Who is the Current Women's UFC Bantamweight Champion?

The current UFC women's bantamweight champion is Julianna Pena after recently defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 via split decision.

Pena, who is now a two-time women’s bantamweight champ, had not fought in almost two years before facing off against Pennington, but that did not stop her from reclaiming the title she lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 277.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” initially won the 135-pounds title after pulling off perhaps the biggest shock in UFC women’s title fight history. Pena came up against Amanda Nunes in December 2021, as a massive underdog with odds of 15/2, nevertheless, she defied the odds and shook the MMA world by forcing Nunes to tap out in the second round, via a rear naked choke.

Because Nunes was such a dominant champion before this shocking loss, with five consecutive title defences, “The Lioness” was given an opportunity to reclaim her title off of Pena. The Brazilian fighter got revenge over Pena, defeating her via unanimous decision. As stated previously, this loss prompted Pena to sit out for almost two years, returning to reclaim the throne against Pennington.

The History of the Women's UFC Bantamweight Title

Ronda Rousey kicks Miesha Tate//Getty Images

The women’s UFC bantamweight division has only been around for 12 years and counting, so the list of champions isn't the biggest.

Ronda Rousey (First Champion) – 2012-2015

The first-ever UFC bantamweight champion was Ronda Rousey: she was promoted as the belt holder following the UFC's partnership with Strikeforce. Rousey originally defeated Miesha Tate to win the Strikeforce title, and then defended it versus Sarah Kaufman. 

Her first bout in the UFC came against Liz Carmouche, defeating her via first round armbar. She went on to successfully defend this title a further five times before bumping into the rising contender Holly Holm. 

Holly Holm – 2015-2016

Holly Holm shocked the world at UFC 193 when she landed a brutal head kick on Amanda Nunes 59 seconds into the second round. However, her run as champion was cut short after she got submitted by Miesha Tate in her first title defence.

Despite losing three of her next five bouts, Holm was granted a shot at the bantamweight title once more against Amanda Nunes, at UFC 239, where she was wiped out in the first round.

Miesha Tate – 2016

Miesha Tate had the shortest time as the UFC women's bantamweight champ, lasting four months. 

As mentioned above, Tate made Holm tap at UFC 196 via a rear naked choke. Perhaps ironically, the American would get a taste of her own medicine in her first title defence because Amanda Nunes defeated Tate by rear naked choke at UFC 200.

Tate would lose back-to-back fights before spending five years out of the cage. Since re-entering the octagon in 2021, she has a 2-2 record.

Amanda Nunes – 2016-2021, 2022-2023

Image Credit:Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Amanda Nunes 

We are all aware that Amanda Nunes is widely considered the greatest female fighter of all time. 

Believe it or not, “The Lioness” had a record of 9-4 going into her fourth fight with the UFC. She then proceeded to win her next 12 fights which saw her win and defend the bantamweight title five times, as well as winning the featherweight belt and defending that twice.

Her first reign as the bantamweight queen was quite shockingly halted by Julianna Pena at UFC 269. She got her revenge in her following bout though and then defended the belt one last time, against Irene Aldana, before retiring from the sport.

Julianna Pena – 2021-2022, 2024-Present

We've spoken about Julianna Pena already, she is the current women's bantamweight champ after defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307. 

The Venezuelan fighter first won the belt in 2021 in her shock victory over Amanda Nunes, where her reign lasted less than six months before losing to Nunes in a rematch. She'll be hoping that her second spell as champ will be much longer.

Raquel Pennington – 2024

Raquel Pennington claimed the vacant bantamweight belt, against Mayra Bueno Silva, after Amanda Nunes retired from the sport in 2023. Pennington's reign as champion lasted a little over eight months; she lost a split decision against Julianna Pena in October 2024.