a finalist. She is currently a 10-4-0 UFC record holder. Her success is due to her nutrition support system, PERFECT Sport, which 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 well-known for her expertise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She was the Women's Strawweight Champ when she signed with UFC in 2013. She is likely to be one of the main card fighters or title contenders on the upcoming fight cards. UFC events depend on large crowds to pay prize money.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zhu is a Chinese mixed-martial artist who fights at the UFC strawweight. She was a kindergarten teacher, a fitness instructor, and a supermarket cashier before becoming a professional MMA fighter. In 2012, she joined the Black Tiger Fight Club in Beijing and began training in MMA. In November 2013, she made her professional debut against Meng Bo at the China MMA League. She lost the fight by a split decision. However, she won her next seven fights. Kunlun Fight 53 was her title fight.
Zhang was not an easy fight. She was able a score a quick takedown but Namajunas was able defended her takedown and force the fight down to the mat. Namajunas was then able to score a takedown on her own after a brief exchange.