Virna Jandiroba

At #3 in the women's strawweight rankings, Virna Jandiroba — "Carcara" to fight fans — is past the "prospect" stage. This is contender territory, and every fight from here is a title eliminator in disguise.

Wrestling is the skeleton key here — 2.9 takedowns a round on average. Everything opponents want to do standing gets interrupted, smothered, and dragged to the canvas.

Last time out he beat Tabatha Ricci (Decision - Unanimous) — the kind of result that keeps a career pointed in the right direction.

He's 38 now. Fighters at this stage aren't building toward something; they're spending what's left, and that usually makes for the best fights.