The UFC women’s featherweight division recently made some news … without really making any news.
When Aspen Ladd missed weight for a women’s bantamweight bout against Sara McMann in September, it led to the fight’s cancellation … which led to her release from the UFC … which led to her signing with the PFL to fight at featherweight next season … which led to her coach, Jim West, telling MMA Junkie Radio that the UFC’s women’s 145-pound division is devoid of opportunities for Ladd and wouldn’t exist if dual champion Amanda Nunes didn’t hold the belt.
So we took a look at the history of women’s featherweight in the UFC – a division that through the first nine months of 2022 had just five fights. In fact, in the time since the division debuted in February 2017, the UFC has had 232 total fight cards – but just 25 total women’s featherweight fights.
Below, check out an alphabetical list of the 23 different women who have been in featherweight bouts in the UFC, along with lists of all 25 of the fights (through September 2022) in the promotion’s most exclusive division.
Megan Anderson
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 225 | Chicago | June 9, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Holly Holm def. Megan Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 3-3
Where she is now: Former Invicta featherweight champ Anderson had an up-and-down run at 145 pounds in the UFC, but her three wins all were first-round finishes. In March 2021, she got a shot at Amanda Nunes, but was stopped with a first-round submission. She became a free agent after the loss and said earlier this year she’s not currently looking for fights and is not under contract with any promotion.
Macy Chiasson
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: TUF 28 Finale | Las Vegas | Nov. 30, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Macy Chiasson def. Pannie Kianzad via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:11 – to win women’s featherweight tournament
UFC women’s featherweight record: 2-1
Where she is now: After she won “TUF 28” as a featherweight, Chiassson moved down to bantamweight and had a solid 4-1 run in the division. She bounced back to 145 pounds in December 2021 and was submitted by Raquel Pennington – though she missed weight for the fight. She beat Normal Dumont in May, but in September was knocked out by an Irene Aldana upkick at UFC 279 in a 140-pound contract weight fight.
Cris Cyborg
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 214 | Anaheim, Calif. | July 29, 2017
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knees) – Round 3, 1:56 – to win vacant women’s featherweight title
UFC women’s featherweight record: 4-1
Where she is now: Cyborg won the vacant title in July 2017 against Tonya Evinger, then defended it twice against Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya. She lost the belt to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232. After a win over Felicia Spencer, Cyborg left the UFC for Bellator, where she won that promotion’s 145-pound belt against Julia Budd in January 2020. She has defended it four times since then and remains the champ. Prior to her UFC featherweight title win, she had two UFC wins at 140-pound contract weights before the official introduction of the division.
Germaine de Randamie
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 208 | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Feb. 11, 2017
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-0
Where she is now: De Randamie won the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title against Holly Holm. But after she turned down a title defense against Cris Cyborg, the UFC stripped her of the belt and she moved back to bantamweight. In December 2019, she challenged Amanda Nunes for the 135-pound title, but lost a decision. She has not fought since an October 2020 submission of Julianna Peña, who went on to win the bantamweight belt.
Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 243 | Melbourne, Australia | Oct. 6, 2019
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Megan Anderson def. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-2
Where she is now: Dos Santos returned to featherweight in October 2019 and was submitted by Megan Anderson at UFC 243. She then lost to Felicia Spencer shortly before the pandemic. She hasn’t fought since her Spencer loss due to a missed weight episode and medical issues after that, meaning she’s withdrawn from three straight booked fights. She’s scheduled to return in January against Josiane Nunes for what will be her first bout in nearly three years.
Norma Dumont
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 169 | Norfolk, Va. | Feb. 29, 2020
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:31
UFC women’s featherweight record: 3-2
Where she is now: After a loss to Anderson in her promotional debut, which also was her featherweight debut, Dumont bounced down to bantamweight for a win. Then she came right back to 145 and has gone 3-1 with wins over Felicia Spencer, Aspen Ladd and Danyelle Wolf in September.
Joselyne Edwards
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 275 | Kallang, Singapore | June 12, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Joselyne Edwards def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-0
Where she is now: Edwards went 1-2 in her first three UFC bouts, all at bantamweight, and then outworked Ramona Pascual in her featherweight debut in June. Seven weeks later, she was back to bantamweight for a split call win over Ji Yeon Kim at UFC 277.
Stephanie Egger
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 209 | Paris | Sept. 3, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Stephanie Egger def. Ailin Perez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:54
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-0
Where she is now: After a 2-2 run at bantamweight in her first four UFC fights, Egger found herself jumping in to replace Zarah Fairn Dos Santos in September for her UFC featherweight debut. She got back in the win column with a second-round submission and said after the bout she’ll fight at 125, 135 or 145.
Tonya Evinger
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 214 | Anaheim, Calif. | July 29, 2017
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knees) – Round 3, 1:56 – to win vacant women’s featherweight title
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: A former Invicta bantamweight champ, Evinger lost her title shot against Cyborg in her UFC debut. After that, she moved back to bantamweight and lost to Aspen Ladd. After a June 2019 loss to Lina Lansberg dropped her to 0-3 in the promotion, she was released and has not fought in more than three years. The 41-year-old is on the record saying she plans to fight again.
Holly Holm
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 208 | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Feb. 11, 2017
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-2
Where she is now: Holm’s first two fights at featherweight were title shots, and she dropped both. After her loss to de Randamie for the inaugural belt, she moved back to 135 for a win over Bethe Correia, then went back up to 145 to challenge Cris Cyborg, but lost a decision. She’s been back at 135 since July 2019, when she lost a bantamweight title fight to Amanda Nunes. Her lone win at 145 came against Megan Anderson in June 2018.
Pannie Kianzad
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: TUF 28 Finale | Las Vegas | Nov. 30, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Macy Chiasson def. Pannie Kianzad via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:11 – to win women’s featherweight tournament
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: After her loss to Chiasson in the “TUF 28” women’s featherweight tournament final, Kianzad moved back to bantamweight. She had one fight outside the promotion, then returned to the UFC and has gone 5-2 at 135 pounds, including wins over former title challengers Alexis Davis and Bethe Correia.
Yana Kunitskaya
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 222 | Las Vegas | March 3, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Cris Cyborg def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:25 – to retain women’s featherweight title
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: Kunitskaya’s UFC debut was her title shot against Cyborg after she came over as Invicta’s bantamweight champion. After her loss to Cyborg, she returned to bantamweight, where she has gone 4-2. She most recently fought in July 2021. These days, she’s busy with new motherhood after the April birth of a baby girl with UFC standout Thiago Santos.
Aspen Ladd
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 195 | Las Vegas | Oct. 16, 2021
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Norma Dumont def. Aspen Ladd via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: Ladd’s one fight at featherweight came essentially on short notice after she was pulled from a bantamweight fight with Macy Chiasson after a rough weight cut. Two weeks later, she fought Dumont, replacing Holly Holm, at featherweight and dropped a decision. She moved back to bantamweight after that, but lost to Raquel Pennington in April before her September issue on the scale for a Sara McMann fight caused yet another cancellation. The UFC released her, and she signed with the PFL soon after, where she’ll be part of the planned 2023 women’s featherweight season.
Leah Letson
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: TUF 28 Finale | Las Vegas | Nov. 30, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Leah Letson def. Julija Stoliarenko split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-1
Where she is now: Letson got her UFC start through Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” on which she made it to the semifinals, where she lost to eventual winner Macy Chiasson. In her promotional debut against fellow semifinalist Stoliarenko, she picked up her lone UFC win so far. After nearly three years away, she returned in November 2021 and was stopped by Felicia Spencer with a third-round TKO. She was scheduled to return at bantamweight Oct. 1, but pulled out of a fight with Chelsea Chandler.
Amanda Nunes
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 232 | Inglewood, Calif. | Dec. 29, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Amanda Nunes def. Cris Cyborg via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:51
UFC women’s featherweight record: 3-0
Where she is now: Nunes returned to featherweight after more than seven years at bantamweight and pulled off a stunner when she quickly took out Cyborg to win the title to become the first simultaneous dual women’s champion in UFC history. She has defended the featherweight title twice since then, and also has four bantamweight title fights in that period – including when she reclaimed the title in July in a rematch after an upset loss to Julianna Peña.
Josiane Nunes
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 202 | Las Vegas | Feb. 26, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Josiane Nunes def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-0
Where she is now: After a bonus-winning knockout in her UFC debut at bantamweight, Nunes was set to fight Yanan Wu in February. Wu withdrew, and so did bantamweight replacement Jennifer Gonzalez. So Nunes fought Ramona Pascual on short notice at featherweight and won a unanimous decision. She liked it enough to stay there and is set to take on Zarah Fairn Dos Santos in January in Brazil.
Ramona Pascual
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 202 | Las Vegas | Feb. 26, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Josiane Nunes def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-2
Where she is now: Pascual came to the UFC as a featherweight, but lost a pair of decisions to Josiane Nunes and Joselyne Edwards earlier this year. She’s been at bantamweight before, and now she’ll head back down there next month in a scheduled fight against Tamires Vidal in Las Vegas.
Raquel Pennington
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 199 | Las Vegas | Dec. 18, 2021
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Raquel Pennington def. Macy Chiasson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:07
UFC women’s featherweight record: 1-0
Where she is now: After years at bantamweight, Pennington gave featherweight a try for the first time in December 2021 against “TUF 28” winner Macy Chiasson. Chiasson missed weight for the bout, and Pennington gave her extra reason to want to forget the fight week when she submitted her the next night. For now, that stands as Pennington’s lone fight at 145 pounds. She moved back to 135 earlier this year.
Ailin Perez
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 209 | Paris | Sept. 3, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Stephanie Egger def. Ailin Perez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:54
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: Perez made headlines when she twerked on the ceremonial weigh-ins stage in Paris in September. It may not have left a good taste in Egger’s mouth; she submitted her in the second round. Perez typically fights at bantamweight, but went up to 145 for her UFC debut.
Felicia Spencer
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC Fight Night 152 | Rochester, N.Y. | May 18, 2019
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Felicia Spencer def. Megan Anderson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:24
UFC women’s featherweight record: 3-3
Where she is now: Former Invicta featherweight champ Spencer had the distinction of being Cris Cyborg’s first fight after she lost the UFC title to Amanda Nunes. Spencer’s loss to Cyborg was the first of her pro career. After a win over Zarah Fairn Dos Santos, Spencer got a shot at Nunes’ featherweight title, but lost a decision. After a split decision loss to Norma Dumont, she stopped Lea Letson with a TKO in November 2021, but then pulled a bit of a surprise when she announced she had retired from MMA.
Julija Stoliarenko
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: TUF 28 Finale | Las Vegas | Nov. 30, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Leah Letson def. Julija Stoliarenko split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: After her loss to Letson, Stoliarenko went on a 5-0 run outside the promotion, including a win for Invicta’s bantamweight title. When she returned to the UFC in August 2020, it was at bantamweight, where she has gone 1-4, including a short-notice loss to Chelsea Chandler on Oct. 1 at 140 pounds.
Danyelle Wolf
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 279 | Las Vegas | Sept. 10
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: Wolf, a three-time national boxing champion at 152 pounds, made it to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. Her official promotional debut was a decision loss to Normal Dumont in just her second pro fight. Her DWCS bout, also at featherweight, was her pro debut.
Cat Zingano
UFC women’s featherweight debut event: UFC 232 | Inglewood, Calif. | Dec. 29, 2018
UFC women’s featherweight debut result: Megan Anderson def. Cat Zingano via TKO (eye injury) – Round 1, 1:01
UFC women’s featherweight record: 0-1
Where she is now: Zingano’s lone UFC fight at featherweight wound up as her final UFC fight, period. She lost by TKO when Anderson’s toe grazed her eyeball and blurred her vision. It was her first shot at featherweight after a 3-3 run at bantamweight in the UFC, including a title shot. In 2019, she signed with Bellator and has gone 3-0 at featherweight – and presumably awaits a fight with champion Cris Cyborg.
2017 UFC women’s featherweight fights
UFC 208 | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Feb. 11, 2017
Germaine de Randamie def. Holly Holm via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
UFC 214 | Anaheim, Calif. | July 29, 2017
Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knees) – Round 3, 1:56 – to win vacant women’s featherweight title
UFC 219 | Las Vegas | Dec. 30, 2017
Cris Cyborg def. Holly Holm via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) – to retain women’s featherweight title
2018 UFC women’s featherweight fights
UFC 222 | Las Vegas | March 3, 2018
Cris Cyborg def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:25 – to retain women’s featherweight title
UFC 225 | Chicago | June 9, 2018
Holly Holm def. Megan Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
TUF 28 Finale | Las Vegas | Nov. 30, 2018
Leah Letson def. Julija Stoliarenko split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Macy Chiasson def. Pannie Kianzad via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:11 – to win women’s featherweight tournament
UFC 232 | Inglewood, Calif. | Dec. 29, 2018
Megan Anderson def. Cat Zingano via TKO (eye injury) – Round 1, 1:01
Amanda Nunes def. Cris Cyborg via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:51
2019 UFC women’s featherweight fights
UFC Fight Night 152 | Rochester, N.Y. | May 18, 2019
Felicia Spencer def. Megan Anderson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:24
UFC 240 | Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | July 27, 2019
Cris Cyborg def. Felicia Spencer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 243 | Melbourne, Australia | Oct. 6, 2019
Megan Anderson def. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
2020 UFC women’s featherweight fights
UFC Fight Night 169 | Norfolk, Va. | Feb. 29, 2020
Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:31
Felicia Spencer def. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 1, 3:37
UFC 250 | Las Vegas | June 6, 2020
Amanda Nunes def. Felicia Spencer via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45) – to retain women’s featherweight title
2021 UFC women’s featherweight fights
UFC 259 | Las Vegas | March 6, 2021
Amanda Nunes def. Megan Anderson via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 1, 2:03 – to retain women’s featherweight title
UFC Fight Night 188 | Las Vegas | May 22, 2021
Norma Dumont def. Felicia Spencer via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
UFC Fight Night 195 | Las Vegas | Oct. 16, 2021
Norma Dumont def. Aspen Ladd via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
UFC Fight Night 197 | Las Vegas | Nov. 13, 2021
Felicia Spencer def. Leah Letson via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:25
UFC Fight Night 199 | Las Vegas | Dec. 18, 2021
Raquel Pennington def. Macy Chiasson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:07 (148.5-pound catchweight; Chiasson missed weight)
2022 UFC women’s featherweight fights (through September)
UFC Fight Night 202 | Las Vegas | Feb. 26, 2022
Josiane Nunes def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
UFC 274 | Phoenix | May 7, 2022
Macy Chiasson def. Norma Dumont via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27) (146.5-pound catchweight; Dumont missed weight)
UFC 275 | Kallang, Singapore | June 12, 2022
Joselyne Edwards def. Ramona Pascual via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC Fight Night 209 | Paris | Sept. 3, 2022
Stephanie Egger def. Ailin Perez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:54
UFC 279 | Las Vegas | Sept. 10
Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)