TUF 20: Guide to the Strawweight Division
Dana White announced on a conference call this week that the UFC has acquired 11 strawweight fighters from Invicta FC. Those 11 will compete in a tournament on The Ultimate Fighter's 20th season to determine the first ever UFC Strawweight Champion.
The 115-pound division has long been considered the deepest division in women's MMA. However, it has not been a long time where the elite have been able to compete against one another.
It was Bellator who signed several of the top female athletes to have them compete in a tournament back in 2010. Longtime divisional standout Megumi Fujii would take on Zoila Frausto Gurgel in the finals and lose a controversial decision.
Since then, the division has changed. Gurgel moved to 125-pounds, Jessica Aguilar moved to the top of the division with a seven-fight win streak and Invicta FC appeared on the scene.
Invicta finally began to build a true elite 115-pound division, and Carla Esparza would take their inaugural title. The organization brought in several of the top ranked women from around the world and helped foster prospects such as Tecia Torres.
A lot of hard work has paid off, and now the deepest division of women's MMA will be under the big top of the UFC.
This is what you need to know in advance of TUF 20.
Season Details (That We Know)
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The season will be a 16-woman tournament to decide the first ever UFC Strawweight Champion. The UFC has acquired 11 contracts from Invicta FC: Carla Esparza, Alex Chambers, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Bec Hyatt, Emily Kagan, Julianna Lima, Rose Namajunas, Tecia Torres, Paige VanZant, and Joanne Calderwood.
The final five spots on the 20th season will most likely be filled via open tryouts at a later date.
The season will begin filming in May of 2014, but there is no date or venue for the season's finale.
The current 11-woman cast will all receive increases in their pay before stepping into the Octagon for the first time. 10 of the fighters will earn $8,000 to show and $8,000 win, and Invicta FC strawweight hampion Carla Esparza will receive $10,000 to show and $10,000 win.
All fighters will be paid their show and win bonus twice before filming starts on the show.
Top Non-TUF Strawweights
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There will be five open slots for the show, and there are a few top talents that were not picked up for the show. We shall take a look at who they are, and why they will or won't be a viable option for the show.
Jessica Aguilar
Aguilar is the first name that jumps off the page. She is currently the No. 1-ranked strawweight in the world. However, she recently signed with World Series of Fighting. That, in itself, removes her from contention at this juncture.
It would not be surprising to hear WSOF releasing Aguilar in order for her to go compete in the UFC. They do not have a division at 115-pounds, and with the UFC taking several of Invicta's fighters, the talent pool is all but dried up.
If they come to an agreement in the near future she would make a great addition to the show, but could also be held out to be the first title challenger.
Megumi Fujii
Fujii was the most dominant fighter in MMA for some time. She started 22-0 before a controversial decision gave her the first blemish on her record. After another contentious decision, and a fight marred by an eye poke, and she concluded her career with a record of 26-3.
There are indications that she would come out of retirement to compete in the UFC, but she is not a viable option for the show. The Ultimate Fighter is a television show, and the language barrier eliminates her from consideration for the show.
Though it would be nice to have her in the division moving forward.
Ayaka Hamasaki, Katja Kankaanpää, Mizuki Inoue, Alida Gray
Aside from Aguilar, these four women are the remaining ranked fighters not signed. Three of the four have competed on Invicta FC cards.
Once again, the language barrier comes in to play.
The one fighter who did not compete in Invicta out of that group is Alida Gray. She is currently ranked No. 10 in the division, but at 36-years-old, she is not a prospect. She is only 4-0 in her young MMA career. The upside for her is not as high as others they can select for the show and help in their developmental process.
All four of these women could find homes in the UFC in 2014, but they can continue to hone their craft on the regional circuit as well as Invicta. The finale for TUF 20 will not take place until the fall of 2014. They certainly will not want to sit on the sidelines hoping they get picked up. They can make their cases by winning more fights in the interim.
Non-Top 10 Strawweights
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Alex Chambers (4-1)
Chambers is 35 years old, and she is on a two-fight win streak. That includes a 95-second submission victory over Jodie Esquibel at Invicta FC 5. Her lone loss was in 2012 to Mizuki Inoue.
She doesn't have huge upside, but is a decent addition to the show's cast.
Emily Kagan (3-1)
Kagan is 1-1 in Invicta FC. She lost to Rose Namajunas, but rebounded with a split decision victory over Ashley Cummins.
The Jackson's MMA fighter won't be a favorite to go far in the tournament, but she can surprise a few people.
Julianna Lima (6-1)
Lima is a 31-year-old Brazilian whose only loss came at the hands of Katja Kankaanpää in her lone Invicta FC appearance.
Lima could be one of the surprises of the upcoming season. She faltered in her first bout against a top ranked fighter, but she undoubtedly learned a lot from the experience. We will get to gauge how much she has grown as a fighter when the episodes begin to air.
Namajunas may be more famous for her boyfriend's (Pat Barry) reactions during her fights. The 21-year-old is a fantastic prospect who is coming off a loss to Tecia Torres in a fun fight at Invicta FC 6.
She has a fantastic array of strikes, and has shown good submission skills as well. Her flying armbar shocked folks at Invicta FC 5. All three of her professional bouts have taken place at Invicta, and with the assist of her team she could return to action and become a darkhorse during TUF 20.
Torres will enter TUF 20 as one of the favorites to win it all. A quick rise to fame for the talented 24-year-old striker of American Top Team.
She made her professional debut at Invicta FC 3, and has won all four of her bouts.
The striker took a step up in competition against Felice Herrig at Invicta Fc 7, and she dominated the bout. We have yet to see her in the cage against a top flight grappler, but if the fight stays standing she will have all the opportunities to win her fights.
She isn't ranked in the top 10 yet, but she will when the new rankings come out.
Paige VanZant (3-1)
VanZant is only 19-years-old. She will be the youngest contestant on the show, and the experience could be a platform for her to develop at a quick rate.
She only fought once in Invicta, and that was a loss to Torres by decision.
At such a young age she won't be favored to go very far against the more experienced foes. Yet, she remains a quality prospect that can use this experience to further her development.
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Top 10 Strawweights
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Claudia Gadelha (No. 3, 11-0)
Gadelha has been lined up for two title shots in Invicta, but neither came to pass. First an injury forced champion Carla Esparza off the Invicta FC 6 card, and Gadelha domianted her placement Ayaka Hamasaki.
The fight was finally scheduled for Invicta FC 7, but on the morning of the fight Gadelha came down with an illness to force her off the card.
There will probably be a few questions as to if Gadelha came make weight consistently on the show. She is a solid 115-pound fighter. If there are no weight issues she will be one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to win it all.
She is part of the Nova Uniao team, and her champion teammates all give her high praise.
Felice Herrig (No. 5, 9-5)
Herrig receives a lot of criticism, but she is a talented striker. However, her ranking of No. 5 will drop after losing to Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 7.
Herrig has only lost three times since 2009, and two of those losses were to Invicta champions (Barb Honchak and Carla Esparza).
She was doing the self-marketing bit in women's MMA long before the likes of Ronda Rousey and company. She just has not been able to find the same success in the cage. This will be a good opportunity to show her skills and silence the doubters.
Hyatt was a short notice replacement in the inaugural Invicta FC Strawweight Championship match, and she was dominated by Esparza. She was game for the challenge, but she was just not prepared adequately for the fight.
After defeating Jasminka Cive at Invicta FC 5, she returned to take on Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 6. She dropped an exciting bout to the young Japanese fighter.
Hyatt has decent raw ability, but she is not a big threat to win the first UFC strawweight title.
Prior to the UFC announcement there was talks that Calderwood could have been next in line for a title shot in Invicta. And it would be well deserved.
The Scottish striker is one of the most exciting fighters in all of women's MMA. She is accurate and dangerous. In her most recent outing, against Katja Kankaanpää, she showed good improvement in her grappling game. She will need to continue that improvement to go deep in the tournament.
Along with Esparza, Gadelha and Torres, Calderwood is one of the few fighters you can identify as having a legitimate shot at wearing gold at the end of the season. She could become the pride of Scotland in just a few short months.
Invicta FC Strawweight Champion: Carla Esparza
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Esparza has not dropped a fight since losing to Jessica Aguilar in Bellator back in 2011. Since that time, she has gone 4-0 with wins over Felice Herrig and Bec Hyatt.
"The Cookie Monster" is a very good wrestler, and once she has top position it is tough to get her off of you. She gets good position, utilizes quality ground and pound, and also looks for submissions. Two of her three Invicta FC victories came by way of TKO.
There is no question she enters as the favorite to win it all. She is, after all, the champion.
Esparza's only other loss was in 2010. She tapped to an armbar from Megumi Fujii. Esparza's two losses are to the two dominant forces in the division. Aguilar and Fujii have been the premier fighters at 115-pounds for years.
The great equalizer for the rest of the cast may be that The Ultimate Fighter is a pressure cooker. It is a different animal. A fighter does not get months to train for a specific fighter and then gradually get their weight down before weigh-ins. The timeline for TUF 20 opens the doors to upsets.
The Invicta FC strawweight champion will have her work cut out for her.
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