Photo Credit:Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison (Instagram)
UFC is the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the globe, where the best of the best fight. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is an American promotion with its head office in Las Vegas, Nevada. The billion-dollar company is operated under TKO Group, which manages the world’s biggest professional wrestling promotion, WWE.
Because of worldwide recognition, UFC has fighters from all over the globe, but a significant number of fighters hail from the United States. From men to women, the UFC roster boasts American fighters, coming to Octagon from diverse martial arts backgrounds like Brazilian Jij-Jitsu, amateur wrestling, boxing, judo, kickboxing, karate, etc.
UFC’s women’s division has three different weight classes, featuring women warriors of octagon from around the world. Take a look at some of the best UFC women fighters of all time hailing from the United States.
8) Kayla Harrison (Ohio)
Kayla Harrison is a new signee, securing a UFC deal in early 2024. However, she came with a stellar reputation due to her accomplishments in judo and other MMA promotions.
The 34-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, winning the honors in the Summer Olympics of 2012 and 2016, respectively, making her the sole American-born Olympian to pull off the achievement in judo. Kayla holds an 18-1 MMA record, including three victories in three UFC fights, placing her among the best UFC woman fighters at present.
Harrison is an Ohio native, born in the city of Middletown. She grew interested in judo from a young age. To progress in training and hone her judo skills, she eventually relocated from Ohio to Boston, Massachusetts.
7) Raquel Pennington (Colorado)
Raquel Pennington is a huge asset to the UFC’s Bantamweight division. She currently holds the number one rank in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division, cementing her legacy as a former champion.
Raquel remains one of the best American UFC female fighters in history due to her longevity alongside her achievements in the promotion. Debuting for the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2013, the former Bantamweight Champion has been a UFC competitor for eleven years, boasting a record of 13 victories and 6 losses.
The 36-year-old was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She grew up in the state, playing different sports before opting for a career in MMA.
6) Carla Esparza (California)
Carla Esparza was an acclaimed fighter, shining in mixed martial arts’s two biggest promotions, UFC and Bellator. Starting her MMA career in Bellator, she wrapped it up in UFC, claiming the honor of a two-time Women’s Strawweight Champion.
Carla had been a UFC fighter for ten years, winning her debut match in 2014 to be crowned the inaugural Strawweight champion. The legendary female talent hung up her boots at UFC 307 after losing her final match.
The 37-year-old is a Cali girl, born in Torrance, California. She excelled in wrestling and Brazilian Jij-Jitsu in her younger days before transitioning to MMA.
5) Miesha Tate (Washington)
Miesha Tate was ranked among the best UFC woman fighters on the planet, particularly in her prime. After spending over eleven years in Dana White’s promotion, the 38-year-old remains an integral part of the women’s Bantamweight division.
After initially announcing a retirement in 2016, Tate subsequently returned to UFC as a competitor in 2021, fighting in the women’s Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions. Her career peaked amid her rivalry with Ronda Rousey. Despite losing to Rousey, Tate’s victory over Holly Holm crowned her the UFC Bantamweight Champion.
As a veteran of 29 MMA fights and the honor as the former champion, the Washington native is qualified to be placed among the greatest American UFC female fighters in history.
4) Holly Holm (New Mexico)
Aged 43, Holly Holm is presently among the oldest female fighters to compete in the promotion. With a background in boxing, she transitioned to MMA in 2011, fighting in promotions like Bellator and LFC before arriving in UFC in 2014.
In her decade-long UFC career, she has fought in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. Giving Ronda Rousey the first loss of her MMA career and halting her undefeated run was her greatest career feat. With that victory, she became a Women’s Bantamweight Champion, making it her sole title triumph in the UFC.
Holm is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was raised and attended high school and university in her home state.
3) Rose Namajunas (Wisconsin)
Rose Namajunas is one of the underappreciated fighters in the octagon. Whether as Flyweight or Strawweight, she has shown impressive resilience in the octagon. Becoming a two-time Women’s Strawweight Championship, she has already cemented her legacy as one of the greatest.
Rose embarked on her UFC journey early at age 21. Her landmark victories were against Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, triumphing over them twice each. Her portfolio of combat sports milestones includes a brown belt in BJJ, a black belt in karate, and a black belt in Taekwondo.
Emerging from a Lithuanian family, she was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While she attended high school in Milwaukee, she began practicing various combat sports from a young age.
2) Julianna Pena (Washington)
Since Julianna Pena is the reigning women’s Bantamweight Champion, she could be recognized as the best UFC woman fighter at present. As a seasoned fighter, she began her career in the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2013, but it took her eight years to capture her maiden title, beating the legendary Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.
Stopping the once-indomitable Amanda Nunes in December 2021, Pena became an overnight star of the women’s Bantamweight division. She eventually lost the gold before reclaiming it after beating Raquel Pennington recently.
Hailing from Spokane, Washington, the current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion was born in August 1989. She finished her studies in Washington before beginning her MMA training.
1) Ronda Rousey (California)
Arguably the most well-known face of the women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey would go down as the trailblazer for UFC women, putting the spotlight on female fighting. As a former Olympic judo bronze medalist, she didn’t have trouble switching to MMA as a new profession.
Rousey created history by becoming UFC’s female signee and an epoch-making run as the UFC Bantamweight Champion, defending the gold six times on a trot and winning each title bout within the first round. While Holly Holm broke her winning streak, Rousey departed UFC after losing his final match against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
Rousey represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics. She was born in Riverside, California. Her childhood was divided between North Dakota and California.
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Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
