The women’s heavyweight division in mixed martial arts is still very much a developing one. Over the past twelve months however it has begun to grow, with many of the top females in the division gaining worldwide attention thanks to Japanese organisation, RIZIN Fighting Federation.

RIZIN which is currently one of the biggest MMA promotions in the world along with UFC and Bellator MMA, started the women’s heavyweight division on December 31st 2015 with Gabi Garcia and Lei’D Tapa battling it out in what was the first ever mainstream women’s heavyweight fight in history. The promotion for the fight was insane in the lead up. Gabi Garcia and Lei’D Tapa announced the fight at Bellator MMA and stared off in their cage. News of the fight went viral, it was hugely anticipated, and fans around the world had no idea what to expect. Gabi Garcia emerged victorious after landing some ground and pound in the first round. Tapa did not go down without a fight however, she severely rocked the Brazilian during the fight, which resulted in the knockdown. One thing is for sure, this night changed the landscape of women’s MMA forever.

Since then Garcia (4-0-0 PRO) has won three further fights and has looked extremely dangerous whilst doing so. She holds submission victories over Destanie Yarbrough and Anna Malyukova. As well as a TKO over Yumiko Hotta. The Brazilian stands at 6’2 foot tall and walks around at 245 pounds of solid muscle. There isn’t a female MMA fighter on the planet who is quite like her and the riddle has yet to be solved on what it will take to beat her. Garcia is currently the number one female heavyweight fighter in the world.

26 year old Destanie Yarbrough (1-1-0 PRO) follows right behind her at number two. Yarbrough is very possibly the best stand-up striker in the entire division as of right now. She made her pro debut in April 2016 absolutely demolishing Crystal Parson in just 33 seconds. Parson was simply unable to compete with Yarbrough’s superior footwork, fluidity and punching power. Yarbrough fought Gabi Garcia in September 2016 losing out via round one Keylock. She has since revealed to us that she is keen for a rematch, saying she didn’t stick to her game plan and would let her hands loose more. She is one of the women who is very passionate about bringing attention to the division and has fast become one of the faces of the division.

Hard-hitting Erica Grover (1-1-0 PRO) is currently at number three. She made her professional debut in March 2015 and destroyed Jenna Bernick, picking up the TKO victory in just 2:57 of round one. The 35 year old is very passionate about bringing women in the upper divisions the same opportunities as the lower weight classes, she revealed in a recent interview with us “My goal for 2017 is to find those pro fighters in the welterweight to heavyweight divisions and work together to show promoters we are very much worth the time and effort. I can’t wait to help bring more recognition and help legitimize the upper weight divisions and not only represent women but the MANY who aren’t 135 but are badasses“. Erica Grover is a very dangerous fighter with knockout power in both hands, one punch is capable of ending the fight which makes her a dangerous opponent for anyone in the Heavyweight division.

Russia’s Anna Malyukova (1-1-0 PRO) follows at number four. After making a successful pro debut picking up the unanimous decision win over Tatiana Portova in September 2015, she decided she was up for an even bigger challenge. She fought Gabi Garcia in April 2016 and although Malyukova was unsuccessful in getting the victory, she managed to do something which has not been done before. She took Garcia out of the first round. She ultimately lost via Armbar in the second.

The heavyweight division is one which is only just beginning to develop. The number of fighters competing as well as the amount of fights they have had is relatively low, but this is due to the fact that most organisations refuse to promote these women and give them opportunities. Amateurs are eligible to be ranked in the heavyweight rankings, however by default, any PRO who has a victory will automatically be ranked higher than an amateur.

28 year old Lisa Santisteban is currently the most exciting prospect emerging in the amateur heavyweight scene. Hailing out of Lawrence, New York she is ranked number five in the world at the weight class. She’s built up a solid 3-0-0 record and currently holds back to back round one knockout wins over Anne Okes and Tori King. As well as competing she is also a personal trainer. There’s no doubt about it, when this woman turns pro she is someone who is a legit threat to the Brazilian monster, Gabi Garcia.

(#6) Olivia Parker is another promising prospect to emerge in the amateur scene, she trains at Knoxville Martial Arts Academy and currently has a 2-0-0 record which includes a round one knockout win over Tiaira Fitzgerald and a submission victory over (#15) Kristy Campbell.

(#7) Emilia McKinney (2-3-0 AM) has won two of her last three, a knockout over Kristen Fouty and a unanimous decision over Mercedes Timmerman. (#8) Loren Sims is another prospect to watch out for in the division. Although she has only had one fight, she certainly made a huge impression, knocking out Corrine Symolon in just 14 seconds of round one. Any woman with that kind of flash knockout power is a danger to Gabi Garcia. Closing out the top ten are (#9) Tammy Molina and (#10) Cati Mendez. Molina plans to move down to middleweight when she faces Kristy Campbell on March 25th. Campbell will also be making her middleweight debut.

Another fighter to consider is (#14) Lei’D Tapa, who is a world famous former pro-wrestler, known for competing in top organization Total Nonstop Action (TNA). As Tapa is yet to gain a victory in mixed martial arts, she is ineligible to be ranked higher than any heavyweight fighter who does have a victory. However, her potential and capability as a fighter is there. She currently only has one fight under her belt against Gabi Garcia. Although she didn’t win, she did something which no opponent has yet done, she severely hurt Gabi and sent her crashing to the ground. Arguably if Tapa would have immediately followed up with strikes, she may have been in Garcia’s position right now. She recently revealed she plans to make a comeback this year and is back with a vengeance. She trains at American Top Team which is one of the best MMA gyms in the world, well known for producing several UFC champions as well as providing their fighters with the best game plans leading into fights. There’s no doubt about it, Tapa is one of the most dangerous women in the division, and 2017 should see her quickly rise up the ranks.

(Click HERE to view the top fifteen ranked heavyweight fighters in the world).

The rankings have the potential to look very different by the end of the year. With the possibility of more heavyweight pro-wrestlers as well as boxers, Judokas, BJJ specialists and retired MMA athletes making their return in an attempt to challenge Gabi Garcia.

The heavyweight division is fast becoming a fan favorite, hopefully 2017 will be the year these women receive more fights and have the opportunity to develop their records as well as themselves as fighters.

Will Gabi Garcia still be number one this time next year? Or do you see someone finally being the one to beat her? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Take a look at Gabi Garcia’s most recent fight against Yumiko Hotta from back in December. After the fight the number one middleweight fighter in the world, Jazzy Gabert came out to issue Garcia a challenge.

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