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The collapse of the women’s bantamweight division
Once upon a time, the 135-pound women’s bantamweight class was the division. It was the most relevant division for the women and went down as the first brought into the UFC.
That was in 2013. Eight years later and this once shiny new Lamborghini isn’t in the best of shape.
Unsurprisingly, the first anything is going to be special simply for the fact that it was the originator. But it’s not like the division was started from scratch in the UFC. The 135-pounders came from Strikeforce and were absorbed after being acquired in a buyout. The development of talent had started years prior.
Thanks to that, it helped mask eventual issues that the UFC would have down the road creating divisions. We’re looking at you, 125-pound divisional bridge. The 125ers starting point for example was much rougher than it should have been and only now, four years later, is it really starting to take concretive shape — something many may still argue against.
Having established several notable names and champions like Sarah Kaufman, Miesha Tate, and Ronda Rousey, the division had a background and long enough history to be intriguing on its own. It was only bolstered by having a larger platform for many others to gather to — fighters and spectators alike.
On the come-up were talents such as future title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. Meanwhile, more experienced names in Alexis Davis and Liz Carmouche were solid staples.
So what exactly happened to this golden era?
Before we answer that, in hindsight, the argument is there to be made that this time period wasn’t all that great to begin with — the evidence for that coming in the form of Rousey’s dominant title reign.
One way or another, every champion gets knocked from their perch sooner or later. And the fact of the matter is that time passed and people either left or saw their skillsets dwindle. On top of that, more options were provided as the UFC continued to expand.
Circling back to the flyweight division, once that gap was closed, many of bantamweight’s memorable faces dropped down. That or they were flat-out cut or not re-signed after their contract expirations.
Generally, when it’s out with the old, it’s in with the new. But in the interesting case of 135, there isn’t all too much new to wash on in.
Since the Strikeforce days, the UFC has been practically the only place for bantamweight fighters to thrive and or go to. The only other being Invicta FC which remains true to this day but not nearly to the same extent as the day’s gone. It’s almost as if more options overall meant fewer opportunities in the grand scheme of bantamweight.
And hell, there also just wasn’t anything to compare it to which definitely hurts if you look at 115-pounds in 2021.
Now with Amanda Nunes reigning over the division looking down upon the top two challengers, women she’s both already defeated convincingly, it shows a clear differentiation in the times.
Don’t get it twisted, however, the top 15 does consist of multiple very talented individuals. It just isn’t quite the same shark tank it once was. Even then, the past variant also had a Jaws-sized behemoth scoping out the fish populating those shallow waters.
Historically in MMA, the higher in weight we go, the lesser fighters there are — specifically, that’s appeared true among the women. And if any time has begun to display that more than ever, it was 2020.
Last year, the UFC signed a mere five bantamweight fighters to their roster — six if counting Norma Dumont who debuted at featherweight. Out of those signed, two were fighters who were previously released from the UFC making their second runs. All of them lost their first or only bouts in the promotion in 2020 while only Dumont and Gina Mazany, one of the returners, would secure victories. For Mazany, her win came at 125-pounds as she dropped to flyweight.
Additionally, all fighters, with the exception of Sarah Alpar, were signed on short notice.
Signed in 2020:
- Stephanie Egger (5-2, signed as short-notice replacement vs. Tracey Cortez, lost via unanimous decision.
- Julija Stoliarenko (9-4-1, second UFC run after a stint on The Ultimate Fighter 28, lost UFC debut vs. Leah Letson, was re-signed in 2020 as short-notice replacement vs. Yana Kunitskaya, lost via unanimous decision)
- Shanna Young (7-3, signed as short-notice replacement vs. Macy Chiasson, lost via unanimous decision)
- Gina Mazany (7-4, second UFC run after going 1-3 from 2017-2019, was re-signed in 2020 as short-notice replacement vs. Julia Avila, lost via first-round TKO in 22 seconds, then dropped to flyweight and defeated Rachael Ostovich via third-round TKO)
- Sarah Alpar (9-5, signed through Dana White’s Contender Series, debuted vs. Jessica-Rose Clark, lost via third-round TKO)
In total, the UFC put on a lowly 16 fights in the bantamweight division according to MMA Fighting. None of which saw the champion in Nunes defending her crown. For Invicta, the division received a showcase in the form of the one-night Phoenix Series tournament. Thus seeing nine bouts take place in correlation with the tournament that crowned Taneisha Tennant the victor after three straight wins.
Ultimately, Tennant’s momentum was quickly halted by Danyelle Wolf at 145-pounds on Dana White’s Contender Series. Outside of the Phoenix Series, Invicta only put on three other bantamweight bouts in their six 2020 events — two of which featured Lisa Verzosa.
When it comes to new talent, 2021 is already off to a better start. Panama’s Joselyne Edwards also signed on short notice with the UFC but looked great in a successful debut against Wu Yanan. Now, she’s set to fill in once again as she takes on Karol Rosa at UFC Vegas 18 in two weeks. Then there’s the aforementioned Dumont whose return to 135-pounds saw her style on Ashlee Evans-Smith. She too is already booked to go again as she faces Bea Malecki in April.
As it always does, history will surely repeat itself and the division will flourish at some point again. But until those days come, we’re stuck missing the glory days awaiting for fresh faces and threats to emerge and make their presence felt.
