The UFC made an historic announcement earlier this week when the women’s strawweight division was introduced and it has all the making of a successful venture.
Ever since the UFC implemented the women’s bantamweight division in February at UFC 157, it has been well received. Some of the biggest stars in the UFC are female fighters, like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, and the addition of the 115-pound division is another positive step for women’s MMA.
Invicta FC, an all-women’s mixed martial arts promotion, assigned the contracts of 11 of its strawweights to the UFC as a way to create the new division. Those women—plus five additional athletes that will be selected through a tryout process—will compete on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter with the winner being crowned the first UFC strawweight champion.
The new strawweights range from budding prospects to established champions, but many UFC fans aren’t familiar with them.
So with that, meet the new women of the UFC:
Carla Esparza
Record: 9-2
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Redondo Beach, Calif.
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision win over Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC 4 in January.
Notable performance: A unanimous decision win over fellow UFC competitor Felice Herrig at XFC 15: Tribute in December 2011.
Esparza is the current Invicta FC strawweight champion and should be the favourite to win the show. She trains out of Team Oyama in California and with a solid wrestling base she’s a tough matchup for anyone in the division. Her only two losses came under the Bellator banner—one to MMA legend Megumi Fujii, the other to top-ranked Jessica Aguilar.
Claudia Gadelha
Record: 11-0
Age: 25
Fighting out of: Redondo Beach, Calif.
Most recent fight: TKO win over Ayaka Hamasaki at Invicta FC 6 in July.
Notable performance: A hard fought split decision win in enemy territory over a much bigger Valerie Letourneau of Tristar Gym at Wreck MMA: Road to Glory in Gatineau, Que., in April 2012.
The young Brazilian is a future superstar and could end up being the face of women’s MMA in her native country. She trains with team Nova Uniao alongside UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao. She is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and her striking is constantly improving.
Felice Herrig
Record: 9-5
Age: 29
Fighting out of: Crystal Lake, Il.
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision loss to Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 7 on Dec. 7.
Notable performance: A split decision win over TUF 18 finalist Jessica Rakoczy at Bellator 14.
She will become a fan favourite very quickly. The Team Curran member is relatively new to MMA, but a veteran of combat sports. Before starting MMA in 2009, Herrig was a pro kickboxer and successful Muay Thai practitioner.
Joanne Calderwood
Record: 9-0
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Glasgow, Scotland
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision win over Katja Kankaanpaa at Invicta FC 7.
Notable performance: A TKO of Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 3 that culminated in a vicious knee to the body and a Knockout of the Night award.
The first Scottish woman signed to the UFC is one of the best strikers in women’s MMA. The aggressive and technical Scottish Muay Thai champion is as dangerous on the feet as anyone in the division. She will be a dark horse to win the show.
Tecia Torres
Record: 4-0
Age: 24
Fighting out of: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision win over Felice Herrig at Invicta FC 7.
Notable performance: Her unanimous decision win over Kaiyana Rain in her pro debut at Invicta FC 3 sent a message that she has a lot of potential.
She already has wins over fellow TUF competitors Felice Herrig, Rose Namajunas and Paige VanZant which could bode well for her on the show.
Rose Namajunas
Record: 2-1
Age: 21
Fighting out of: Milwaukee
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision loss to Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 6.
Notable performance: Her flying armbar submission of Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5 was incredible.
She is a quality striker, holding a black belt in Taekwondo, and has a crafty submission game as well. Being so young, Namajunas is improving at a rapid pace. Fun fact: She is the girlfriend of UFC heavyweight Pat Barry.
Bec Hyatt
Record: 5-3
Age: 24
Fighting out of: Brisbane, Australia
Most recent fight: Unanimous decision loss to Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 6.
Notable performance: She showed her full potential in a dominant submission win over Jasminka Cive in April at Invicta FC 5.
One of Australia’s top female MMA talents, Hyatt is as driven as they come, she’s got a bit of an attitude and isn’t afraid to show it. She has two children under the age of five yet competes at the highest level of MMA for her weight class.
Emily Kagan
Record: 3-1
Age: 32
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, N.M.
Most recent fight: Split decision win over Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 6.
Notable performance: She has never finished a fight—other than one doctor’s stoppage in her second of seven amateur bouts—but a win over Cummins is impressive.
Training with Greg Jackson’s team in New Mexico you know her MMA IQ will be high.
Alex Chambers
Record: 4-1
Age: 35
Fighting out of: St. Ives, New South Wales, Australia
Most recent fight: First-round submission win over Jodie Esquibel at Invicta FC 5.
Notable performance: She blitzed Japanese veteran Mika Nagano for a 42-second TKO win at BFW 17: Brace Girls in October 2012.
The oldest of the bunch, Chambers has excellent finishing instinct. Three of her four wins have come in the first round and her lone loss was to the rising prospect Mizuki Inoue, who will likely find herself in the UFC one day soon as well.
Julianna Lima
Record: 6-1
Age: 31
Fighting out of: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Most recent fight: A 69-second TKO of Liliani Trolezi at Brasil Fight 7 in her native country.
Notable performance: Even though it was a loss, she showed some impressive attributes in her fight against Katja Kankaanpaa at Invicta FC 5.
The Gracie Barra member has a solid jiu-jitsu base and isn’t afraid to let her hands go. She’s most effective when she gets a dominant position on the ground.
Paige VanZant
Record: 3-1
Age: 19
Fighting out of: Sparks, Nevada
Most recent fight: Submission win over Courtney Himes at BCP: Cage Wars 15 in Colorado.
Notable performance: Her win over Himes was the most impressive of her young career.
Even though she’s quite young for a professional mixed martial artist, she has a mature skill set. She has done some modelling, so between that and her abilities in the cage, expect her to develop a fan base quickly.
