Cris Cyborg defeated Larissa Pacheco in the PFL: Battle of Giants (Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Cris Cyborg)
Although Alex Poatan and Ilia Topuria stand out as the top names in MMA for 2024, women also shone this season, whether with new stars like Dakota Ditcheva, established figures like Cris Cyborg , or those returning to the top like Valentina Shevchenko.
The SUPER LUTAS team met to vote on the top female fighters of the year. The voting process was as follows: each team member created an individual top 5, knowing that first place would be worth 5 points, second place 4 points, and so on. With all votes tallied, the points were added up to determine the final SUPER LUTAS top 5. Let's get to the list!
Honorable Mentions
Virna Jandiroba in victory over Amanda Lemos . Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Before revealing the five best fighters of the year, honorable mentions are due to those who had brilliant years, were remembered by part of our team in the voting, but did not achieve enough points for the top 5.
First honorable mention goes to Virna Jandiroba . The strawweight (up to 52,1 kg) fighter from Bahia defeated Lupita Godinez and submitted her compatriot Amanda Lemos to climb to third place in the category ranking and dream of a title fight in 2025.
The second spot belongs to Julianna Peña . The 'Venezuelan Shrew' returned to the octagon after more than two years and defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington to reclaim the title in the division.
5) Weili Zhang (9 points)
Weili Zhang defeated Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFCNews
Like Julianna Peña , Weili Zhang only fought once in 2024, but she was responsible for the co-main event of the historic UFC 300. On that occasion, the champion dominated her compatriot Yan Xiaonan to defend her strawweight title (up to 52,1 kg) and secure fifth place on our list.
4) Valentina Shevchenko (13 points)
Valentina Shevchenko puts in a strategic fight, defeats Alex Grasso in a trilogy, and reclaims her title at UFC 306. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC News
After a forgettable 2023, with a loss and a draw against Alexa Grasso , Valentina Shevchenko celebrated a dominant victory in the trilogy against her Mexican rival in 2024, regaining the flyweight title (up to 56,7 kg), enough to place her fourth on the SUPER LUTAS list.
3) Kayla Harrison (18 points)
Kayla Harrison fighting at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
Kayla Harrison didn't even need a title fight to take the podium in our ranking. In her first year in the UFC, the two-time Olympic champion steamrolled Holly Holm , overcame Ketlen Vieira , and became a strong contender to win the bantamweight title (up to 61,2 kg) in 2025.
2) Cris Cyborg (27 points)
Cris Cyborg won titles in the top 5 MMA leagues. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/@bellatormma
The 'silver medal' of SUPER LUTAS goes to the legendary Cris Cyborg . At 39 years old, the Bellator champion debuted in the PFL in October and put on a show in her victory over two-time champion Larissa Pacheco , nine years her junior, taking home the organization's special belt.
1) Dakota Ditcheva (34 points)
Dakota Ditcheva won $1 million by defeating Taila Santos in the PFL finals / PFL Reproduction
Elected almost unanimously by the SUPER LUTAS team , the best female fighter of 2024 is Dakota Ditcheva. Champion of PFL Europe in 2023, the 26-year-old Briton competed in her first regular season of the global PFL, steamrolled four opponents, including Brazilian Taila Santos , and became champion, taking the belt and the US$1 million prize.
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