Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Atomweight

1. Ayaka Hamasaki (18-2)

It took a strong third round to do so, but Hamasaki held off Invicta queen Jinh Yu Frey to win a unanimous decision in a champion vs. champion bout at Rizin 16. It was Hamasaki’s second victory over Frey – she also defeated the American under the Invicta banner – and fourth consecutive triumph overall. The 37-year-old Tokyo native has also bested Kanna Asakura, Mina Kurobe and Alyssa Garcia in Rizin bouts.

2. Seo Hee Ham (20-8)

After a 1-3 stint in the Octagon led to her UFC release, Ham has excelled competing back at her natural weight class. “Hamderlei Silva” extended her winning streak to three at Road FC 51, as she outpointed Jeong Eun Park in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 15. That triumph comes on the heels of KO/TKO stoppages of Jinh Yu Frey and Mina Kurobe, firmly entrenching Ham as one of the world’s best at 105 pounds.

3. Jinh Yu Frey (8-4)

For two rounds, Frey held her own with Ayaka Hamasaki at Rizin 16 – and many observers believe the Invicta champ might have even been getter the better of her opponent. Alas, a strong third frame gave Hamasaki a decision victory and prevented Frey from returning to Invicta with two title belts in tow. Frey hasn’t fared so well in cross-promotional bouts, as she was also knocked out by Road FC atomweight titlist Seo Hee Ham in December 2017.

4. Miyuu Yamamoto (5-3)

Yamamoto has righted the ship in a major way since beginning her professional career with losses in three of her first four fights. The 44-year-old Krazy Bee representative earned her fourth consecutive triumph at Rizin 16, upsetting 21-year-old rising star Kanna Asakura in a featured contest. Yamamoto has gone the distance in each of her four victories, also besting Mika Nagano, Andy Nguyen and Saori Ishioka under the Rizin banner.

5. Kanna Asakura (14-4)

After an eight-fight winning streak that included a victory in Rizin’s atomweight grand prix, Asakura has lost two of her last three fights. That includes a surprising loss to Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin 16 on June 2 as well as a submission defeat to reigning atomweight champ Ayaka Hamasaki at Rizin 14 on New Year’s Eve. The future remains bright for Asakura, who doesn’t turn 22 years old until October.

6. Rena Kubota (8-2)

After having a New Year’s Eve date with Samantha-Jean Francois fall through due to a bad weight cut, Kubota was rebooked against Francois at Rizin 15, where she won a unanimous decision at strawweight. The reigning Shoot Boxing flyweight queen has won seven of her nine Rizin appearances, finishing all but one of those victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Kubota will represent Rizin when she faces Lindsey VanZandt in a cross-promotional matchup at Bellator 222.

7. Maria de Oliveira Neta (10-4)

Neta, a product of Brazil’s Parana Vale Tudo impressed in her Rizin 108-pound grand prix quarterfinal against Alyssa Garcia in October and dominated the American with sharp striking. However, Neta had her nine-fight winning streak snapped on New Year’s Eve in the tournament semifinals, as she had no answer the grappling of Kanna Asakura, who armbarred her in the second round. Neta took another defeat on the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contenders Series, falling to Marina Alcalde Rodriguez via first-round TKO. However, that bout was contested at strawweight, and Rodriguez has since signed a UFC deal.

8. Ashley Cummins (7-4)

Cummins’ decision to move down to 105 pounds following her loss on “The Ultimate Fighter 23” continues to pay dividends. “Smashley” garnered a unanimous verdict over Jessica Correa Delboni at Invicta FC 32 for her second consecutive triumph. Cummins has won four of her last five bouts since 2016, with her only setback during that run coming in a competitive decision loss to Invicta champ Jinh Yu Frey.

9. Minna Grusander (6-3)

Grusander hasn’t hurt her stock much in two bouts with Jinh Yu Frey, but she hasn’t emerged with a victory, either. “Brutsku” dropped a split verdict to Frey in their rematch at Invicta FC 33 after losing a somehow more controversial unanimous decision in their first meeting. The 29-year-old Finland native has nonetheless proven to be a tough out at 105 pounds and should be in line for another interesting matchup in the all-female promotion.

10. Alesha Zappitella (5-0)

The 23-year-old Zappitella remained unbeaten in her burgeoning career at Invicta FC 33, earning a unanimous decision victory against FIT-NHB export Amber Brown. An accomplished amateur wrestler, “Half Pint” landed multiple takedowns against her opponent, using suffocating top pressure and ground-and-pound to earn an impressive triumph. The lone blemish on Zappitella’s ledger — a no contest against Stephanie Alba at Combate Americas 13 — was due to a failed marijuana test. Zappitella will look to build upon her resume when she faces Viviane Pereira at Invicta FC 35 on June 7.



Other Contenders: Tomo Maesawa, Kyra Batara, Mina Kurobe, Lisbeth Lopez Silva, Satomi Takano.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Jesse Denis, Eric Stinton, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Jacob Debets, Keith Shillan, Edward Carbajal, Jason Burgos, Guy Portman, Anthony Walker, Tudor Leonte, Cole Shelton, Abhinav Kini, Mike Sloan, Tom Feely, and Adam Martin.