Where We Stand: Women's Bantamweight Division | June 2023
The GOAT Called It A Career In Vancouver, So Without Amanda Nunes On Top, The Bantamweight Free-For-All Begins
“And still, forever!”
With that emphatic statement, Amanda Nunes tied a bow on her unparalleled career. The double-champ and consensus greatest woman to ever put on the four-ounce gloves called it a career in Vancouver after another defense of her title, riding off into the sunset with her wife Nina, daughter Raegan and their growing family. The surefire future Hall of Fame member went out on top, something nearly every athlete hopes to do, and as she left her gloves and belts in the Octagon, she did so with nothing left to accomplish. She did so with former rivals Julianna Pena and Valentina Shevchenko in the crowd, two faces likely to be in the mix for the vacant title fight that is imminent.
For the rest of the division, the mad dash to title contention is almost guaranteed to be furious and chaotic. This is where the division stands after a G.O.A.T. vacates their throne:
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Amanda Nunes (7/30/2022)
Next fight: N/A
Julianna Peña: Letter To My Younger Self | International Women's Day
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Julianna Peña: Letter To My Younger Self | International Women's Day
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Outlook: Pena was upset, frustrated and spiteful Octagonside as Nunes laid her gloves down in the Octagon. The former bantamweight champion felt she deserved a trilogy fight against Nunes, a fight that was actually the original main event in Vancouver until an injury forced Pena out of the fight. However, that will never come to pass, and Pena is left with – somewhat likely – facing someone else for the vacant belt in the coming months. Whether that is against Pennington, Holm, Shevchenko or someone else, Pena is surely to be in the mix.
Last Fight: Split Decision Win vs Ketlen Vieira (1/14/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Raquel Pennington reacts after her split decision victory over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov on January 14, 2023. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: Other than Pena, perhaps nobody was in an unluckier spot than Pennington when Aldana was tabbed Pena’s replacement at UFC 289. Pennington was booked to fight Aldana in what was certainly a No. 1 contender bout in May, which was scrapped after Aldana was granted the title shot. Pennington was in Vancouver and weighed in as the backup fighter, but “Rocky” almost certainly would’ve rather gotten into a fight in the last month. The former title challenger is riding a five-fight winning streak and seems to be in the best form of her long career. Whether she gets another booking against Aldana or is involved in the vacant title fight is yet to be seen, but she is certainly deserving of consideration.
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Yana Santos (3/25/2023)
Next fight: vs Mayra Bueno Silva (7/15/2023)
Holly Holm punches Ketlen Vieira of Brazil in a bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 21, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: The 41-year-old former champion is still going and is perhaps the most consistent presence in any division’s title picture. Holm has won three of her last four since losing a title fight against Nunes in 2019, and her lone loss since then (a split decision against Vieira) very well could’ve gone the other way. Holm was originally rumored to have a fight against Miesha Tate on the docket, but instead she gets Brazilian riser Mayra Bueno Silva. It isn’t a fight likely to earn Holm another crack at UFC gold, but it will keep her in the conversation. However, if she can provide one of those memorable knockouts like she is wont to do, then who knows what that could mean for “The Preacher’s Daughter.”
Last Fight: Split Decision Loss vs Raquel Pennington (1/14/2023)
Next fight: vs Pannie Kianzad (7/22/2023)
Ketlen Vieira of Brazil prepares to fight Holly Holm in a bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 21, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: Vieira has shown she can hang with the top of the bantamweight division since suffering her first professional loss to Aldana in December 2019. Although she has gone 3-2 since that fight, her wins over Tate and Holm have provided insight into the Brazilian’s toughness and physical presence in big fights. She is a gritty challenge for anyone at the top of the division, but given her losses to Aldana and Pennington, she might need a couple big wins before getting herself into the title mix.
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Amanda Nunes (6/10/2023)
Next fight: N/A
UFC Bantamweight Title Challenger Irene Aldana Trains In Vancouver Ahead Of Her Fight Against Amanda Nunes At UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana on June 10, 2023 (Photo by McKenzie Pavacich/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: Aldana was game, but like so many before her, she was no match for the all-around greatness of Nunes. She hung until the end, but other than a handful of moments, Aldana just couldn’t get going against “The Lioness.” That’s nothing to hang her head about, and Aldana will likely find herself in the title picture sooner rather than later. Whether she needs to make good on her scrapped matchup against Pennington first or gets immediately thrown into a vacant title fight is yet to be seen, but Aldana remains one of the most threatening presences in the division.
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Valentina Shevchenko | Top Finishes
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Oh, the directions this title picture may go!
While Pena is certainly expected to be in the mix, it was hard to not imagine Valentina Shevchenko having some thoughts as her former rival retired with her Octagonside. Shevchenko already holds a submission win – at bantamweight – over Pena, but she also has the business of a rematch against Alexa Grasso at hand. Whether or not she regains her long held flyweight title, it’s not out of the question to see “Bullet” fight for bantamweight gold once again.
Meanwhile, a couple of fresher faces are set to make bids against the Top 5 of the division in the coming months. Kianzad has long lingered in the 6-15 range of the rankings, and a win over Vieira could thrust her into the title picture. The same goes for Bueno Silva should she best Holm in July.
The most – for lack of better term – random rumor that has floated in the aftermath of Nunes’ retirement is the thought that flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield could be in the mix at 135 pounds, as well. She offered to fight Pena for the vacant belt, and she could become the youngest women’s champion ever, but she also hasn’t ever fought professionally at the weight despite her high-quality wins at 125 pounds.
