At UFC 249, Carla Esparza walked out with a split decision win over fan-favorite Michelle Waterson. The win was her third since going on a losing streak back in 2018. It also marked the first time she has strung together a winning streak of greater than two since losing her strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in 2015. Now might be a very good time to see where exactly ‘Cookie Monster’ belongs in the division.

An active pro fighter since 2010, Esparza has had an interesting run in the UFC. She was the Invicta FC strawweight champion before entering the Ultimate Fighter tournament. She defeated future champion, Rose Namajunas, to win the title but did not hold it for long. In fact, it was her first title defense that put a dent in her reputation. The way Jedrzejczyk dominated her in the fight made all her past credentials look invalid.

It didn’t help that in 2016 she turned down a fight against then-top contender Claudia Gadelha. She did make it clear that she just wanted a tune-up fight but commentators and fans alike pointed it out that she had already bounced back from her loss with a win over Juliana Lima. Nonetheless, she got a fight against TUF rival Randa Markos. That is when things actually started going south.

Esparza not only lost the fight, but Markos also took the post-fight interview opportunity to call out her behavior on TUF.

She said, “The stuff I went through, it was clear bullying. I have a niece at home, and she’s being bullied right now in school and it really breaks my heart. I know what it feels like. I’ve been bullied in school and then I’m an adult now, and I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and I was being bullied as an adult. It really needs to stop.”

The fight dragged Esparza’s reputation in the pits. She did manage to bounce back with a pair of wins in 2017 but that glory barely lasted as she suffered yet another setback in 2018. First, at UFC 225, she lost a very close fight to long-time rival Claudia Gadelha. This was followed by a one-sided loss to rising contender Tatiana Suarez. Resulting in the first-ever losing streak in ‘the Cookie Monster’s career.

The former strawweight champion was then scheduled to fight promotional newcomer, Virna Jandiroba. The booking was significant because it showed that Esparza was now being treated as a stepping stone for younger contenders, a place that’s really difficult to emerge from. She did manage to win, but her next fight was against a similar prospect in Alexa Grasso. She did win that fight but the decision wasn’t unanimous.

Therefore, despite entering her fight against Waterson on an on-paper impressive win streak, not many expected her to win. This brings us to the point of where she belongs in the division. The fact that she’s lost to both Claudia and Suarez makes it very clear that, as of now, she’s not in the line for title contention. However, she’s managed to secure three very impressive wins that have greatly upgraded her resume. Which, at the very least, makes her eligible for fights against serious contenders. A position that places her as the dark horse of the division.

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The women’s strawweight division is one of the most exciting and active divisions in MMA and the UFC today. Since Joanna Jędrzejczyk lost the title back in 2017, the weight class has already seen three champions. The volatile nature of the division has resulted in the strawweights having far too many contenders for a champion to fend off. However, for the time being, it looks like Weili Zhang simply doesn’t have a challenger.

If you take a close look at the top fighters of the division you’ll notice they are comprised of easily the best women in the UFC. Among the top five fighters at 115lbs, there are three former champions and an undefeated fan-favorite. The rest of the division consists of title challengers, rising prospects, and former pound-for-pound stalwarts. Yet, not one person seems to be ready for a title shot.

The most obvious choice for the title fight is the undefeated Tatiana Suarez. A neck injury, which she suffered in her fight against Nina Ansaroff in June 2019, has unfortunately rendered her out of the competition. In a recent interview, she made it clear that she’s not returning anytime soon. “I tried to go live for jiu-jitsu and it didn’t go well,” she explained. “I was going with a girl that weighed like 100 pounds, and I was like, ‘Oh, my neck hurts.’ I usually roll with men that are heavy and I feel fine. (It’s) not a good sign. … What I’ve got to do for now is just drill until I’m a little bit better, and then I can get back to going live again.”

A new contender could have emerged from the Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade fight at UFC 249, but Rose had to pull out of the fight. That means Rose is out of the picture for the time being and Andrade needs at least one more win before she can gain credibility to fight for the title. Joanna just lost to Zhang and Nina Ansroff is out of the picture because of pregnancy. This opens the door for other lower-ranked contenders.

With the possible exception of Xiaonan Yan, not one fighter is on a credible win streak in the top ten. Michelle Waterson, who is scheduled to face Carla Esparza, is coming off a loss to Jedrzejczyk. Esparza, despite being on a two-fight winning streak, has very recent losses to both Gadelha and Suarez so pushing her ahead of rest doesn’t make sense. Claudia Gadelha bounced back from a loss to Nina Ansroff by securing an unimpressive win over Randa Markos. Cynthia Calvillo and Mariana Rodriguez fought to a draw back in December.

This brings us to Yan. She has amassed a record of 5-0 in the UFC but not one of those wins is against a top-ranked fighter. The names on her record are impressive but most of them weren’t at their best when she defeated them. For example, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, a former title challenger, was on a three-fight losing streak when she faced Xiaonan Yan. Thus failing to add the necessary gravitas to Yan’s resume.

The on-going coronavirus crisis has given the sport something of a pause, perhaps allowing injured fighters like Suarez to heal up. However it provides no help to the mess the strawweight division is in beyond that. The champion now has two very clear options, either wait out for the division to find its due course or face an unlikely challenger.

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Even with a loss to UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in May at UFC 211, Andrade has quickly fought her way back into the title picture. It didn’t always seem to be so straightforward for the Brazilian, who made the move to 115-pounds from 135-pounds in June of last year.

The decision to drop weight classes came after Andrade amassed a 4-3 record over more than two years at bantamweight in the UFC.

Losing her promotional debut to Liz Carmouche in July of 2013, Andrade tallied three consecutive victories before being submitted by Marion Reneau in February of 2015. A rebound-win over Sarah Moras was followed by a submission loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 191, someone she had defeated via split-decision at UFC 171.

Since making the move, all she’s done is go 4-1, with a Performance of the Night and two Fight of the Night bonuses over those five bouts. Andrade ended 2016 with back-to-back finishes, defeating Jessica Penne via TKO at UFC 199 and Joanne Calderwood via submission at UFC 203. With a couple of wins under her belt, she was ready for a step-up in competition, and hit her strawweight stride at the perfect time.

Fighting three times already this year, Andrade is 2-1 against a few of the best female fighters in MMA. In February, she threw down with former Invicta FC strawweight champion Angela Hill, winning by unanimous decision in the Fight of the Night at UFC Houston. Then came the unanimous decision loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 211 for the UFC strawweight title.

That brings us to last weekend. Battling fellow Brazilian and top-tier strawweight Claudia Gadelha, Andrade put together what is likely the most impressive victory of her career. Now, 23 fights into said career, things are aligning for the 25-year-old. From strawweight to bantamweight, and that division on-the-way in between, Andrade could find herself competing in high-profile bouts in a few weight classes.

Or not. Either way, it’s up to her, and she’s earned the felixbility headed her way. There are interesting, important potential matchups across multiple divisions for Andrade, so we decided to take a look at the paths she could take in the near future.

Strawweight

Much of what happens at the top of the UFC’s strawweight division depends on champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. As it should. The most recent update from Joanna Champion indicates that Andrade may have a chance at a rematch sooner rather than later.

Planning for two more title defenses, Jedrzejczyk is aiming to best Ronda Rousey’s mark of six title-defenses with seven of her own. The first step is defeating Rose Namajunas at UFC 217. But after that, the door is wide open for a contender to step-in.

Yeah, we’ve already seen Andrade and Jedrzejczyk fight, and it wasn’t exactly competitive. But, should Joanna Champion extend her streak against Namajunas this November, there aren’t many other options.

Going down the list of ranked contenders, you’d have to go to fifth-ranked Tecia Torres for a fresh Jedrzejczyk opponent. Torres’ 9-1 record is great, but comparing her last five strawweight bouts to the likes of Andrade showcases the impressive resume’ the Brazilian has built in her short time at 115-pounds.

Should Jedrzejczyk and the UFC decide to look elsewhere for their first strawweight title-fight in 2018, Andrade still has a couple of great potential bouts. Depending on how they do in what is likely their last fights of the year, Namajunas and Karolina Kowalkiewicz would make fantastic opponents for Andrade.

Making up the “We’ve lost to JJ” club, seeing how Andrade would do against others who’ve had to deal with Jedrzejczyk would be plenty interesting. If and when Jedrzejczyk makes the move to flyweight, someone is going to have to take her place. Recording a win over Gadelha likely earns Andrade a spot in that potential vacant title-bout, and another over either Namajunas or Kowalkiewicz would seal the deal.

That being said, what if Andrade is the superstar strawweight intersted in cecking out flyweight?

Flyweight

It may be the place to be in women’s MMA soon, and considering the quality of her fights in 2017, Andrade may want to consider giving the UFC’s flyweight division a crack. Of course, following an impressive win over Gadelha and the run at 115-pounds that she’s had, it’s more likely Andrade sticks around at strawweight. But, don’t completely rule flyweight out.

With at least five fights at both 135-pounds and 115-pounds in the UFC, while never missing weight, logic would tell us that Andrade could easily make 125-pounds. Depending on how the chips fall to close out the year, and the landscape of the UFC’s women’s divisions throughout 2018, Andrade could find the opportunity to make the jump for a major fight.

She’s already successfully shown she has the guts to make big moves in her career that she felt would lead to success. If flyweight becomes that next path, don’t be surprised to see Andrade fighting in the UFC’s newest division in the future.

Bantamweight

The UFC’s women’s bantamweight division is in rough shape. Former champions Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey don’t look like they’ll be rejoining the fun anytime soon, while other former champion Holly Holm seems set on a featherweight title bout with Cris Cyborg. Now that we’ve been treated to Nunes-Shevchenko 2, and Shevchenko’s announced her flyweight plans, the division could use some contenders.

Currently, Raquel Pennington looks like the best option for Nunes’ next attempt at defending her title. As mentioned before, Andrade is currently 1-1 against Pennington, her last bantamweight foe in September of 2015.

The odds that, after all of her work at strawweight, and adjusting her body to fighting 20-pounds lighter, Andrade wants to go back to where she’s already been are slim. Should flyweight lure some contenders from bantamweight in the coming years, and Nunes continue her reign atop the division, a fresh contender with a well-known name might not be the worst idea.

Again, unlikely given Andrade’s current standing and recent success at strawweight. But it is definitely an option, one that will probably be on the table for some time if the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division continues it’s decline.

Fighters aren’t used to having options, or any sort of control over their careers. Oftentimes in situations where decisions are agreed to under less than ideal circumstances, fighters tend to struggle. Rather than continuing to be in tough spots in a rough division, Jessica Andrade took a risk, and paved her own path. Her well-earned reward after not only taking the risk, but winning fights, is a flexibility that many fighters dream of.

She’s doing great at strawweight, and is likely headed toward another title-shot in 2018. But, Andrade has the proven ability to switch-gears and adjust her goals when the moment is right, so don’t be surprised if she does so again in the future. Either way, her fights are incredibly entertaining, and we’ll be watching regardless of which division she’s in.

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Whether it was Joanna Jedrzejczyk impressively extending her reign as champion, Jessica Andrade providing a fresh face, or Rose Namajunas clamoring for a title shot, fans of the UFC’s strawweight division have been spoiled this year. Top-tier matchups and quality matchmaking have set the table for the fun to continue well into 2017.

The promotion has some interesting puzzle pieces to fit together, and how they utilize their strawweights ahead of the creation of the women’s flyweight division this year will have a big impact on the future of the 115-pound weight class. It is currently one of the best in the UFC, featuring one of the most dominant and popular champions in the promotion, and a quality list of legitimate contenders MMA fans recognize.

The division is still growing as well, but that may change as more female fighters are able to compete in the UFC at 125 pounds in the near future. Until then, we’ll happily enjoy the likes of Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and more battle for a (or another) shot at Joanna Champion’s belt.

Recapping the Action

Although the likes of Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha wouldn’t feature until May and June respectively, the early months of 2017 had plenty of worthwhile strawweight action. Most notably: Jessica Andrade’s continued ascension in the 115-pound division. Her final win before a much-deserved title shot came at UFC Houston in February, the card with the most scheduled strawweight bouts thus far this year.

That win for Andrade, her third straight at 115-pounds, came against former Invicta FC strawweight champion Angela Hill in her return to the UFC. That “Fight of the Night” winner was sandwiched between impressive wins for Felice Herrig over Alexa Grasso and Tecia Torres over Bec Rawlings. Although, Rawlings missed weight, and the bout was fought at a catchweight 117.5 pounds.

Later that month in Halifax, the inaugural UFC strawweight champion returned to action, as Carla Esparza lost to Randa Markos via split decision and moved to 1-1 since losing her belt to Jedrzejczyk.

Then, we were introduced to Cynthia Calvillo. The 29-year-old California native made her UFC debut with a professional record of 3-0 heading into her main card bout against Amanda Cooper at UFC 209 in March. She made the most of the opportunity, submitting Cooper via rear-naked choke 3:19 into the first round. Calvillo would then fight in the promotion’s very next strawweight bout, again on the main card of a pay-per-view, at UFC 210 in April. Another high-profile UFC bout would turn into another victory for Calvillo, who submitted Pearl Gonzalez at the 3:45 mark of the third round.

While the year started well for the division, it hadn’t really even begun until UFC Kansas City in mid-April. There, Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson were the co-main event of a FOX network televised card, giving the 115-pound weight class the spotlight it had earned in its short time in the promotion. Namajunas, part of the original cast of The Ultimate Fighter that brought the division to the UFC, made smooth work of one of the toughest opponents of her career, submitting Waterson in the second round.

While that bout got things going for the strawweight division, Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s title-defense against 115-pound weight class newcomer Jessica Andrade at UFC 211 satiated our thirst for greatness. In another mind-numbingly impressive performance, Jedrzejczyk won round after round, reminding us all why we don’t miss any of her fights.

But, there is always Claudia Gadelha. Something we were reminded of almost as quickly as we were of Joanna Champion’s status as the world’s premier strawweight. Giving the division a constant title contender, Gadelha dispatched of fellow former Jedrzejczyk title-foe Karolina Kowalkiewicz in quick fashion, becoming the first fighter to finish the Poland native in her 12-fight career.

Looking Ahead

Throughout the summer, a slew of strawweight bouts are currently scheduled. At UFC Auckland JJ Aldrich is fighting Chan-Mi Jeon, and at UFC Oklahoma City veteran Felice Herrig will take on undefeated Justine Kish while former division champ Carla Esparza is hoping to rebound off of a loss in a bout with Maryna Moroz.

In July at The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale prior to UFC 213, former Invicta FC 115-pound champ Angela Hill gets her second bout in her second stanza with the promotion against Ashely Yoder. Later that month in Glasgow, we get the return of Cynthia Calvillo. She’ll get the toughest test of her career thus far when she fights Joanne Calderwood in the co-main event.

After that, it’s all up to promotion President Dana White (apparently). He’s got plenty of chips to play with, including the top seven fighters in the official UFC strawweight rankings. A few matchups make more sense than most, so we’re going to do our best to help ol’ Dana out with some matchmaking.

First, for the champion, there’s one option that makes more sense than the rest: Rose Namajunas. In another division, with different circumstances, she may not be the number one contender. But, when Joanna Jedrzejczyk is demolishing every top-tier contender thrown her way, others need to step up. Following her win over Waterson earlier this year, and lack of a loss to Jedrzejczyk coupled with her #3 ranking, make her the most currently deserving contender.

That’s a bummer for Claudia Gadelha, who is likely the world’s best strawweight not-named Joanna Jedrzejczyk. There are interesting and meaningful fights available for Gadelha, though, who finds herself in a similar situation to Frankie Edgar in the featherweight division. We’d like to see her take on another fighter who’s also lost a title bout to Jedrzejczyk recently: fellow Brazilian Jessica Andrade.

A couple of other top-tier strawweights coming off of losses that could find themselves in a bout fighting for title-picture relevance is Michelle Waterson and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. The duo had opportunities to earn better positioning heading into the summer, and could rebound quickly with a win over the other. So, why not have them fight?

There’s also Paige VanZant and Tecia Torres looking for fights, although they’re trending in different directions. Randa Markos is also looking for a fight, coming off of her win over Carla Esparza earlier this year. And we shouldn’t forget about Cortney Casey, either, who is coming off of a win over Jessica Aguilar and is facing issues with the Texas Athletic Commission.

We’ve been treated to a great first half of the year in the strawweight division. Great fights, high-quality matchups, and impressive performances from a variety of fighters all contributed to making the 115-pound weight class one of the most entertaining of 2017 thus far. Considering the disaster that is the women’s featherweight division, and the muddied title races at flyweight, lightweight, and middleweight, we’ll take our strawweight division just the way it is and happily look forward to the rest of the year.

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