5 fighters who could become the next UFC strawweight champion

According to a recent report, UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang is all set to move up to flyweight for a title shot later this year. The same report suggests that when this happens, 'Magnum' will vacate her 115-pound title.

Assuming Weili Zhang does vacate the UFC strawweight title, then, which fighter is best poised to step in and claim the vacant crown?

Thankfully, the strawweight division has no shortage of potential contenders, even if Zhang has beaten most of them. That makes the race for the title unpredictable.

Here, then, are five fighters who could become the next UFC strawweight champion.

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#5. Yan Xiaonan - No. 1-ranked UFC strawweight contender

The highest ranked contender under reigning strawweight champ Weili Zhang right now is her fellow Chinese star Yan Xiaonan.

'Fury' holds a strong record of 19-4, with nine of those wins coming in the UFC. Most recently, she was able to outclass prospect Tabatha Ricci, handing 'Baby Shark' just her third career defeat.

Xiaonan has fought for the strawweight title before, losing to Zhang in a five round bout at UFC 300 last year. While she was able to last the distance, it was quite obvious that 'Fury' was second best.

With Zhang moving on, though, she could well be confident of becoming the second Chinese champion in the promotion's history.

The only problem that she may have in this quest is the fact that she's already booked to fight Virna Jandiroba in April in a fight that should come before Zhang vacates. That's likely to mean she'll need to win twice to become the new champ.

With a powerful ground game, good stand-up and few weaknesses, though, 'Fury' would be a good bet to follow in her countrywoman's footsteps.

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#4. Virna Jandiroba - No. 3-ranked UFC strawweight contender

If Yan Xiaonan is a good bet to become the UFC's next strawweight champ when Weili Zhang moves up, then her next opponent, Virna Jandiroba, has to be taken into account too.

The former Invicta strawweight champion, Jandiroba is currently ranked at No. 3 in the division and is riding a four-fight win streak. Her last fight saw her submit the tough Amanda Lemos, claiming a $50k bonus in the process.

'Carcara' does have a couple of things standing against her in her quest to become champion, however.

Firstly, being a grappling-oriented fighter for the most part, she isn't always that exciting to watch. Her win over Lemos was her first finish in the octagon since 2020, for instance, and was only the second time she'd won a bonus award.

Secondly, she's suffered losses to a couple of fighters who are currently ranked below her in Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas, bringing into question just how good she really is.

If the Brazilian can overcome Xiaonan in April, though, it'd be hard to deny her a shot at the vacant title, and at that stage, she could be favored to win it.

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#3. Mackenzie Dern - No. 6-ranked UFC strawweight contender

Based on her most recent fight, which saw her avenge an earlier defeat to Amanda Ribas, the dark horse to become the UFC's next strawweight champion might be Mackenzie Dern.

Dern has long been considered the best pure grappler in the division thanks to her extensive background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Prior to joining the UFC, the daughter of legendary grappler Megaton Dias had won countless gold medals in jiu-jitsu competitons across the world, including the prestigious ADCC world championship.

In the octagon, though, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for Dern. While she holds impressive wins over the likes of Virna Jandiroba and Angela Hill, she's also suffered losses to Yan Xiaonan and Jessica Andrade amongst others.

However, Dern's overall game looked massively improved in her submission win over Ribas, and if she can continue to close the holes in her wrestling and stand-up game, she'll be very tricky to beat.

Dern arguably has more pure potential than any other fighter in the strawweight division right now, and if she can work her way into a title shot, it wouldn't be a huge shock to see her claim the gold.

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#2. Jessica Andrade - No. 4-ranked UFC strawweight contender

Another dark horse to claim the soon-to-be-vacant strawweight title could be former champion Jessica Andrade.

'Bate Estaca' is one of only a handful of UFC fighters to be ranked in two divisions at the same time, as she is currently considered the No. 4 strawweight contender as well as the No. 7 flyweight contender in the promotion.

However, it's at 115 pounds where Andrade is probably closest to success. While she has lost to Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez in recent years, she's also won her last two bouts at strawweight, beating Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez.

More to the point, the Brazilian is a former champion in her own right already, having won the title from Rose Namajunas in 2019. She knows exactly what it takes to get to the top, an invaluable bit of experience that other fighters at 115 pounds don't have.

Andrade could be past her prime at this point, as she's been in the UFC since 2013. Despite this, she's still only 33 years old, and so one last run at the top, ala Glover Teixeira, wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, particularly if she decides to move back down in weight following her next fight.

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#1. Tatiana Suarez - No.2 ranked UFC strawweight contender

Despite the fact that she lost her title fight with Weili Zhang earlier this month, it definitely feels like the fighter most likely to claim the soon-to-be-vacant strawweight title is Tatiana Suarez.

Unbeaten prior to that fight with 'Magnum', Suarez holds wins over Jessica Andrade, Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso. Realistically, all of her wins were also whitewashes, with Zhang being the first fighter to ever do anything meaningful against her.

The TUF 23 champion may have had her confidence dented by her loss to Zhang. After all, it was the first defeat of her MMA career, and it probably left her feeling more vulnerable than she's ever felt before.

However, stylistically, she matches well against all of the fighters on this list bar one. Mackenzie Dern may have the submission skills to test her on the ground, but even then, it'd be tricky for Dern to win from her back, and she likely wouldn't take Suarez down.

With that considered, then, assuming she finds her way into a fight for the vacant title - whenever Zhang decides to give it up - Suarez's dream of becoming a UFC champion will come to fruition.