Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Women’s Atomweight

1. Seika Izawa (5-0) [1]

Izawa scored a significant upset at Rizin 33, as she put away reigning atomweight queen Ayaka Hamasaki with punches and elbows 2:50 into the second-round of their clash on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan. It was quite the promotional debut for the 24-year-old Tokyo native, who is the reigning Deep Jewels champion at strawweight. Assuming she wants to stick around in the organization, a rematch with Hamasaki for the Rizin atomweight crown would make sense.

2. Ayaka Hamasaki (23-4) [2]

Hamasaki suffered her first defeat since December 2019 at Rizin 33, where she fell to unbeaten prospect Seika Izawa via second-round technical knockout in a non-title bout at 108 pounds. That snaps a four-bout winning streak within the Japanese promotion for the soon-to-be 40-year-old, who remains the atomweight title holder. A rematch with Izawa — this time with the belt on the line — would seem to be imminent.

3. Saori Oshima (7-2) [3]

Oshima scored an impressive triumph in her promotional debut at Rizin 31, taking a split decision against Kanna Askaura in the evening’s co-main event at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 24. Oshima has won her last four professional outings, a run that includes a pair of victories to capture the Deep Jewels atomweight grand prix championship in June 2021.

4. Jessica Correa Delboni (12-3) [4]

After losing a contentious split verdict in their first meeting, Delboni was in complete control the second time around against Alesha Zappitella, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision behind stout takedown defense and a variety of damaging punches, elbows and knees in the Invicta FC 45 headliner on Jan. 12. The newly-crowned atomweight queen has won three of her last four under the Invicta banner, but with Zappitella expected to move to 115 pounds, a trilogy doesn’t appear to be likely at this point in time.

5. Kanna Asakura (18-6) [5]

Asakura came up short in the Rizin 31 co-main event, dropping a split decision to Saori Oshima on Oct. 24 at Pia Arena MMA in Yokohama, Japan. The former Rizin atomweight grand prix winner has dropped back-to-back split verdicts against Oshima and Ayaka Hamasaki after winning four straight fights from August 2019 to December 2020.

6. Alesha Zappitella (9-3, 1 NC) [6]

Zappitella landed a takedown at the outset of her rematch against Jessica Correa Delboni in the Invicta FC 45 headliner, but it was all downhill from there for “Half Pint,” who dropped a clear-cut unanimous decision in Kansas City on Jan. 12. That snaps a four-bout winning streak for Zappitella, who had previously defeated Delboni via controversial split decision in May 2021. Unless something changes, a trilogy won’t be in the cards, as Zappitella is expected to transition to the strawweight division.

7. Si Woo Park (6-4) [7]

Park pulled off an upset at Rizin 33, as she outpointed Shoot Boxing champion Rena Kubota on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. That victory caps off an active 2021 campaign for the South Korean, who went 2-2 over the course of this past year and was coming off back-to-back losses to Seika Izawa and Saori Oshima under the Deep Jewels banner. Now, Park appears to have new life as a contender in Rizin’s super atomweight division.

8. Rena Kubota (12-4) [8]

Kubota had a chance to lay claim to contender status in Rizin’s atomweight division, but instead the Shoot Boxing champion suffered an upset unanimous decision loss to Si Woo Park on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. That snaps a four-bout winning streak for Kubota, who had previously bested Miyuu Yamamoto, Emi Tomimatsu, Lindsey VanZandt and Alexandra Alvare Carlos under the Rizin banner.

9. Miyuu Yamamoto (6-6) [9]

Yamamoto’s chance for revenge was thwarted at Rizin 32, where she suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Rena Kubota in the evening’s main event at Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan. Yamamoto is now 0-2 against Kubota after a previous submission loss under the Rizin banner in 2016. The 47-year-old Krazy Bee representative has lost three of her last four appearances within the Japanese promotion, with all of those defeats coming inside the distance.

10. Ashley Cummins (7-6) [10]

For two rounds, Cummins appeared to be well on her way to securing atomweight gold at Invicta Fighting Championships 42, but she was unable to maintain that momentum, ultimately falling to Alesha Zappitella via shoulder choke in the fourth round of their headlining bout. It was the first submission loss of Cummins’ MMA career and the second time she has come up short in an Invicta FC championship fight.

Other Contenders: Satomi Takano, Mina Kurobe, Jillian DeCoursey, Ana Palacios, Hikaru Aono.

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, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, John Brannigan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.