Best Women's MMA Fighters of All Time: Top 10 Ranked

Holm is 15-7 with one no contest. She makes the list for one night and one kick. At UFC 193 on November 15, 2015, she knocked out a 12-0 Ronda Rousey with a head kick at 0:59 of round two to win the UFC bantamweight title. Still the sport's biggest upset.

Holm was already a boxing world champion in three weight classes. She lost four more UFC title fights, including to Cyborg at UFC 219 on December 30, 2017, and Nunes at UFC 239 on July 6, 2019. Back in boxing, she dropped two close fights to WBA champion Stephanie Han in January and May 2026.

Most fans under 25 have never watched Mega Megu. Their loss. Fujii started her career 22-0 and finished 26-3 with 19 submission wins. All three losses were decisions.

Her best run was the 2010 Bellator strawweight tournament: armbars of Carla Esparza at Bellator 24 on August 12 and Lisa Ellis at Bellator 31 on September 30, then a split decision loss to Zoila Frausto in the final at Bellator 34 on October 28, 2010, that most people thought she won. She retired after a technical decision loss to Jessica Aguilar at Vale Tudo Japan 3rd on October 5, 2013. She never fought in the UFC, the only reason she is not higher.

Namajunas is 14-8. Do not skip past her. She won two strawweight titles by knocking out the two best strawweights ever. At UFC 217 on November 4, 2017, she stopped Joanna Jedrzejczyk at 3:03 of round one. At UFC 261 on April 24, 2021, she head kicked Zhang Weili at 1:18 of the first.

She defended against both too, a unanimous decision over Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223 on April 7, 2018, and a split decision over Zhang at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021. Flyweight has been rougher: her latest was a unanimous decision loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026, that most media scorers gave to Rose.

Harrison won Olympic judo gold in 2012 and 2016. She is 19-1, won the PFL lightweight tournament in 2019 and 2021, and her only loss is a decision to Larissa Pacheco in the PFL final on November 25, 2022.

In the UFC she submitted Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024, outpointed Ketlen Vieira, and took the bantamweight title from Julianna Pena with a kimura at 4:55 of round two at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025. Her first defense, against Nunes, fell off UFC 324 in January 2026 after neck surgery and is now the co-main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2026.

Rousey is why the UFC has a women's division, and the resume holds up. She won the Strikeforce bantamweight title by armbarring Miesha Tate on March 3, 2012, then became the first UFC women's champion and defended six times, including Cat Zingano in 14 seconds at UFC 184 on February 28, 2015, and Bethe Correia in 34 seconds at UFC 190 on August 1, 2015. Twelve fights, twelve finishes.

Then Holm took her head off, and Nunes finished her in 48 seconds at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016. She entered the Hall of Fame in 2018, went to WWE, and on May 16, 2026, came back at MVP MMA 1 to armbar Gina Carano in 17 seconds. She is 14-2 and says she is done again.

Jedrzejczyk finished 16-5, every loss to a fighter on this list. She took the strawweight belt from Carla Esparza by TKO at UFC 185 on March 14, 2015, and defended it five straight times, ending with Jessica Andrade at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017.

Namajunas stopped her at UFC 217 and outpointed her at UFC 223. She lost a flyweight title fight to Shevchenko at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, and a split decision to Zhang Weili at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020, in what many still call the best women's fight ever. Zhang knocked her out at UFC 275 on June 11, 2022, and she retired in the cage. She entered the Hall of Fame in 2024; the Zhang fight followed on July 9, 2026.

Zhang is 26-4 and a two-time strawweight champion. Only the flyweight experiment keeps her out of the top three. She won the belt by flattening Jessica Andrade in 42 seconds in Shenzhen on August 31, 2019, the first UFC champion from China, then beat Jedrzejczyk by split decision at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020.

After losing the belt to Namajunas, she put together her best stretch: a spinning back fist knockout of Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 on June 11, 2022, a rear naked choke of Carla Esparza at UFC 281 on November 12, 2022, to regain the title, then three decision defenses, the last over Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 on February 9, 2025. She vacated on October 25, 2025, and lost a clear unanimous decision to Shevchenko at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025. She has not fought since.

Cyborg is 30-2 with one no contest. One loss was her pro debut in 2005. The other was 51 seconds against Nunes at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. Everything else is wins, across 21 years.

She beat Gina Carano for the Strikeforce title on August 15, 2009, won Invicta gold in 2013, took the UFC featherweight title from Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017, then won the Bellator title from Julia Budd on January 25, 2020, and defended it five times. In the PFL she choked out Sara Collins on December 13, 2025, for the inaugural featherweight belt, then beat Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa on August 22, 2026, by scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46. She is 41 and called out Kayla Harrison from the cage. Belts from five promotions. Nobody else has that.

Shevchenko is 26-4-1, a two-time flyweight champion, and her nine title defenses are the most by any woman in UFC history. Her first reign started with a win over Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, and ran seven defenses before Alexa Grasso caught her with a face crank at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023. The rematch was a split draw.

She won the belt back by unanimous decision at UFC 306 on September 14, 2024, then beat Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025, and Zhang Weili at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025. Her two losses to Nunes, at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016, and a split decision at UFC 215 on September 9, 2017, are why she is not number one. In September 2026 she vacated after ligament injuries to her shoulder and back, with the UFC saying she could be out up to a year. Her coach says she will come back for it.

Nunes is 23-5 and beat every woman ever called the greatest before her. Miesha Tate at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, by rear naked choke in round one for the bantamweight title. Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016, by TKO in 48 seconds. Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018, by knockout in 51 seconds for the featherweight title. Holly Holm at UFC 239 on July 6, 2019, with a head kick in round one.

She made six bantamweight defenses and two at featherweight, and held both belts at once, which no other woman has done. The one blemish is Julianna Pena, who choked her out at UFC 269 on December 11, 2021. Nunes took the belt back at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022, beat Irene Aldana at UFC 289 on June 10, 2023, and retired in the cage.

Now she is coming back, at 38, against Kayla Harrison at UFC 334 on November 14, 2026. Win or lose, she still beat Rousey, Cyborg, Holm, Tate and Shevchenko. Nobody is taking that away.