The UFC’s strawweight division might be the smallest, but it packs quite the punch over the decade led by Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk won the belt in 2015 and held it for nearly 1,000 days, earning five title defenses during that time.
It all started with Carla Esparza, who finished out The Ultimate Fighter 20 with the title after besting Rose Namajunas.
Of course, Namajunas would return and win it three years later.
Over the past year, both Jessica Andrade and Zhang Weili have climbed to the top of the mountain and claimed the belt, with Weili the current champion.
Make sure to check out FightLine at The Mix for recaps from the other divisions.
Zhang Weili
In her home country of China on August 31, 2019, Zhang Weili shocked Jessica Andrade, ending her reign after just 112 days and claiming the title.
Weili was a force on that night, delighting the Shenzhen crowd with her performance.
She went on to defend the title against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March of this year. Weili has held the title for over 220 days.
Jessica Andrade
As quickly as Jessica Andrade claimed the title, she dropped it.
Andrade, in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 237 on May 11, 2019, downed Rose Namajunas with a vicious slam.
Her run as the champion would end after 112 days when Andrade took on Zhang Weili in China and was knocked out.
Rose Namajunas
After failing to finish out The Ultimate Fighter as a champion, Rose Namajunas fought her way back into contention in 2017.
At UFC 217 in New York City, Namajunas ignored the pressure and hype around Joanna Jedrzejczyk and dominated her, winning the title. She would go on to defend the belt against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223.
In all, Namajunas held the title for 554 days.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
To date, no other fighter has ruled the division like Joanna “Champion.”
Jedrzejczyk won the title at UFC 185 in Dallas on March 14, 2015 over Carla Esparza. Her reign lasted for 966 days and featured five title defenses.
Along with besting Jessica Penne, Jedrzejczyk also downed Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Andrade before falling to Rose Namajunas.
Carla Esparza
In a battle against some of the best fighters in the world at strawweight, Carla Esparza came out on top.
In 2014, Esparza downed Rose Namajunas to win the title in the finale of the reality series.
Her run would last just 92 total days before losing to Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
