5 female UFC fighters who are BMFs

#4. Jessica Andrade

Before the emergence of Zhang Weili, Brazilian bruiser Jessica Andrade was the most fearsome strawweight in the promotion. Powerful, monstrously strong and tireless, Andrade fought at a pace that contradicted the amount of knockout power behind her strikes.

Worse still, her toughness and durability allowed her to withstand anything and everything her foes threw in her path. Recently, Andrade faced off against the power-punching Amanda Lemos, defeating her with the first standing arm-triangle choke in UFC history; a submission that was a testament to her improbable physical strength.

Few, however, can forget how she captured the strawweight championship from Rose Namajunas. Andrade is well-known for her powerful slams. Specifically, she often secures high-crotch single-leg takedowns, which she often uses to redirect her airborne opponents before slamming them to the ground.

One such slam resulted in one of the most spectacular knockouts in strawweight history when Namajunas locked her arm in a counter-kimura to dissuade Andrade from finishing the slam. The Brazilian, however, paid Namajunas' submission attempt no mind, driving her head into the ground and knocking her unconscious to capture UFC gold.

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#3. Zhang Weili

The first-ever Chinese champion in UFC history, Zhang Weili is an exceptionally skilled mixed martial artist blessed with brutish strength, blistering speed and seismic punching power. She debuted in the UFC off the back of a 15-fight win streak. Upon amassing three straight wins in the promotion, she was scheduled to face the then reigning strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.

Many dismissed Zhang's chances, believing that Andrade's power, tenacity and strength would prove to be far too great an obstacle. No one but perhaps Zhang herself could have predicted the outcome of the matchup.

The Brazilian rushed forward, and Zhang made her pay dearly, rocking her in the clinch with knees and elbows before knocking her unconscious within 42 seconds of the first round. The Chinese phenom followed her shocking knockout by successfully defending her title against strawweight legend Joanna Jędrzejczyk in the greatest women’s MMA fight of all time.

While Zhang ultimately lost her championship in her next fight against Rose Namajunas and then proved unsuccessful in the rematch, she faced Jędrzejczyk for a second time, knocking her into retirement with a spinning back-fist.