Yesterday, March 6 was the two-year anniversary of when Joanna Jedrzejczyk fought Zhang Weili for the UFC strawweight title. The five-round affair is considered one of the greatest fights in MMA history, male or female. It is an important bout that will stand the test of time.
This year also marks the nine-year anniversary since Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche fought in the first women's fight in UFC history. The MMA world has seen plenty of big female MMA fights since then in and out of the United States. Several fights have stolen the show on stacked cards, and fighters have made a name for themselves after, earning the respect of the fans and their peers.
Women's MMA continues to thrive today thanks to dominant athletes and platforms where they can be showcased. In honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, The Sporting News looks at some of the best MMA matches of all time that features female fighters. Did your favorite fight make the list?
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Honorable mention: Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg (Strikeforce, 2009)
The fight is known for Cyborg pushing Carano onto the floor and just pounding away at her, giving her the TKO win in the first round. It is also known for being the first time two females main evented a major MMA event. The importance of it gives this one a reason to be discussed.
10) Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche (UFC 157, 2013)
This fight may have lasted one round, but as the first women’s main event in UFC history, this does hold value.
Rousey attempted to control the bout early, but Carmouche held her off, if only for a brief moment. Carmouche ended up on Rousey’s back and was looking for a submission, but Rousey had a fantastic defensive game. She took her off her back, and Rousey never looked back. She tied up Carmouche by the legs and went for side control. Rousey pounded away at Carmouche and then landed the armbar for the win.
It was a big Rousey win, but it also showed the first time she was in trouble. Carmouche held her own early, which made things extremely interesting.
9) Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey 1 (Strikeforce, 2012)
Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rouse is a defining rivalry in women’s MMA. It was also something that took place well beyond the UFC.
Tate, the then-Strikeforce bantamweight champion, fought Rousey inside the Nationwide Arena. Tate started pressing Rousey early, with strikes being key early on. Unfortunately for her, Rousey's ground game at the time was undeniably great. She locked in an armbar, but Tate managed to escape. While Tate was looking for a submission of her own, Rousey reversed, landed a judo throw on the feet, and reapplied the armbar for the win.
It was a short fight, but with a first round for the ages.
8) Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko I (UFC 196, 2016)
Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko are two of the most dominant fighters in women’s MMA. Facing off against one another was the ultimate dream match. Fans were able to witness the two fight at UFC 196.
It was a terrific back and forth clash, with Nunes controlling the beginning of the fight. Nunes landed striking combinations that slowed Shevchenko down. Nunes dominated the second round until the end when Shevchenko would gain some form of control. In round three Shevchenko would wake up, striking Nunes with vicious blows.
In total, Nunes landed 39 shots compared to Shevchenko’s 28. Both landed a takedown and Nunes got the unanimous decision win. Who knows what would have happened if the bout went five rounds. A rematch in 2017 that did go five rounds was close, and fans have been waiting for a trilogy fight ever since.
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7) Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey (UFC 193, 2015)
This is one of the top fights in MMA history, in a historic sense.
Ronda Rousey, the first UFC bantamweight champion, was on a dominant run at this point in her career, mowing down the competition. Rousey was the unstoppable force that continued to get bigger in and out of MMA. Holly Holm, a former boxing champion, was making waves in MMA. On a two-fight win streak in the UFC, “The Preacher’s Daughter” fought Rousey for the UFC bantamweight title in Australia. In front of over 56,000 people, Holm put on a clinic against Rousey. She outboxed Rousey and used her kicks to her advantage.
Rousey could not adapt to Holm’s attacks, and her corner didn’t help the situation. Holm would then land a solid straight hand and a kick to the face, forcing Rousey down to the ground. The world was in shock as a dominant champion was dethroned. This was a changing of the guard moment that people will always remember.
6) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha 2 (UFC, 2016)
Back in 2014, Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat Claudia Gadelha via split decision in a strawweight title eliminator, even after the latter scored seven takedowns. The two would run it back in 2016. This time as coaches of The Ultimate Fighter and Joanna as the UFC strawweight champion. In a season where the two almost clashed several times, they were finally ready to settle their differences inside the octagon.
At The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Gadelha dropped Joanna early in the first round thanks to a jab. The former would land four takedowns against Joanna, but Joanna would persevere in the later rounds. She landed a total of 176 strikes against Gadelha. Gadelha had an opening early but couldn’t take advantage. Joanna took home the win in a hard-fought contest.
5) Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano (UFC, 2013)
While not the first bantamweight bout in UFC history featuring women, the saying goes that second is the best. Inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano put on a clinic during The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Tate controlled the bout early with early submission attempts, but Zingano would battle back and landed knees in the clinch. Leaving Tate bloodied and confused, Zingano's offensive capabilities were in full force. Zingano won via TKO thanks to a few elbows, making herself known to the MMA world.
Following that fight, the momentum Zingano carried resulted in her being the last fighter until Julianna Pena in 2021 to beat Amanda Nunes.
4) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas 2 (UFC 223, 2018)
At UFC 217, Rose Namajunas pulled off the upset when she dethroned Joanna Jedrzejczyk to become UFC strawweight champion. Joanna was not ready for the blows Namajunas landed. After some time off, the rematch was on. Moving the fight from Madison Square Garden to The Barclays Center, Jedrzejczyk and Namajunas put on a show to remember.
Namajunas was dealing with the effects of Conor McGregor throwing a dolly at a bus with her on it, which was meant for Khabib Nurmagomedov. She was able to work past it, however. Joanna landed 145 shots compared to Namajunas' 105, but the latter had a takedown in the fight.
Namajunas won via unanimous decision in a back and forth fight that both got a standing ovation for.
3) Jessica Penne vs. Michelle Waterson (Invicta FC 5, 2013)
On a night in which Cris Cyborg, Sarah Kaufman, Leslie Smith, and Julia Budd were fighting, Jessica Penne and Michelle Waterson stole the show. Penne, the then-Invicta FC atomweight champion, faced off against Waterson.
Waterson controlled the bout early, thanks, in part, to a strong takedown game. Penne was able to counter Waterson's moveset as the second round ended. She put Waterson down to the floor and landed solid blows to the face. Penne then had Waterson down and tried submitting her, but Waterson would survive. Waterson then landed a surprise armbar of her own for the win.
This was a scrap that showed the toughness of both women. It also secured atomweight as one of the top divisions in MMA. Waterson defended the atomweight title twice before losing it and joining the UFC.
2) Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee I (ONE: A New Era, 2019)
ONE Championship has shown that its strawweight and atomweight division is full of top fighters. The promotion proved it with a clash that featured Xiong Jing Nan defending her ONE strawweight title against Angela Lee.
At the time of the bout, Lee was considered a rising star who already held the ONE atomweight title. Lee was ready to continue her dominant ways against strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan, who was defending the strawweight belt for the third time.
In the early going, the champion looked sharp with her strikes. Lee, however, would not falter and almost won via an armbar. Jing Nan did not tap after several moments in the hold. The champion then landed multiple blows in the fifth that stopped the fight. The two would compete in a rematch, this time for the atomweight title. That fight was also a great scrap, but the first bout, watched by fans from all over the world, will never be forgotten.
1) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili (UFC 248, 2020)
As previously discussed, this fight was one of the most important bouts in combat sports history. For five rounds at UFC 248, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili went to war. It was a chance for Joanna to prove she is still an elite talent at strawweight after losing the title to Rose Namajunas. For Weili, her rise to the top was nothing short of incredible, but it was this fight that cemented her as a true champion.
These two went kick for kick, punch for punch, elbow to elbow. In total, Joanna, who always lands incredible volume shots, landed 186 strikes while Weili landed 165. There are rumors of a rematch floating around, and while it may not end up having the same magic as the original, it will still feel pretty special.
This match was simply one of a kind.
