UFC Match Making: Women's Bantamweight Division 10/22

Matt Hylen
Oct 22, 2025
6 min read

Current Rankings

C Kayla Harrison

1 Julianna Peña

2 Raquel Pennington

3 Ketlen Vieira

4 Norma Dumont

5 Yana Santos

6 Irene Aldana

7 Macy Chiasson

8 Ailin Perez

9 Karol Rosa

10 Mayra Bueno Silva

11 Jaqueline Cavacanti

12 Nora Cornolle

13 Miesha Tate

14 Jaselyne Edwards

15 Luana Santos

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Key

Booked Fight

Rumored Fight

My Hypothetical Fights

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^CKayla Harrison

Amanda Nunes

Kayla Harrison is an absolute beast. She has some of the best grappling and submission ability we have ever seen in the UFC, making her virtually unstoppable if she gets you to the ground. We have yet to see her ability on the feet over a longer period of time, but she honestly has not needed to worry about that since she takes down her opponents so easily. That being said, Amanda Nunes is the GOAT of women's MMA. She is one of the most complete fighters, men's or women's, that we have ever seen. Period. If Nunes comes out of retirement like she's intending to do, I think this fight is inevitable and gives Harrison her biggest test to date.

I would have Harrison by submission here. I just cannot see Harrison losing to anyone right now if she can get the fight to the ground. She is just that good.

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¹Julianna Peña

⁵Yana Santos

Peña is coming off a dominant loss to Kayla Harrison, revealing that she was not truly ready to make a run as a champion. Of course, she is still an elite grappler, so I think a perfect rebound for her is someone who is absolutely deserving of a title eliminator. Yana Santos is a fantastic striker who is on a three-fight winning streak after beating Macy Chiasson. She proved she can handle grapple-first fighters, which makes this fight all the more intriguing. Plus, with Peña having fought Raquel Pennington and beating her recently and Dumont and Vieira booked, it only makes sense for this fight to happen if Peña wants to fight soon.

I would have Peña by submission here. Santos' ground game has improved with each fight, but Peña is a different beast once she gains her confidence.

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²Raquel Pennington

⁸Ailin Perez

After losing the belt to Julianna Peña in October of last year, Pennington should still be considered in the title contention. She is one of the more balanced fighters in the division with elite ability to set up her punches and takedowns. She is a bit of a decision merchant, but does a great job at controlling and managing fights. I think a perfect comeback fight for Pennington is Ailin Perez. Perez is the biggest up-and-comer in the division in my opinion. She's a machine on the ground, has an elite ability to take control of fights early, and has won her last 5 fights. Depending on how it happens, the winner of this fight could be in for a title shot next, or at the very least a title eliminator.

I would have Perez by decision here. I feel Perez will take control of the octagon and prioritize getting the upper hand on Pennington in the grappling game. I think Ailin is a better striker overall than Raquel, with a better ability to control a fight.

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³Ketlen Vieira

⁴Norma Dumont

This is such a fun fight if you're a die-hard fan. For the casual fan, neither fighter has dangerous KO ability, but they are great grapplers when they can take their opponent down. Vieira has won 3 of her last 5 fights by decision, with Dumont's 5-fight win streak all coming by decision as well. This will be a very technical fight and likely come down to whoever starts the clinching/grappling first.

I have Dumont by decision here. Both fighters are decision merchants, so I feel it will come down to who shoots a takedown first. Vieira tends to open up too often for opponent takedowns, causing me to believe that Dumont will have no problem in that department.

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⁶Irene Aldana

⁹Karol Rosa

With both Aldana and Rosa sort of stuck in the middle of the rankings currently, this would be a great way to determine which fighter deserves to keep elevating and which starts a decline. Aldana is not the most active fighter in the world, but always brings her A-game when she fights. She lost by decision to Norma Dumont last time out, so fighting below her ranking is probably the best for her. As for Rosa, she is coming off a decision-win against Norma Cornolle in her last fight, proving she deserves to start elevating in opponent. This fight could be a technical chess match.

I would have Rosa by decision here. I think she is the more confident fighter whose Muay Thai could give Aldana fits. Aldana is a great striker, but I feel it could be difficult for her to find her range against a complex fighter in Rosa.

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⁷Macy Chiasson

¹⁴Joselyne Edwards

This is a pretty big step down for Macy Chiasson on paper, but Edwards has more than proven she is ready for the big stage. Chiasson's loss to Yana Santos marked her second in a row and third of her last five, so a step down may be in the cards. As for Edwards, she has won three in a row in dominant fashion (2 by TKO/KO and 1 by submission). Edwards has some of the heaviest hands in this division, which I think could be very interesting to test against a balanced fighter like Chiasson.

I would have Edwards by TKO/KO here. Edwards has been on a tear lately, and Chiasson seems to be past her prime and on the decline of her career. This division needs more exciting fighters at the top; Edwards is the perfect candidate.

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¹⁰Myra Bueno Silva

¹¹Jacqueline Cavalcanti

This should be a very quick fight in my eyes. Myra Bueno Silva is past her prime and on a 3-fight losing streak, while Jacqueline Cavalcanti has won all four of her fights in the UFC. Bueno Silva will likely look to take the fight to the ground, but I have little faith she can do anything if she tries. Cavalcanti has great hands that can keep the distance between her and Bueno Silva, ultimately causing her to land a punch or two that'll rattle Bueno Silva.

I have Cavalcanti by TKO/KO here. Bueno Silva had a good run, but it's time for her to hang it up soon.

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¹³Miesha Tate

Bia Mesquita

Having lost three of her last five fights, Miesha Tate is dangerously close to losing her ranking. I think a non-ranked opponent should be the next step for her in order to regain her confidence. So, in my eyes, who better than one of the most exciting prospects in the division in Bia Mesquita? Mesquita was a champion in another promotion, so you know she has what it takes, and won her UFC debut in pretty dominant fashion. As I said before, this division needs more finishers; Mesquita is the perfect fast-track candidate who could take this division by storm. She is a beast on the ground, which could give a huge test to Tate.

I would have Mesquita by submission here. Mesquita is too good on the ground and Tate is on a steep decline in performance. I think this fight would be done relatively quickly.

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¹⁵Luana Santos

Darya Zheleznyakova

(Winner fights ¹²Norma Cornolle)

To start, Luana Santos will be getting a huge test in Darta Zheleznyakova. With opposite fight styles, this matchup could favor Santos. Yet, Zheleznyakova is extremely dangerous on the feet with a good enough ground game. I think this fight could be a barn burner and come down to a close decision. Both are coming off much-needed wins and are fighting for their spot in the rankings, so you already know a lot is at stake for these two. That being said, I feel Santos' ground game will be too much for Zheleznyakova, with Santos overwhelming her by the end of the fight.

I have Santos by Decision here.

That means Luana Santos would be moving up in the world to fight 12th-ranked Norma Cornolle. Cornolle has lost two of her last three, thus proving why she deserves an opponent ranked below her, but she still has gas left in the tank. I think this fight could be a grappling chess match in which both fighters show off their ability.

That being said, I would go with Santos by decision here as well. I think Santos is the better ground fighter who will ultimately control the fight.