5 female UFC fighters who are BMFs

#2. Julianna Peña

There is no greater upset in recent MMA history than Julianna Peña defeating Amanda Nunes. Prior to losing to Peña, Amanda Nunes was on a 12-fight win streak. Her list of victims included former world champions Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie, Miesha Tate, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, and even current flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who the Brazilian bested twice. Her punching power continues to have no match in women's MMA, and her skill set is deep enough that she troubles her foes in every facet of mixed martial arts.

However, that meant nothing to Julianna Peña. A longtime contender at women's bantamweight, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' had been campaigning for a matchup with Amanda Nunes for quite some time prior to finally facing her at UFC 269. While Peña indeed felt Nunes’ power, she didn’t wilt.

Instead, she stood her ground, firing back and taking the fight to the Brazilian great until Nunes' cardio failed her and Peña's will persevered. Not only did she beat the women's featherweight champion, but 'The Venezuelan Vixen' did so with a rear-naked choke, forcing the greatest women's fighter in history to surrender by outlasting and facing her without fear.

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#1. Valentina Shevchenko

Widely regarded as the pound-for-pound women's MMA fighter in the world, Valentina Shevchenko is the women's BMF. A former kickboxing champion who knocked out a 22-year-old opponent at just 12 years of age, and has four wins—three in kickboxing and one in MMA—over former strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Shevchenko spent the first half of her UFC career in the bantamweight division fighting larger opponents.

While she was undersized for the division, Shevchenko still managed to defeat every single foe with the exception of Liz Carmouche—who was losing the bout and only won due to a doctor stoppage over a cut—and Amanda Nunes, whose size advantage was such that she became the champion at featherweight: two weight classes above Shevchenko.

After dropping to the flyweight division and capturing the inaugural title, the current flyweight queen went on to successfully defend her championship seven times, breaking the record set by the legendary Ronda Rousey for the most title defenses in any women's division in UFC history.

However, it is not merely Shevchenko's success inside the octagon that renders her a BMF, but her skills outside the cage as well. The reigning flyweight champion is a markswoman. She is proficient at handling various firearms and regularly takes part in shooting competitions, having been trained by her coach, who is also an army veteran.