Well Canadian Julia Budd is the Bellator champion. Ranked as high as number 4 in the world, I believe on some sites. See... What ppl forget is there is alot more to mma than just the UFC.
This UFC division was a pubic hair away from being shitcanned, right after Amanda KOd Cris. Fee was the Invicta champ, I was a little gutted to be honest. I knew she was deserving of the call up at some point. But, I looked at the positive, and with just one more win at FW she would beat a Cyborg Invicta FW record.
Next thing I know Fee and another fighter, Virna I think were signed to the UFC. I was excited af... Fee fights Megan and blasts her out even more easily than I predicted. And in her backstage interview specifically says that she was told the UFC is signing fighters for that division.
So, obviously the hope of anybody that’s a fan of the division is that they will continue to try to find and sign the best prospects for this division. They do exist, but they are not a dime a dozen, especially at the top. But so was BW in the beginning, and so was SW. And I’d contend SW is the best UFC division now simply because the prima donnas at the top of the LW division never fight.
So, the short answer at the end of a long post is... Be patient. If the UFC really is committed, they will find true FW contenders. If you notice Fee did not participate in the FW TUF. Which had alot of BW that just weren’t cutting weight. She chose to stick in Invicta and win their world title.
And if the UFC actually establishes the division...
Build it... She will come.