Marina Rodriguez is the perfect candidate if you are looking to find new talent in UFC Strawweight. She has made it to the top by working her way through other promising young fighters in the UFC Strawweight division. 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 was victorious in both her amateur bouts and finished 2-0. She made her UFC debut in July 2014 at Lawler vs. Brown. Juliana Lima was Jedrzejczyk’s very first opponent. She was defeated via TKO at the start of round 1.
Valentina Shevchenko's Polish martial artist has a similar background to Valentina Shevchenko. They both trained in Muay Thai. In 2012, she began her MMA career as a flyweight. She later moved to the strawweight division. She also competed in 135-pound bantamweight.
Carla Esparza
Carla Esparza was a former UFC strawweight champion. She is also the first woman ever to defend the title two times. Esparza won UFC 274 with a split victory against Rose Namajunas. She has won six straight fights and will defend her title against Zhang Weili at UFC 281.
The fight will be held in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 12, and will also serve as a co-main. Although the UFC has not confirmed this fight, both fighters posted about it on social networks. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting reporter Ariel Helwani.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas, the UFC strawweight champion, has an impressive record against top competitors. Her next opponent is Carla Esparza, who is currently ranked No. 2. Namajunas was originally scheduled as the comain event. But, due to COVID-19 protocols, she had to pull out. Esparza won the fight via rear-naked.
Rose began her professional combat career with Invicta FC, in 2013. Rose was promoted to Invicta FC and then went on to the Ultimate Fighter Series. She was a part the finals. She has been fighting in UFC fights since 2015 and currently holds a record 10-4. Her nutrition support system, PERFECT, has been a key part of her success. It fuels her growth and performance as well as her recovery.
Jessica Andrade
UFC strawweight Jessica Andrade has a strong record and has attracted fans throughout her career. Before her loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she was a winner of three fights. Andrade is on a win streak with Claudia Gadelha and she hopes to move up the ladder to the title.
She is an expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (and Muay Thai) and has built a solid reputation. She signed with the UFC in 2013 and is currently the Women's Strawweight Champion. She will likely be one the main event fighters and title challengers in the fight card. UFC events are dependent upon large crowds to pay their prize money.
Weili Zhang
Weili Zhu is a Chinese mixed-martial artist who fights at the UFC strawweight. Prior to becoming a professional MMA fight fighter, she was a kindergarten teacher and a gym instructor. In 2012, she joined the Black Tiger Fight Club in Beijing and began training in MMA. She made her professional debut against Meng bo at the China MMA League in November 2013. After losing the fight, she went on to win seven more fights. Kunlun Fight 53 was her title fight.
Zhang was not an easy fight. While she was able initially to score a takedown, Namajunas was in a position to defend her takedown to force the fight to a halt. Namajunas was finally able to get a takedown after a brief stand up exchange.