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UFC women fighters might not be as talked about as their male counterparts, but they are in no way any less capable and skilled. The women's divisions in the UFC are filled with lethal killers, some of whom could even put the male fighters out cold if provided with an opportunity. There's as much blood and as many gnarly injuries, but with an extra pinch of niceties.
Legends of the past and present in the UFC women's divisions, such as Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, are well known.
However, there are several rising stars in the UFC women's divisions who are set to conquer the world in the years to come. Let's take a look at these less-discussed future UFC Hall of Famers.
Here are five rising stars in the UFC women's divisions:
#5. Yan Xiaonan (UFC women's strawweight)
Yan Xiaonan is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC women's strawweight division. With a background in sanda, which is equivalent to Chinese kickboxing, she made her MMA debut in 2009.
She made her UFC debut in 2017 and suffered her first loss since 2010 against Carla Esparza at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. The TKO loss ended her 11-fight winning streak.
Yan Xiaonan is currently ranked fourth in the UFC women's strawweight division and is placed 14th in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings. She is a high-volume striker with an average of 5.95 significant strikes landed per minute.
The 32-year-old is also well-rounded in other aspects, with 61% takedown defense and 75% takedown accuracy.
She also uses head kicks and lethal one-two combinations with ease. Her reliance on brutal fire-power made her the first Chinese fighter to be signed by the UFC.
#4. Kanako Murata (UFC women's strawweight)
Japanese mixed martial artist Kanako Murata, who started her MMA career in 2016, is now a rising star in the UFC women's strawweight division. She made her MMA debut with Rizin and has fought in multiple promotions, including Invicta FC, where she is a former strawweight champion. At 27 years of age, Murato is 12-2 in her MMA career with six stoppage wins.
The granddaughter of a dojo master, Murata started training judo when she was three years old. She won the national judo championship during her high school years and then transitioned to freestyle wrestling. In 2011, at the age of 17, Murata won the Junior World Championship in freestyle wrestling.
Kanako Murata made her UFC debut in 2020 and, although currently unranked, is a rising star in the UFC women's strawweight division.
Murata has 59% striking accuracy with strong grappling and jiu-jitsu. Prior to her most recent TKO loss, which came after an elbow dislocation, she was on a nine-match winning streak.
#3. Mackenzie Dern (UFC women's strawweight)
Mackenzie Dern made her UFC debut in 2018 and has gone 6-1 since then. Her loss against Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night 161 is the only one in her MMA career that started in 2016. The UFC women's strawweight is a former world No. 1-ranked IBJJF competitor and an ADCC and no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.
Currently ranked No.6 in the UFC women's strawweight division, Mackenzie Dern is one of the most promising contenders of the current lot. She has never been stopped and is 11-1 in her MMA career with seven submission wins. The 28-year-old has a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and it shows.
Mackenzie Dern has four submission wins in her UFC career, with three of them coming in her last four fights and winning her a 'Performance of the Night' bonus on each occasion.
#2. Maycee Barber (UFC women's flyweight)
Maycee Barber is one of the youngest and most promising stars in the UFC. She is currently ranked 14th in the UFC women's flyweight division, with nine wins and two losses in her MMA career.
Along with a second-degree black belt in karate, she also has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which she got while training under Rener and Ryron Gracie.
Maycee Barber earned her UFC debut after a dominating performance in Dana White's Contender Series 13, defeating Jamie Colleen via TKO late in round three. The 24-year-old was on an eight-fight winning streak before she tasted two quick losses in succession at UFC 246 and 258.
'The Future' is 9-2 in her MMA career and has seven stoppage wins, three of which have come in the UFC. She is a high-volume striker with 54% striking defense and 66% takedown defense.
Barber will most certainly be a threat to the UFC women's flyweight division. Her stay in 14th place in the division won't be long as she has regained momentum after beating Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 32.
#1. Aspen Ladd (UFC women's bantamweight)
Aspen Ladd has been competing since she was 19. After picking up an 8-1 record in her amateur MMA career, she made her pro debut with Invicta FC in 2015. Ladd is 9-1 (4-1 in the UFC) with six knockout wins and one submission.
She is a seasoned striker and grappler. Ladd trains in boxing and also has an excellent 8-0 record in kickboxing. She has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and tops it up with a 75% takedown accuracy.
Aspen Ladd is currently ranked 3rd in the UFC women's bantamweight division and is tenth in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings. She has been out of action since 2019, with two of her bouts getting canceled due to injuries. Ladd, though, is quite confident in her role as a top contender and wishes to take on Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
Ladd holds the record for being on the wrong end of the fastest knockout in UFC women's bantamweight history. However, it came soon after she went through a weight cut that caused a stir in MMA circles.
