It wasn’t too long ago that Dana White infamously said that women would never fight in the UFC. Luckily, he’s been known to tell a harmless lie here and there. Fast forward to 2021, and female fighters have put on some of the most exciting bouts in the sport’s history.
Still, even the most academic fight fan can admit that watching fit women grapple in spandex shorts can be enjoyable for lesser reasons. Most of the female roster is aware of what the very vocal UFC fanbase wants. Many stay active on social media as a side (or main) gig, regularly blessing their follower’s feeds with revealing pictures.
This both supplements their income and shows off their hard work in the gym. For your education, we did the research.
Here are the hottest female UFC fighters worth following on Instagram:
1. Mackenzie Dern
Twitter: MackenzieDern
The daughter of BJJ pioneer Megaton Dias, Mackenzie essentially grew up in the gi. Before signing to the UFC, she was already one of the most accomplished jiu-jitsu competitors in the world, even once beating Gabi Garcia.
She also grew up in Arizona, a fact which many confused UFC fans have pointed out in response to her suddenly adopting a thick Portuguese accent.
Now a top 5 strawweight, her love of surfing and posting bi-weekly bikini pictures on Instagram eventually led her to permanently move to California, where she now trains under the RVCA banner.
2. Tracey Cortez
Twitter: @tracycortezmma
Tracey first arrived under the UFC banner through Dana White’s Contender Series, where she immediately earned a contract with a dominant victory and emotional backstory. She’s currently undefeated in the promotion, winning more fans along the way both for her grounded personality and undeniable good looks.
Unfortunately for any potential suitors-in-waiting, she is currently dating fellow UFC superstar and perennial ladies man, Brian “T-City” Ortega. Liking her pictures should still be safe though.
3. Ariane Lipski
Twitter: @arianelipski
“The Queen of Violence” earns her nickname every fight by aggressively showcasing beautiful Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fundamentals (Watch her take this poor girl’s leg home if you’re skeptical). Beautiful is an appropriate word to describe her outside of the cage as well. She recently opened a cameo account for anyone interested in receiving a personal message from the queen herself.
4. Miesha Tate
Twitter: @mieshatate
A name synonymous with almost every era of women’s MMA, the future UFC Hall of Famer’s journey from being with being on the losing end of a grudge rubber match with Ronda Rousey. She eventually clawed her way back to a title shot, choking out the woman who had just sent Miesha’s former nemesis to the shadow realm. After walking away from the sport for several years, she came out of retirement and looked to be in the best shape of her life. She’s also never been one to shy away from a good camera angle, which no one’s ever complained about.
5. Michelle Watterson
The “Karate Hottie” has been a UFC fan favorite for over a decade. But before she was using her patented front snap kick to punish the air in front of her opponent’s face, Michelle worked as a waitress at Hooters. She was picked to be part of their calendar shoot, where they assigned her the nickname.
When she transitioned to fighting, the commentators had no other information to go by, so they googled her and it stuck.
Never one to take herself too seriously, Watterson still maintains her trim figure year-round and hopes to be the first “mom-champ” in her division.
6. Cheyanne Buys
Twitter: @cheywarprincess
After a frustrating and somewhat infamous UFC debut where she may or may not have threatened to follow her opponent home for spitting in her face, fans got to see her display her skillset in her second fight, where she won a 50k performance bonus. Hopefully, we’ll get to see the “War Princess” fight again soon.
7. Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko
What is there not to say about arguably the most skilled martial artist on the planet?
Valentina has traveled the world as a professional fighter since the age of 15, while somehow finding the time to also earn a film directing degree. She speaks 3 languages, pirouettes over the recently unconscious bodies of her opponents, and competes professionally in defensive shooting competitions. The pistol tattoos on her midsection are of her favorite Glock-17, which she feels describe her because they’re well-rounded.
No kidding.
Oh yeah, she can do business casual too:
8. Amanda Ribas
We’ve all known a girl whose laugh seemed to defy the laws of physics, blasting through thin walls, crowds, and earbuds. Well, in this case, that’s a good thing. The 5 ft 4in ball of infectious Brazilian sunshine that is Amanda Ribas took the MMA world by storm, showing off slick submissions to compliment her vibrant personality. It doesn’t hurt that she’s also quite easy on the eyes.
9. Alexa Grasso
Constantly evolving her skills, Alexa Grasso has still maintained the humble and sweet personality that helped make her so popular. The overload of heart eyes in all her Instagram comments would probably agree.
10. Jessica Rose-Clark
Twitter: @missjessyjess
The striking-inclined CSA standout has finally been getting more recognition lately. Originally from Australia, she’s made a name for herself with both her hard-hitting style and her fantastic ink. Jessica frequently takes advantage of the lifting platforms at her gym, allowing followers a front-row seat to her #lilthiccc workouts.
11. Tabatha “Baby Shark” Ricci
Twitter: @tabatharicci
Although her UFC debut didn’t go her way, “Baby Shark” still has plenty of time to grow and improve. As far as modeling goes, she seems to have that already mastered.
12. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Twitter: @joannamma
Despite recent setbacks, former strawweight Joanna remains the most accomplished female strawweight in UFC history. Since losing her belt, she’s stepped back a bit from her “Boogey woman persona” showing more of her laid-back side, chilling by the hot tub and…not making it hard to focus at all…
